Sixth Blogiversary!

Many bloggers do a "year in review" post somewhere around Dec 31st, but I am always too busy sewing over the holiday break. Besides, the end of August (i.e. early Fall) feels more like a new beginning to me.

So, yes, August 25th, 2015 is my 6th blogiversary! Bear with me while I look back over the last year...

(You can also check out my previous blogiversary posts.)

I have less time to blog than I used to have. In that spirit, this blogiversary post is shorter than my previous posts!

Contents:

• Year in Summary
• Top 10 Posts
• Statistics
• The Coming Year

Year in Summary

• I was featured in the December/January issue of Vogue Patterns Magazine, as their "Star Blogger." That was quite an honor!
  
• I finished my first full year as a Britex blogger; I made 5 garments for Britex this year. (Clicking an image takes you to that post.)
  
• I made three videos this year! The first two were made with the help of my pal, Sarah Bunje. Then I made one on my own showing the Zirkel magnetic pin cushion. We'll see if I do more of these. The jury is still out. ;)
• I did a bit of sewing-related travel:
  
  • Minnesota to drop DD2 off at college. While there I attended a meetup at Treadle Yard Goods in St Paul, and also visited Ginny's Fine Fabrics in Rochester, MN.
  
  • Seattle (mostly for work) where I managed to visit District Fabrics in the Fremont area.
  
  • Puyallup Sew Expo
  
  • Portland and surrounding areas—Oregon is just full of fiberly fun!
• I met sewing friends in real life! In particular, a number of folks came to visit me at Google Mountain View:
  
  • Elizabeth, whom I have known for years on Stitcher's Guild and who is a blogger in her own right, visited from Sweden with her husband and daughter. (She brought along her niece to visit Google, too, but left her toddler son with a relative.) It was so great to meet her in person, though I was definitely a bit distracted as a tour guide. I hope we have another chance to hang out in the future!
    
  • Mari, of Seamster Patterns, has created some very nice patterns, such as her Rose Hip Tights and her easy-breezy Summercrisp Skirt. She specifically asked to see the Bison wearing the Noogler Hat I made more than a year ago.
    
  • Michelle Paganini, of Paganoonoo Patterns. Have you seen Michelle's patterns yet? She specializes in creative clothing design that begins with clothing, rather than fabric. Refashioning is hot, it's in, and you should definitely check it out!
    
• Started using Instagram.
  I created an Instagram account some time ago, but didn't use it until I started posting pics last February from Puyallup. I then started using it from time to time to post pics I had snapped when window shopping, or when looking at a fashion magazine while at the hairdressers. But I'm now using it more often. Right now I'm participating in a "Sew Photo Hop" - each day throughout the month of August, each participant posts a photo according to a daily theme, like "Secret corner of shame", or "Favorite sewing technique", or "Tiny vs Big". I like how it makes me think! You can follow me on Instagram, if you are so inclined.

  No worries, Instagram will never replace blogging for me, but it serves a purpose. Sometimes I take photos that I'd like to share without the burden of creating an entire post. It's a more "lightweight" way of sharing.

Top 10 Posts

These are my top 10 posts of all time, only two of which are from this year. I wish blogger would tell me the top 10 posts of the last year, but they don't provide that info.

• Self Drafted - Anthropologie Skirt with over 90,510 views. (Yowza!)
• Self Drafted - Tablecloth Skirt (with Tutorial)
• Weight Loss and Health
• An Open Letter to Vogue Patterns
• FBAs in Knits - Advice for the Uber Busty
• Scuba Knit
• Vogue 8904 - Marcy's Shingle "Wiggle" Dress
• Koos Loop Infinity Scarf
• Donna Karan shirt (this year)
• Get OFF My Internets! (This was also the year I became aware of GOMI.)

Statistics

End of Year	Number of Posts	Number of Followers	Number of Subscribers
1	125	130	Was Google Reader in use?
2	107	341	482 (GR)
3	107	505	739 (GR)
4	92	617	996 when GR was retired on 7/1. 611 in Bloglovin.
5	98	695	1136 (Bloglovin)
6	51	737	1561 (Bloglovin)

This year I exceeded 2 million page views on my blog. WOOT! But you can also see that my rate of posting has steadily declined. Oh well. (I do tend to write longer posts than I used to, with more topics, so that's something.)

The Coming Year

What's in store for the coming year?

Mostly, I want to keep pushing the creative envelope. More, more, MORE!

I do have a few projects and activities in store that I am excited about. I haven't yet talked about most of these on the blog.

• I have made plans to attend Diane Ericson's Design Outside the Lines retreat in Ashland this October. The guest teacher is Carol Lee Shanks and the theme is making a coat. Coats are my favorite things to make and I am really looking forward to my second DOL and my first in Ashland. (Though it's not my first visit to Ashland—I love that town!)
• I have been hired to teach a workshop next February. In January 2017, it will be almost exactly 2 years since leading my last workshop. I love these challenges, though they can make me bite my nails! I have to start making samples soon.
• I'm planning to attend Puyallup again. (You can see that I need more vacation to fit everything in!)
• It looks like I will be visiting Munich for work next April. (Though these things can change...) Can anyone tell me if there are interesting fiberly things to do in Munich or in the surrounding area? Once the work commitment is over, I might travel, but I'd have to travel on my own. Would it make sense to fly to Paris? Spain? Italy? I'm wide open, though I have limited vacation.

Thank you, dear blog readers! Thanks for being part of another great year. Thanks for your support, your feedback and comments, and your creativity! I am truly grateful.

I traditionally do a giveaway to celebrate my blogiversary, but I'm not prepared for that right now—this blogiversary kind snuck up on me. Let me mull it over and maybe I can come up with a good giveaway in the near future.

And, just to leave you with a chuckle... One of my local sewing friends, Lisa M, has been sewing "diapers" for her chickens. She likes to let two of her chickens (who are better behaved than their sisters) visit inside her house from time to time and, thanks to the diapers she has made, it's possible!

It's official! Now I've seen everything!
(Thanks to JillyBe—her chicken pics were better than mine!)