Sunday, April 6. 2008
How to care for a blog
Here I am, getting ready to write my first real blog entry. Since I've never done this before, I feel a little like I did the day I brought my first child (a daughter) home from the hospital or the day we got a new puppy. What am I supposed to do now?!? What should I feed her/it? How often? How do I know if it's enough? What if she gets sick? Of course, caring for a blog isn't quite as serious as caring for a child or a dog, but the uncertainties are still there. On the other hand, I'm sure that the uncertainties will disappear. My daughter is still alive and well. The dog is dead, but not due to poor care – she was 14 years old. There will be things to learn, but that will be good for me. I agreed to have this blog...so here we go.
The best place to start is probably with an introduction. I am 60 years old. I‘m a US citizen and English is my native language but I have been living in Germany for almost forty years, so I also speak German. Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in all things textile. I sew (mostly patchwork and quilting, but also some clothing), knit, crochet, embroider, weave, spin, tat, make bobbin lace – not necessarily in the order of frequency or enthusiasm. I earn my living by combining these textile skills with my 2 main languages. I am a translator, mainly from German to English and mainly in the textile field. I have been translating for Burda for the last 15 years and since last summer I have been “taking care” of Burda‘s English website. I also translate for a sewing machine company and for a couple of yarn companies, among others. In addition to doing textile things myself, I also teach other people how to do them. At present all of my classes deal with patchwork and appliqué.
I am calling my blog “Grandma‘s Flower Garden” because I am a grandma, but also because I inherited my “textile genes” primarily from my paternal grandmother and because the “Grandma‘s flower garden” quilt pattern is one of my favorites. I own 2 quilts of this pattern which my great-grandmother made and I always enjoy sewing this pattern myself.
Up until now I haven't had much to do with any blogs except for reading the one that my son-in-law occasionally writes to keep friends and family informed. In order to get the feel of what a sewing blog might be like, I decided to check into existing sewing blogs and other textile blogs. I started out with the blogs on Burda's German website and they led me to their favorite sewing blogs and I am amazed! I had no idea how many blogs there are. People (the ones I found concerning textiles seem to all be women) who are enthusiastic about sewing or knitting or crocheting – or all three – and more! People who generously share their knowledge, proudly show their finished projects, or share their disasters. Many write blog entries (and post photos, etc.) daily and also say that they read many other blogs daily. They sew, knit, etc. and, of course, they also have jobs, families, homes, etc. I can only assume that they have discovered the secret of squeezing more than 24 hours out of a day or of surviving without sleep...but I haven‘t found any blog entries about this yet.
I still need a good night‘s sleep, so my blog will probably not be daily. I‘ll do my best to write regularly, but time will tell how often than can be. Now I‘ve made a start. I hope that this blog thrives as well as my daughter and the puppy did!