I started sewing about a year and a half ago when I bought our house. I loved it. I became involved in the online sewing community on Facebook. The ladies were so nice and wanted to help me learn. Oh it was fantastic. I loved my sewing groups and I loved learning new things. I met some very good friends and I met some not so nice people, too.
Pretty soon I discovered that there are huge cliques in the world of Facebook sewing. I really, really wanted to be one of the cool kids....but I'm not. I admin'ed a couple of very large groups and it was fun for a while. It was very dramatic and everyone was always trying to get the better of everyone else. I couldn't even tell you how many paranoid BFF groups I was dragged into. Sounds ridiculous but it's true.
I'm a straight shooter. If I think a thing, you will know it. I can't BE a sell-out because I am incapable of supporting a cause I don't believe in. I'm full of honesty and integrity and people don't necessary like that.
My abilities as a sewist (I intentionally choose the amalgam of sewing and artist, because it IS art) have dramatically increased and I feel that there is nothing I can't do with the pattern pieces I already have. What's left for me in Facebook sewing? Unnecessary drama. Unnecessary pattern expense. Unnecessary wasting of my time that would be better spent sewing or playing with Little Bub.
I don't condemn Facebook sewing, but I think that I no longer wish to be a part of it. It discourages me from being creative. I don't need negativity in my life. I am looking for the chance to create and to grow. It seems like at this point, I would be better served to focus on creating the beautiful garments that make me so happy. Getting involved is a good thing, but maybe so is taking a step back.
This is why I sew. I want to make beautiful things for my beautiful child to laugh and play and grow up in. This is real life and I REALLY want to ENJOY it, don't you?
I'm not as engaged in the online sewing world as it might appear. I only regularly participate in a couple of FB groups, and none of them appear in my newsfeed. I originally connected through Laura Jonhson's blog when having a Facebook prescence was new to her, too. I find her group to be warm, inviting, and drama-free. But I sew more than Ellie Inspired so it was a little limiting. My first experience in a big group was like a return to junior high. But I have no problem negotiating my way through the cafeteria so I was able to get through with a sense of humor about it. But then I wasn't invested in keeping it running. I admit to doing a few "drivebys" that might have started a tussle just for the sheer entertainment value of it. It's fun to put a stick in the rudder of a heliocopter mom when you don't have to clean up the mess, and if I caused you problems over that, I apologize.
ReplyDeleteWhen I woke up one morning and found myself moved to another group, I thought that was kind of fun, too. I was worth salvaging. But it's no surprise that group would eventually become clique-y, too. Women are just like that. Actually all animals jockey for position on the top of the heap. Some of us just define the top of the heap differently. The bottom line for me is that I enjoy sewing, I enjoy sharing and teaching what I know, and I know there are still things I can learn, and you never know where or how you might learn them. So I'm not going away. I have invited or been invited to take some of my online sewing friends into my personal FB family, and I am thoroughly enjoying those blossoming friendships.
This is a long comment, and I promise to never highjack your blog again, but in the spirit of honesty, my main presence in the blogosphere is not sewing, it's politics. I keep it clear from my FB page because I use that as a place to keep in touch with family, old friends, new friends, and former students. If you think the online sewing world can be brutal, try expressing a political opinion on your FB page, lol. But my involvement is deep. I have worked on a national campaign, which was one of things on my "bucket list". As we gear up for the 2014 midterms, my interest in sewing might take a backseat for a few months, but I won't have disappeared. Just moved into my other world, which I will continue to keep separate. Learning to compartmentalize is not a bad thing.
Roberta
I noticed you had one day vanished from the sewing groups. I do love the fb sewing groups, sewing blogs and cheesecake. Like cheesecake, too much of anything is not good for you. Good luck on your sewing/ blogging adventure and I wish you the best! Hang in there and realize that life is better when taken in small doses!
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