I woke up this morning with my mind set on making a new tote bag. It was a 4am wake up and I downed multiple cups of coffee. I was a little spitball of energy. I didn't let the return of a hacking cough slow me down. If you follow me on Instagram, then you would have seen this tote spring out of a pile of fabrics.
The shape of the tote is modeled after one that Amisha made for me a few years ago in a swap. I debated quilting the tote, but in the end decided that finished was better than fancy. I've loved the light tote Amisha made for me and this will be its replacement.
I've used Norah McMeeking's Bella Bella Sampler Quilts for the Trip to Rome blocks. I'll go into more detail about that side of the project when I've done a few more projects with the book and can put together part 2 of my book review.
This tote is a bit brighter and more purple than things I normally wear or carry, but I thought it might fend off the winter doldrums that should settle into Sydney any day now. As I mentioned on Instagram, I'm filing it under H for Happy.
Speaking of Instagram, I have a question for those of you on multiple social networks. I'm struggling a bit to find my Instagram voice. So far, I've been trying to make that a place to document process. I've been using the blog and Flickr for finished projects, details and social engagement. I'm curious what works best for you? How to do manage multiple voices and avoid redundancy? I'd love to hear your approach.
I find that sometimes I am so in the midst of process that Instagram is the easiest and most instant way of documenting the process. It is immediately gratifying. Sometimes I use those photos in my blog post to flesh out a project but I find that it isn't redundant because a) they are accents to my finished photos and b) my Instagram audience is different than my blog audience. Plus, now that I think about it, for my Instagram audience the photos are just snippets and the real story is in the blog. To me they work together!
ReplyDeleteLove the bag. Would never have considered putting purple and orange together but it works. I agree with Rebecca about instagram. Sadly, some of my blog posts only get instagram photos because that is all I have. I should be using my proper camera for images of finished work.
ReplyDeleteI like instagram for showing sneak peeks or bits of my day. Quirky things. Whereas my blog I tend to tell longer stories amd show multiple photos and the finished product. Then Facebook tends to link it all together.
ReplyDeleteLove the bag. I need to get better on Instagram, I always forget to take photos. I stopped twitter because I couldn't keep up with the conversations all the time and then felt out of the loop. My blog and Flickr have definitely gone into hiatus.
ReplyDeleteLOve Instagram. For a non blogger like me its the blog you have when you dont have a blog if you get me. I enjoy the friendly casual conversational nature of it and feel its more of an interaction than blog comments. Blogs seem to have a more official voice whereas IG can be downright irreverent!
ReplyDeleteI do find however that I now spend less time reading a blog post if its just the pictures I have already seen on instagram. If there's more of a story to the pictures or its the development of a peek of something I saw on IG like this one was then yes I'll read the blog post. Because of its immediacy I think it also has a place to throw things out there that you might not want to present in a blog but still want to share, and know that tomorrow they've been replaced by a whole raft of new posts.
Sorry for the long ramble but I hope it helps you sort out your approach to Instagram. I hope we see more of your work, at whatever point of the process, there.
Great bag -- love the mix of prints and colors. I just joined Instagram about a week ago, and it's been interesting to add that to the mix. I'm finding that Instagram is great for quick snapshots of progress or fun moments that I might not take the time to mention on my blog. My Twitter feed is essentially a duplicate of my IG feed. For the blog, I like to take better photos with my camera and take more time with the words. I love to write, so I really enjoy that part of the process.
ReplyDeleteCute bag, I love orange and pink, such a lively combo. I love instagram, more intimate than blogs and a different crowd in part. I can get instant feedback there and it is great for quick communication, destash, buying etc as well as the positive vibe that seems to hang out there. Blogging is where I go into more detail, record a full process beginning to end and I supplement that with IG pics. Twitter I found the hardest but I like it now- it is very in the moment, and then its over but brevity and speed can be a bonus
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the commenters, I mainly blog about quilting and knitting, but IG more about my day, my garden and other crafts etc. along with the quilting process. IG does feel more intimate so I guess its more about me and what I'm doing at that moment and not necessarily just about my craft which I focus on in my blog.
ReplyDeleteThat is one gorgeous bag Amy.
ReplyDeleteI am struggling with IG myself. Can't really figure out if I want to use it or not. When I think about it, it seems like a time suck, but when I'm doing it I enjoy it. Go figure... I'm pretty in and out at the moment.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who doesn't use Instagram (I have a Blackberry, so I can't use it even if I wanted to), I find it very frustrating that some of the bloggers I follow have drastically cut back on blogging because they are showing their projects on Instagram instead. Often they will do a quick post apologizing for their lack of blog posts and refer people to their Instagram. Well, that kind of excludes me, and any other follower who doesn't use Instagram. I have also noticed a decline in people using flickr. Again, disappointing because at least flickr is accessible to anyone with internet access. I hope this doesn't just sound like Instagram envy. I did briefly consider changing phones, but I'm sorry, one app isn't enough to get me to change. I just have to hope that the good bloggers out there don't forget about us! I guess what I am trying to say is, I hope you are able to find your Instagram groove without sacraficing the quality of your blog.
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