8.14.2013

you say you want a revolution

Well, I say it.  And if you sewcialists out there agree, I'm pretty sure we can get this done, LICKETY SPLIT.

I do so love that sort of charming language, much as I am also one hundred percent a truck driver at a diner slugging 3am coffee for that overnight haul and hurling expletives at a Cleveland Browns fan. Ruggy left a message saying there was some rigamarole going on the other day, and I broke out into a hunky dory grin.

But I digress. Let's talk about another sort of language: blog categories! Did you ever think the word blog would exist, much less the need to categorize it?! Long before the demise of google reader, I'd been looking for a way to read the maaaaaany blogs I love. Time was, I had a nice long blogroll on the sidebar of this here corner of the web. It was set to list blogs as they updated, and that was my reader. Then the creeps and hackers and malware found us, and if my blogroll contained a site that contained a link to a suddenly "suspicious" address, one would find a big red warning flag on my frontpage, and a bunch of worried shout outs in my inbox. I hate that like I hate a messy sewing area. Enter: pretty girl Bloglovin.



You know it by now, many have jumped ship there, and many purely out of necessity. But hark! I see a way to decorate it to our tastes! When claiming your blog, you will notice there are many categories to choose from. And like me, you might think: I don't fit in anywhere. Fashion is for shoppers (a category for each gender, even), we're not Street Style, not fully Design... the closest bet, methinks, is DIY & Crafts. But that shoe doesn't quite fit either, does it?

Must we be labeled? No, not really. I run the gamut from rambling about ballet to sewing for bar carts. But when I'm looking specifically for new sewing fodder, I like to search popular posts by category. A peek today at popular posts in DIY & Crafts brings up how to dill pickles, make a party topper, and a recipe for a pina colada.  (You would think I'd be all into that last one, but I like a little more alcohol and a little less fruit.)

Wouldn't y'all like a Sewing category? Think of it! Think of all the blogs out there just waiting to be discovered and added to your feed!  HOW MANY MORE COUNTLESS HOURS COULD YOU SPEND READING SAID BLOGS INSTEAD OF TACKLING THOSE SET IN SLEEVES???

No, no. Don't think of it that way. But if you'd like to tell Bloglovin to add a special sewing corner for us, where we can easily find inspiration and new sewists, hop on over to my fancy dancy suggestion, and add your vote!

53 comments:

  1. I love that idea!! I am voting. Apparently you can do 3 at a time... So it will rack up fast!

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  2. I'm using feedly, which is very much like google read (RIP). I'm not much of a fan of bloglovin'

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  3. Democracy, man. Three votes from me.

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  4. I 3 voted tho I am a feedly user.

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  5. Er, how did I not know that Bloglovin' has that handy 'popular posts by category' thing? I switched over when Google announced they were discontinuing their feed service. Other than crafting my list of followed blogs, I haven't explored what else Bloglovin' can do. Maybe now is the time...

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    1. i only just found it. spied several new pretties there, but there are sooooo much more.... must haz all the blogs....

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  6. I voted! Fab idea! I got rid of my blog roll because of malware as well....and I've been grumbling ever since :-)

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  7. I am totally with you on this!! I am off to vote! ~Laurie

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  8. A sewing category would be swell, except, I'd prefer it to include knitting also. Lots of double and triple threats out there on the web.

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    1. throw it out there! really, specific categories would only help, methinks. there's also a vote to allow multiple categories per blog.

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  9. I just threw 3 votes your way...BOOM. This is such a great idea!

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  10. Done-great idea. Clearly you are the Simon Bolivar of seeing blogs

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  11. Le voted! I love your sewing revolution. It's a bit hard for me because I do food and clothing (and other crap, as we all do) - but I LOVE this idea for finding new sewing blogs as I often use that function to find new blogs! x

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    1. This, my darling Oona, is why we match so well. You bring the drinks, I bring the food. Bam.

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  12. Thanks OONZ, I've flipped between fashion, personal interest and others since Bloglovin started to dominate the reader list, and have no idea where I sit! xoxo to you babe!

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  13. Voted and will share on SSB and twitter. https://www.facebook.com/SassySewingBees

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  14. Amen! I think they need a sewing category on Pinterest too.

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  15. The revolution will not be televised, but it will be blogged about!! Ha, I love it. 3 votes from me easy. I would've totally given my entire 10 if they'd let me. 370 votes last time I checked &it hasn't even been that long. That category should be coming our way soon - Seamsters Unite!!!

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  16. Such a fantastic idea! So tired of choosing between DIY and fashion (you too, Pinterest!)

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  17. Personally I LOVE sitting in the DIY & Craft category. The term DIY evokes the radical, self-reliant, sticking-it-to-the-fashion-industry nature of what we do more than the term "sewing", especially to people who hadn't really thought about it before. Secondly I'd rather not sit in a sewing silo but love the fact that our blogs can be discovered by people who are into other crafts and we can be inspired by them in turn. We're all part of the maker movement - let's mix with our other maker friends!

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    1. A "maker" category perhaps? DIY sounds so changing rooms! I'm with you though Tilly, I like to mix with the hoi polloi and riff raff of all the blogging diy-ing, making community!

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    2. tilly, i do agree-- like i said, i holler about all kinds of things other than sewing over here-- BUT! if i need to choose a box, i'd rather have a better box.

      one of the commenters over at the voting forum, kristine, said many think "no one sews anymore", and that struck a chord. when people find out i've made what i'm wearing, especially the older generation who remember sewing as a requirement, they lament this same thing. i'm always shocked, it's so untrue. if we can recognize "street style", surely we can recognize sewing.

      i like the maker category too, miss old fashioned!

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    3. I voted - great idea. Hm maybe a revolution to allow yourself to be in more than one category so have the best of both worlds. I agree with you though, if I have to be in one I would rather it was sewing!

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    4. I totes agree with you on that point, Oona! The fact that the sewing trend is currently relatively unknown is part of the reason I like the idea of not hiding in a specialist category. People who aren't already into sewing won't click on "sewing", it's like preaching to the converted. But if we mix with a wider and related category, it's much more likely people will find our blogs and read our posts and go, "Ooh people are making their own clothes too? Maybe I could try that". I love the idea that someone making paper crafts or crochet or knitting or cocktails or whatever will find us!

      I can see I'm in the minority here though, but thought it worth mentioning my POV :) xx

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    5. it's always more than worth mentioning your POV, my favorite comment threads are ones where peeps are actually having a conversation!

      you make a good point about the seclusion of a specialty category...but, i do click on a lot of specialty categories to see what's up. that's how i realized DIY Craft was such a wide net-- it's the only category i click on that seems so haphazard, there's no where to land.

      i'm hoping that having a sewing category would open more eyes up to just how "popular" this has become, which, although we cringe at the popular label, it's something that can be good for us-- more sewing stores? more great tv like BSB? more big 4 pattern companies paying attention? more indie patterns?

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  18. You Go Girl!! All 3 votes used... tried to use 7 but it wasn't happening!

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  19. Done! I actually don't use Bloglovin' (just my ole Blogger roll & browser bookmarks & memory), but I see the wisdom of the suggestion perfectly.

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  20. Awesome idea!!! I voted.

    I don't understand the voting three times at once thing, wouldn't it be better if the votes were all from separate people to show them just how many of us there are? Otherwise, it's like stuffing a ballot box, right?

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    1. i don't really get it either--maybe we sould propose a vote to use just one vote!!

      but, you get 10 votes to dole out as you wish (3 being the most you can use in one poll), and your votes get refreshed when a poll you've voted in is closed/planned/etc. interesting, that way you think about where to use your votes, and i guess if you use 3 at once, they know you're serious about it :)

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  21. Love this idea! I voted 3 times. I wish you could have more than 1 category, or they had sub categories because I think Tilly raised a good point, but I know I had this same issue when I had to pick a category for my blog.

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  22. I just voted! I had no idea you could sort by category on Bloglovin' since I just follow sewing blogs as I find them. It'd be great to have a category.

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  23. Way to get active but..... Bloglovin' sucks. Sorry. I hate the layout and find it really hard to navigate. I follow 250+ blogs in all sorts of categories and ADORE Feedly. It's super customizable and looks very pretty. I make my OWN categories. Unless said sewing category would let you discover new blogs.... which would be pretty cool. But I think Feedly does that too.

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  24. Yay, there will be a sewing catergoy on bloglovin'. I'm really happy :)

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!