Finding Sewjo

It happens to the best of us and this time it has happened to me. I've lost my sewjo.  More accurately, I've lost my quiltjo. It actually disappeared a few weeks ago but I thought it was just a phase. This weekend, however, I realised it is so much more. It is opportunity. This is the bright shining light of change I've been waiting for. It's not just a sign. It's a giant, neon, animated gif, sign-up-to-our-newsletter-pop-up, in your face kind of sign you'd see on the streets of Vegas or on poorly designed websites (there I said it...I'm a not-so-closet pop-up hater).  What the heckity am I talking about? Let me back up a little...

I love writing patterns and tutorials. I truly love it. My dream is to do it for many more years to come. One day I hope to be writing for some of our own Aussie designers to free up time for them to create more awesomeness, but that's another story.  The point is, I love what I do. "So, what's the problem?" I hear you ask. The problem is that I peaked a little too early. This year was supposed to be about networking, finding my feet, dipping my toe in the water that is pattern writing.

I was fortunate enough to be presented with some amazing opportunities earlier this year that led to more follower and, finally, some hard earned cash. The downside to this is that I wasn't actually ready to continue climbing the dizzying heights of stardom. I was supposed to be at home, enjoying the last months with my baby girl before she hits the scary world of Kindergarten next year. I was supposed to be learning all I could about sewing and pattern creation, and finding my own creative niche. What I wasn't supposed to be doing was yelling out phrases like "Not now, I'm busy" or "I really have to get this finished".

I've been having an attack of the guilts of late and, to be perfectly honest, I haven't really enjoyed working on my quilts for a while now. It became glaringly obvious that something was wrong this weekend when the International Quilt Market images started rolling in and, instead of daydreaming about one day going along, I thought "oh...well isn't that nice" and scrolled happily scrolled past to see what my dressmaking friends were up to.

I've spent the last week or two reading sewing books and stalking non-quilting pattern designers and have decided that it's time I found that creative niche I was supposed to be searching for. It's time I found out what I wanted to do as opposed to what I was good at or stumbled upon.

What does this mean for you? Well....nothing really, I just love to write and felt this was a good story. I will still blog about quilts, I will still write patterns. In fact, I will probably write more than I ever have before, but I will also be going back to my plan from when I first created this blog, and write about my sewing journey in the hope that it inspires others to pursue their own happiness. Oh...and of course I will still be showcasing the remarkable talents of Aussie/NZ pattern writers. What better way to learn than from your peers?