Some thoughts and a quick request for feedback

Hi folks.

This morning I am in Tulsa Oklahoma. Today I am going to be visiting the vintage sewing museum and this evening doing a book signing at the incredible Art Deco Mayo Hotel.

Tomorrow I am going to be teaching all day and really looking forward to that.

After this we will be heading home.

It has been a really great trip. Basically we relaxed in the state parks and concentrated on spending time with the other guys - my son in Austin and my oldest son and his family in Berkeley. It was tremendously restorative for me to do both.

This trip has also given me some time to think about what to do next and that includes this blog.

While I have been away I did a podcast interview for C & T who published my book. One of the comments made during the course of the questions was that my book was very different in that there was a lot of writing in it, as opposed to most books they publish which focus more on instructions. This was interesting because I have been thinking about doing more instructional stuff particularly for new sewers, I am thinking Youtube, but I also think this was a very valid comment.

I really like writing. In fact the best part of the book process for me was the writing not the sample making to be really honest, although I liked doing the step-by-step instructions when I thought they were about sharing something stress reducing and easy making ideas.

This also got me thinking about this blog.

I don't know about you but social media often overwhelms me. So many great garments, so many beautifully styled photos, such tremendous output. 

I sew all the time, nearly every day, but it is often a communication thing, a creative thing more than an output exercise. Many of my garments are now for other people and I always want to do a surprise. This doesn't make for consistent blog presentation.

I really don't think I can keep up with that kind of blogging, the garment photos twice a week stuff. That is done so much more capably by other people. I really want to just communicate with other sewers about our lives and our sewing more than do a lot of show and tell, because my life doesn't work like that.

So I am thinking about doing this.

Focusing on my Instagram account @bemodi for the showing what I am making part. I want to do this particularly when there is a pattern I want to share or a fabric source to pass on. I will still do garments and construction here of course, but Instagram is so fast and easy for this kind of stuff and that is helpful for frequent posting.

Using my Youtube channel Barbara Emodi more for the kind of information I want to share with newer sewers in particular, or for techniques I would place in the nifty idea category. I have decided to do some basic how-to's on Youtube for my daughter-in-law in Berkeley. I left her a machine and she has outstanding textile/design sense and might find those useful.

Writing in this blog about stuff. 

Thoughts I am having, considerations on sewing, a little more unplugged. This might be a disappointment to those who see this as a sewing only blog, but to me sewing is part of the flow of my life. Hard for me to make that separation.

I think I need more of a writing outlet right now than to feel the pressure to produce regular sewing production blog posts - it would be good to go a bit more random.

Flypaper thoughts type writing more often here if you get my drift.

So I guess the question is what do you think?