Wow, You Have Spoken!

First of all I know you all love pictures, I still think you might like to read what some people have said about blogging. If not just look at the pretty pictures!

I got about 44 comments about blog comments. I answered every email I got except for the no reply comments. Unfortunately I have no way of answering you. If you read through some of the comments I put in here, you will see there are lots of reasons for why it is/isn't working.
I don't know what the answers are to trying to improve this. From now on I will put my email at the end of each post so you can contact me if you want.

I am totally hooked on doing pot holders. I loved these as a kid! The loops they have now are gorgeous and cotton.
So here are some of the comments.......


"I still read and enjoy blogs but I am often guilty of not taking the time to comment. There are no blogger issues that I know of that are affecting me, I sometimes just read in a hurry and move on. I know that shortchanges the blogger who put lots of time into the post. I will try to remember that! I have never done facebook, nor do I intend to. Our son told my husband and me years ago that parents and grandparents have ruined facebook. We took it as our sign we should not sign up! Actually, he's not all that into it either, but I know lots of people are. I don't do Instagram either, although I may, someday." From LM

I have been making them when I watch TV at night.

"I have a couple of thoughts here, about blogging. I think a lot of people read blogs and then 'pin' an idea without making a comment. Sad, but if you look up your Pinterest page, you'll see what I mean. From that I occasionally get an email from someone who would like the pattern of a quilt I've made and they saw on Pinterest! Blogger has changed in recent days. It's at the top of your 'Posts' page in the yellow box. It mentions Google+ comments etc. I had a long time follower tell me she had trouble leaving a comment so I think that has something to do with it. Another reason could be that some blogs which have advertising all over them turned me off following them. Finally there are still well known bloggers out there who write wonderful blog posts but don't bother to answer comments!! Why would I waste my time on them? Not that you are in that realm Kelly! I love, love, love your temperature quilt! The colour palette you chose is gorgeous! Oh, and IG is quicker too!"  From SS

They also come in a bigger size too. This loom is a 10" size which makes wonderful trivets.

"I love visiting blogs and seeing lovely quilts but I do not always take the time to comment since I visit a lot of blogs. If i would comment on every blog I read i would not have time to do anything else. I do not visit instagram and am not fond of facebook. That trinket project looks very interesting. And the temperature quilt is lovely." This if from a no-reply commentor (KV) I cannot respond to her because I don't have her email! 
And this one too!....... "I just want to say that I don't leave comments too often simply because I lack time, not because I'm bored. I always enjoy the blogs." from M.

I am loving the Trinket Sew Along. It's easy enough to keep up with, at least for now!

This is from a local friend...."Hey Kelly I just left a comment on your blog and I see the comment published. It’s really short because the longer comment I made first didn’t appear when I hit publish. It said “publishing” but never showed up. Also, I get your blog in my email but to comment, I have to hit the link on the bottom to get to the blog on the web. An extra step. And I read all the comments too! So a little aggravating. 

I have had a heck of a bad time with my Wordpress blog. Just spent $150 trying to fix it. And it’s not fixed totally! I won’t go into the details because we have different platforms. But I noticed that something was screwy because I stopped getting comments." T

The blocks are pretty colorful! These were the ones for the first 2 weeks.

"It's hard for some people to leave comments. For instance I get email notices of your post and read it there. You can't comment from there, to comment I have to come over to the actual blog. Nothing wrong with blogging, it's so much better than just getting a picture out of the blue, to me. It holds content in one location. You can do in depth tutorials or write stories. I find it much better than instagram. I will not do FB, never have and won't. I am the same as you with views/comments. Every so often I get an email from someone who says she's been reading for years but never comments! I lost a lot of views when G+ went away as people followed thru that. There are changes happening but this is still the best format for me to write in, and read. We're not alone.
We also do not need 5000 likes a day, or followers to be connecting with people, that's a product of social media that to say more is better. Actually it's better to share something real with a few people who really get you, and enjoy you. It's a real connection, right?" LA 

These are for the upcoming weeks. I am 3 weeks ahead. Just in case.... Don't you love that little strawberry?

"I saw your post from Friday and wrote a very long comment in reply, only to have it disappear when I pressed "submit".  Twice.  Now, it may be that it's gone into a moderation queue, but if that's the case then you haven't checked your blog for new comments in two days.  From a reader's point of view the comment is gone and the twenty minutes I took to write it were completely wasted.  That only has to happen a couple of times and people don't bother any more. I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm just telling you what happened to me" From D

My sewing table is in organized chaos mode. A few projects at the same time!

"I still love reading blogs! Sometimes I think no one could possibly be interested in my comment, sometimes I can’t think of anything original to say, and sometimes I am just plain lazy. See? It’s not about you. It’s all about me! I do unsubscribe from the blogs that no longer interest me. I do think Instagram has spoiled us. We just want to clock a little heart and move on to the next pic. Thank you for taking the time to blog!" From M

My hand applique project is moving right along. I have missed applique, my first love in hand work.

"Instagram hasn't killed blogging but it has revealed a separation of the quilting world based on time availability and personality types.  For people who are impatient or time-poor, Instagram is good because it's easy to load a picture and a very brief description, and even easier to browse hundreds of pictures in a few minutes.  For people who want to read and describe things in more detail, though, the blog remains the best format.  Most blogging sites host images now, and once you've worked out each site's little wrinkles it doesn't take much more effort to post something on a blog.  There's also more flexibility with tagging and searching (at least on WordPress, my site -- I use "categories" for general terms that would be common to many blogs, and "tags" for individual project titles -- this gives me searchability both from outside and within the blog).  I also like the way that each site allows you to curate a reading list (from all platforms) so that I'm not overloaded with email notifications and I can skip a day or two if I'm just not feeling quilty (rare, but it does happen). 

Commenting is definitely sparse now, possibly because of cross-platform issues and spam-control measures -- if you aren't logged into that specific site it may be difficult to gain access to the comment function (Captcha etc).  For those who only read blog posts by email it may be even harder to respond.  And obviously those who are particularly impatient or time poor prefer the two seconds it takes to press a "like" button to the several minutes it takes to make a comment.

I think that blogging quality (as opposed to quantity) is now deteriorating in one respect and improving in another.  I see a lot of repetition (ad nauseam) from some professional and semi-professional bloggers who believe that they absolutely have to post every day even when they are just repeating 95% of what was blogged yesterday and the day before and the day before that (do they really have to show the latest four out of a hundred log cabin blocks?).  Even blog hops are things I scroll past now because 80% of the content will be promoting the blog hop itself (banners and date/host lists) and only 20% the blogger's actual contribution.  In contrast, some bloggers post less frequently but their posts are longer, more informative and less repetitious, and they are the ones I like to read.  I also think that this second group of bloggers will remain and maybe even expand in proportion as time goes by." By D

This is a favorite fabric!

So what do you think? I will still blog but as you can see I don't do it as often as I have in the past. I use this platform as my own quilt diary and to share and inspire with all of you. I do try to speak with my own voice and show you things I think you will like (potholders!!!) that aren't always quilt related.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to tell me what you thought. I don't necessarily need the comments but it is nice to know you are out there!

Kelly
kellymx@aol.com

Wow! The People Have Spoken!!!!

I am shocked! Imagine my surprise when I checked my email and there were like 75 responses (I think there may be even more today) to my question! I think I struck a nerve!
Today's post will be another picture heavy Christmas post as I respond to you all. This is my current quilt that I am trying to get finished this week. I have the perfect spot to hang it. It was originally going to be a bit bigger but for now it is smaller with the idea of making a larger one down the road.

So from what I gather, most of you like the coziness and personal side of a blog. There seems to be a backlash against the other types of social media. Someone asked me is that an age thing? Another good question, maybe I should have a survey? What do you think? Do you want to know? I do!
I added a poll so go ahead and vote! It is in the upper right hand side of the blog.
Above is a pincushion for a friend, isn't it cute? The pattern is in the Quilts and More magazine that is out right now. It's super simple but very charming, in my opinion.....

It also seems like most of you don't like the idea of someone trying to sell you something or all the ads all over the blogs, I find those annoying too.  Those of you that do use Facebook like to keep track of family and friends more than quilting things, though some are in quilt groups that are private.
This is my windowsill above where I write my blog. The trees are from Target a long time ago.

Almost everyone who weighed in on Facebook agreed it has been ugly with a capital U these past few weeks. Many along with me have stopped looking at it, or never look at it.
I love cutting the greens off my evergreens and adding a little sparkle to my kitchen. The beautiful sparkly picks came from Waterloo Gardens, a local placed that closed and I miss it very much. They always had those special items you couldn't find anywhere else.

I do hope some of the blogs I don't see out there anymore come back. I like them as much as you do. Google Reader did make it easier to read them and I just never check Bloglovin.
I love these containers with Kosher salt for snow, easy and cute. A great way to highlight special or antique ornaments.

I promise you I am not going anywhere and will continue to blog. I feel like Sally Fields "they like me, they really like me!"I enjoy it and love feedback from my readers, so be sure to leave me a comment! If you are a no reply commenter I can't email you back just so you know.
I have a lot of Christmas in the kitchen because we spend a lot of time in here! I like to mix the pastels of the 1950's along with the red and green.

If you have not tried Instagram give it a try. It is not hard and it is fun, it's a bit like blogging lite! You can find me at Pinkadotquilts.
I am not sure about this tray arrangement. I want to put some greens on the bottom but it looks a little like the "leftover tray", which it is!

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I read each and every one but could not possibly answer them all. I always value you all your opinions.
One stocking for each of my 4 children along with some snowmen I have collected over the years. They are from MODA a few years back.

You all have inspired me all over again to blog more often and look for some interesting things to show you. I am going to try and do some more tutorials, everyone seems to like those! I hope you have enjoyed this tour and I will be back!
This is one of my all time favorite quilts. To me red and green is not just for Christmas but all year long.
Okay back to work, so I have something to blog about!

Kelly

?

I have noticed for some time now that it feels blogging is on the down slide. Instagram and Facebook seem to be taking a bigger foot hold.
Last week I read a blog post by a popular quilter with thousands of followers. She was talking about how it was easier for her to use Instagram than to do a blog post. She asked her followers if they would rather follow her on Instagram, Facebook or her blog. A good many followed her on all 3 but the majority agreed they like the blog the best. More information, pictures, instructions etc.

I am not on Instagram, I am on Facebook and obviously I blog. I love blogging, it feels like it's a more personal, specific audience that I relate with on a weekly basis. Facebook has it's merits but to me it feels a little more like "bragging" where as blogging feels like sharing.

If you are a blogger where do you think blogging is going? If you aren't a blogger what is your favorite "place " and why? I am not sure that I will be changing all that much, but it is food for thought.

I am hoping to post in the next 2 days as I will be off on an adventure by myself to visit my sister. I am driving to Illinois (13 hours) with my sewing machine, plants and other miscellaneous things that don't work with a plane. I will try to post while I am there.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Kelly