Well, it's a new year and I'm ready for new things, how about you? Besides the pervasive insanity we all experienced in 2020, there were a lot of other things that kept me from crafting & blogging most of the year: a new baby with some health issues (thankfully much better now), 4 other kids stuck in the house 24/7 and my shop cranking up to a whole new level of business as demand for fabric & inspirational items skyrocketed. It all left precious little free time to create or to even daydream about being creative. After an entire year of that, I really, really missed the pleasure making things brings.
With this year still being so uncertain, the need to find things that are uplifting and relaxing is high. I doubt I'm alone in feeling this way, so I've got some plans to foster those positives on Sew Can Do:
Trying new-to-me crafts & craft products
There are a number of interesting items out there I've been wanting to try and 2021 is going to be the time for it.
- More Fabrics -
- Crafts & Techniques -
- Supplies & Notions -
- New Gear -
- Organizing Stuff -
I'm on the lookout for different things to mess around with - now with a sidekick, my 11 yr old daughter, to really give things a good going over and make it more fun to do as a team. Time saver ideas and old school techniques that are helpful for sewing & crafting too. I have a few products I've discovered that I'm currently giving a go and will continue to look for more.
Each is something I purchased for myself and have no agenda or monetary incentive to talk about. I've really missed reading candid, honest crafter blog posts about trying stuff. Showing the good, bad & ugly of products and on their own dime has gotten rarer. So I'm going to do just that. No sponsored shills or affiliates for products or brands here, just a crafty lady, trying stuff and sharing thoughts about it. Previous posts like that have the highest views, which tells me they're helpful & needed.
Small Business Support & Tips
It's not easy to have a small business these days. Even before the Covid crazy it was challenging. Having an online fabric & craft supply shop takes up a lot of time and has been a constant learning curve for me over the past few years. Prior to that I spent several year running my own handmade shop on Etsy and was a partner in a brick & mortar retail store. I thought I might start sharing some things I've learned that might help others with a business. Time savers, mistakes to avoid, things to try/think about. And, from time to time, highlight some awesome small crafty businesses I buy from to help give them some shout outs too.
Free Patterns & More Patterns
I saw a huge surge of interest in my free patterns last year - especially the apparel ones. With people spending more time at home & trying to save money, I get it. So I'm aiming to create more of those & share 'em.
Craft Rooms + Fabric/Craft Supply Hoarding
I realize it's been ages since I addressed Fabric (and Craft Supply) Hoarding. It's a constant up & down issue for many of us and I want to share what I've been doing and not doing since this last post. Hopefully it'll light a fire under my backside to better balance the volume of stuff, how frequently it gets used and what's worth buying & tossing out.
Reality Based Craft Community Vibe
Over a decade ago, when I first started Sew Can Do, social media was in its infancy, so blogs were mainly found while searching for particular things, features or word of mouth. Communication was literally just comments & emails. You subscribed to get posts by email or added them to readers to stay updated. And there was no ranking by another entity under their arbitrary or changeable whims. No jockeying for search placement, SEO tags, messing with hashtags, or algorithms that decided if you were worthy of being seen or hidden. It felt so much more connected and personal rather than slick, corporate & controlled. Over a year ago I walked away from social media and I talked about why here:
With even more negative things coming from social media since then, it's just reaffirmed to me how good it is to make your own community with individual connections, directly on blogs, through comments, email, etc. Personal blogs acting like real people run them and doing it for fun, rather than trying to be an influencer, internet famous or monetize anything and everything. That's why I've loved hosting my Craftastic Monday Link Party and plan to keep that going. Link parties are a great way to promote your blog and discover others without all the strings of social media or getting a few paragraphs in to discover it's really more of an ad rather than a tutorial.
I'd love to hear what you'd like to see here this year and what your crafty plans for 2021 are. Sew Can Do has taken a lot of work & time over the years, but the joy it brings to make and share my projects & see others enjoy them too makes it worth it:)
