Wednesday, January 26, 2022

13th Year!

Thirteen years ago today - Monday, January 26, 2009 - I wrote my first blog post!

Six people commented on it. Looking at those comments... only one person still follows and comments on my blog: Debbie J. www.aquilterstable.blogspot.com. Wow, Debbie! How fantastic is it that you and I continue to follow and read one another's blog posts after 13 years?! Thank you so much for that!

If I'd known I'd attain this blog-longevity, I might have written about something other than making my first Pavola to celebrate Australia Day (today).

Though in the first month of blogging, I wrote only four posts, in November 2009 I wrote 22 blog posts! Seems like a lot, but back then blogging was the primary means of communicating with other quilters. With the pervasiveness of Facebook and Instagram, many people withdrew from from blogging, and reading blogs.

Early-on, I followed more than 80 blogs. Though 75 blogs are still on my reading list, many of the makers that I still call friends have stopped blogging. I miss, and feel sad about no longer knowing that they're creating and doing. When they dropped the blogging habit, our closeness went away too.

In 13 years of blog-posting:
  • I've written 1,138 blog posts
    • on average, that's 88 blog posts a year
    • or, 1.7 blog posts per week
    • I wrote 163 posts in 2009, compared to 68 posts in 2021
  • since March 2019 I've written 124 Book Recommendations
    • thanks (blame?) for those reviews and ratings go to my friend Karen E.
    • refer to "Books List" (top of home page) to view and/or download those titles
  • received 13,100 comments, and replied to nearly all of them
    • "no reply commenters" can find my replies to them on that particular blog post
  • I documented the making and finishing of 156 quilts
    • quilts range in size from 10" X 10" to 98" X 109"

In 13 years of blogging, I've blogged about...

...visiting Australia four times, when our daughter lived in Five Dock, a Sydney suburb;

While in Sydney, I taught beginner quiltmaking at Darling Point Anglican Church, sharing the experience with these friends, Di B. and Di. J.;

...numerous quilting classes and workshops I taught, among them, 35 five-week beginner quiltmaking lessons;

...winning my first and only Best in Show at the 2012 Machine Quilter's Showcase in Overland Park, Kansas. 

My prize was a Bernina 440QE sewing machine;

...moved from our Iowa home of nearly 33 years to live in Florida ('nuf said);

...met my best Florida friend on July 10, 2012;

...welcomed five grandchildren into our lives by marriage and by birth;

...made and maintained special friendships through quilting and social media;
Deb @ireniebeanie24 in Iowa
Carla @lollyquiltz in Kansas;
Cindy@liveacolorfullife in California;
Doris @madebyabrunette in Iowa

... in 2013 was diagnosed. and received radiation and drug therapy for non-genetic breast cancer; and the same year was diagnosed with severe peripheral artery disease, caused by genetics. I've had seven angioplasy, three stents put into my femoral arteries, and live with PAD through drug treatment;

... in 2019 said a heartfelt good-bye to our dear Hogan;

On November 5, 2010 I wrote a post about The Modern Quilt Guild, a "new quilt guild." I encouraged readers to check out!;
I co-founded the Des Moines MQG in 2010

and when I moved to Florida, Central Florida MQG was founded in 2012

...in 2013 I attended my first modern quilt show, QuiltCon in Austin, Texas...

And now I'm counting down the days until I will attend my fifth QuiltCon. In 21 days!

... along the way met some well-known quiltmakers;
Christa Watson

Angela Walters

Victoria Findlay-Wolfe

Christina Camelli

Lee Monroe 

Jo Avery 

Jacqui Gering, in her Kansas City studio

Alex Anderson


...had the pleasure of hosting two international friends, both met through the Internet and our blogs!
Edith QuiltsundMehr.blogspot.com from Neftenbach, Switzerland in 2013

Di @darlingdi from Sydney, Australia in 2017

... and could continue to reminisce about much, much more! Sewing projects, weaving, braiding, fabrics, techniques... dozens of events and activities that have happened in the past 13 years! Thousands of pictures have been uploaded to blogger!

Most of it has been good, and that makes me very grateful. Especially knowing that all of my family and I made it through the worst of the pandemic. I'm earnestly thanking God that the COVID-19 vaccine was created.

The last thing to share today is a Kawandi. 

This is the ninth small one I've made since learning this hand-stitching, scrap technique from Sujata Shaha, in a November 2020 virtual workshop.

 For the first time, I tried a planned layout of scraps. It finished at 18" X 24". 

I can't imagine what the next 13 years has in store, but I hope it will continue to be about family times spent together, friends, and sharing quiltmaking with others. For sure, I plan to blog about all of it! Linda

28 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your 13th blog anniversary. As you say, you have packed such a lot into these years, and I've enjoyed sharing your adventures with you. But..... the great pavlova debate! Us Kiwis will never surrender, we developed and made this sticky, gooey dessert first! Not the Aussies.

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  2. Well, congratulations on your 13th anniversary of blogging! Your latest kawandi is gorgeous! I think you have found your scrappy niche.

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  3. Congratulations! I've been reading since Des Moines though I think this is only my second comment. I enjoy your projects.

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  4. Congrats on 13 years Linda! That's quite an accomplishment these days with so many people (myself included) who no longer blog. I'm forever grateful for the Mid Century Modern quilting bee bringing us together. I consider you one of my best quilty friends and look forward to when we can meet again in person.

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  5. Congratulations Linda - you started blogging just six weeks before I did. I only received one comment on my first post, that of my daughter who was the person who kept telling me I ought to start a blog! I don't know how long I have been following you, but it has been a path of enjoyment in seeing your creations and envy of your wonderful quilting skills!

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  6. Thank you for continuing to blog. Instagram is just not the same and definitely not my cup of tea. I've enjoyed your blog for quite some time, but not as far back as Des Moines.

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  7. You've accomplished so much in the past 13 years! Blogging isn't always easy (or fun), but I enjoy reading so many of them and get lots of inspiration and tips. Hats off to another 13 years to you! (Still stuck in Iowa here!)

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  8. Happy blogiversary! You have had a very storied quilting life, and I enjoyed reading about your reminiscences. All I can say for my decades of blogging is that I made quilts.

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  9. 13 years, oh my?! Yay for me for following all these years - that made hubby and I LOL! ;-) So glad we've had the chance to meet in person too! Fun to read about the variety of posts over the years. Glad at least some of us early quilt bloggers still enjoy it. ;-)

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  10. Congrats on 13 years! I've been following you since you lived in Iowa...reading all you've gone through reminds me of how thankful I am that we don't know the future! I'm so thankful to know we're in God's hands and He is in control! Here's to 13 more years!

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  11. Congratulations! I always enjoy your blog posts and try to comment too! I am inspired by your creativity and willingness to share with us all!

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  12. Congratulations! It's always a big pleasure to read your blog posts. Have a very nice day :-)

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  13. Many Congratulations and bravo for keeping up an excellent blog. Although I'm not commenting often anymore, I do still read every single post. So please keep going and keep inspiring the quilting world. xx

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  14. Found you less than a year ago. You are so talented! Congratulations and hope you're healthy now.

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    1. Hi Deb! Thank you for "finding me!" :-) I'm grateful there are readers like you, who continue to encourage me to do what I do. Thank you! And yes, I am doing well, healthwise. I'm SO grateful to live in this age of modern medicine, for not only breast cancer and P.A.D. treatments, but for the COVID vaccine! (So sorry I can't reply to you in person, but you're a "no reply-commenter.)

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  15. Very nice overview of the years. Congratulations and best wishes for continuing with the good work.

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  16. Congratulations, Linda. 13 busy, fun quilt-filled years!

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  17. Thanks for sharing your overview of the last 13 years you've been blogging. I hope you will continue to blog and delight us with your creativity for MANY more years.

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  18. What a trip down memory lane. I remember a lot of the things your mentioned. And I look forward to what you write next!!!

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  19. Thanks for sharing this overview of your 13 years as a blogger, Linda. Happy blogiversary!! Keep on writing because we love reading your content.

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  20. Congratulations on your 13 blog anniversary!

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  21. Congratulations! Always enjoy seeing your projects.

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  22. 13 years is so wonderful!!! I love seeing the projects you're working on, they always inspire me to be more adventurous!! Thank you for all the years, it has been awesome!!!

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  23. Congratulations. I know many others have shifted over to others social media like Instagram, but I still enjoy blogs the most. Here's to hoping you have many more years of blogging.

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  24. Read Robert F Kennedy JR's book, The Real Anthony Fauci.
    The vax is experimental and people; children are dying from the side effects.
    Big pharma refuses to take responsibility, sounds honest?

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  25. Congratulations and wow! you've met everyone and been everywhere.
    What a nice review.
    oh wow on the comment above mine. I hope she and her family stay well.

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  26. CONGRATULATIONS!! Thirteen years is certainly a milestone to celebrate. I had a great time reading through all the different experiences, travel, quilting people, moves, and your life in general. Use this for a base for writing your Life History, if you decide to. Such a wonderful 13 years--thank you for writing!!

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  27. That was a great post, but my favorite part is the pic of the snow blower. We used to live in the frozen north, too, so I got a laugh out of it!

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