Monday, April 11, 2016

Things upset me.

As of late I have been on the computer more lurking on blogs and reading posts from other quilters.
I noticed tonight one of the blogs I usually read everyday is running so slow.

I think the thing  that upsets me the most is they want you to follow them, but they have so many ads on their blogs it takes forever to load.

I know they say they have to pay for the space they have in the archives. The cost is something that they try to cover with the ads.

I am not in this to make money this is just journal for myself. I have toyed with the idea of letting my blog go and just not blog. Some days it is hard to find something to talk about because I am just sewing on 4-patches. If you know what I mean.

The fun of blogging has left and I have noticed several I use to read on a regular basis are drifting off the blog roles. Others are like me that an everyday post is hard to do. Sometimes Life just gets in the way.

I get up in the morning and read the few that post everyday and a few once a week and some once a month, but I feel like I stay connected. With being a care giver I don't get out to guild meetings or even frequent the quilt shops.

Most weeks I am lucky to get to the store for groceries and buy gas for the car. The magazines come and they are the same old patterns in different settings or colorways so I have quit that expenditure.

I still love to sew and quilt. I still try and dream of different quilts to get my juices going. By the end of the month I will try and get my mind made up.

I am sure having not sewn for over a week has jaded my opinion of this process. Tomorrow we will be outside to try and clean up the yard again. I have some grass seed to distribute, but it is too cold to do that yet. Suppose to get below freezing here tonight.

Hopefully You all have a good evening. Chris

9 comments:

Teresa Rawson said...

Don't get discouraged...I have stopped reading blogs that take too long to load due to the ads. I think my storage plan for Google Blogs is only $20 a year. Since I don't work, it is fun to think about my blog making income, but I will never do it...when I read other blogs, I don't want to read all the ad crap, and I have so little time to read blogs that I have no patience for them loading slowly. :o) I do hope to become more regular with posting and reading now that my life is calming down a bit. Now that I feel so isolated, I feel that the blogging is more important to me than ever. I really think of it as a quilting journal and a quilting bee. I have let all my quilt magazine subscriptions go...it was month after month of the same old stuff. I love Quiltmania, which I used to be able to find in Ann Arbor but will never find down here...I will probably subscribe to that one. I do still get the quarterly mags for AQS, IQA and NQA that you get for being members. Your life has been very upside down for a while with your mom's passing and all the home improvement. Tomorrow is another day! :o)

suzanne, dutchess county NY said...

I so enjoy so many blogs, especially Teresa's. I use her blog roll as a starting off point and that's how I came across yours. The bigger blogs are nice to visit( if they load that is) but it is the smaller ones with everyday quilters I identify with, like yours. We all have life issues and reaching out with these blogs creates a community. Recently the blogging has dwindled. I too tried to blog. It was on tumblr because it was free. I just didn't have the budget to pay for one. So you can imagine free isn't the easiest to use, I also was a caregiver and had a full time job during the warmer months running a gardening business( small) and it was hard for me to find the time for a blog. Now there is intagram apps on phones. Easy to take a picture and upload with a comment. This is where the bloggers have gone. Now those with the big, advertising promoting blogs are there too! Who has this time.
I hope both you and Teresa keep your blogs. Reading them is a daily routine for me. Even though we have never met and I don't comment often but I feel connected.....

Katie M. said...

I think many of us who don't have the 'big' blogs, those of us who aren't traveling teachers or have a store (Etsy, Craftsy come to mind), just sometimes don't think we have enough to blog about. My goodness there are 'apps' out there to help you write and schedule your blog... I think blogging has become almost an extension of business for those who are doing sewing, crafting & quilting as a business.
Chris, I do read all your posts, I don't comment on each one, but I do read!
I don't blog much because it was discouraging to see the blogs grow that have so many pictures and tutorials, etc.. I felt like maybe my blog wasn't interesting enough and many just don't want to read a blog that isn't filled with pictures. So, I post only when I feel like it's something someone might get inspiration from... But you know what? YOUR blog SHOULD be about you and what you're wanting to say. That's what journaling is all about. Chris, if you feel better writing a little every day - than you should. Your blog is about you - not what someone else wants to see. If someone is looking for inspiration, maybe they should just go to Pinterest....
Anyway, I will continue to read for as long as you continue to write and maybe it's time I start taking my own advice and start writing in my blog more.....

Marie said...

Hi, Chris, I know just what you mean about the heavily laden blogs that take forever to download, sometimes posting twice a day. It is so discouraging and I tend to steer away from those. I so enjoy your daily postings and hearing about your life. I also relate to the above comments inasmuch as I quit buying magazines and books, it's all repetition and these quilting blogs that I do read daily, give me enough inspiration to carry on with my quilting. I have come to "know" many people from many walks of life through reading blogs and I hope you carry on with yours. Best of wishes.

Carol said...

Cris....i do enjoy reading your blog, also being from Illinois i can relate to your ways of sewing...I dont get out as much as i used to with bad arthritis so its a way of staying in contact with the outside world even though i dont know if anyone reads my blog..After things settle down in your world maybe your sewing priorities will all fit where they belong including your blog and most likely you will want to share it....i do hope that is the case....hang in there....

Linzey Joy said...

I love to read blogs! I agree I find them very inspiring but when the blog becomes just another "market" I am out!

I want to be inspired by projects, see life pics and hear stories from my blog friends. My blog friends are a virtual quilt guild for me.

Jean said...

Please don't stop blogging. You have given me lots of ideas of how to use all the scraps I have. I understand also about being a caregiver, but if you can give yourself 15 minutes a day to sew, I found that helps the stress of other stuff. You are also still grieving the loss of you Mom.That takes time and uses a lot of emotional energy, so get your rest as you need it.

sewyouquilt2 said...

many people start blogs for different reasons. I like you blog for myself as a journal and to share with other quilters. some blog to make money or on a path to become a name to sell quilty things. thats ok too. even if you are "just sewing 4 patches" it is fun to see how many different ways a 4 patch quilt can look. there is so much inspiration out there and even if it is "lil ole me and you", someone can learn something or get ideas. I usually sit on a weekend and take all my pics and blog for the week. then I just schedule the blog to go on a certain day. relieves the "stress" of having to blog daily AND it gives me time to get things done so I can take pics for the next blog schedules. that is what works for me! do what is best for YOU.

Amy, a redeemed sheep said...

I only blog when I have something to say. To write just for writing, isn't me. When I have something to share, I will blog about it. =) I read everything you post, even though I don't respond every time. =)