thank you, sew short nissa and reves mecanique!

I've recently written a couple of times how blessed I feel to be a part of this amazing, online sewing blogger community, and today is another reason to do so! Sew Short Nissa and Reves Mecanique (two awesome sewing bloggers you should check out!) have both nominated me for a Liebster award! I get to answers some questions about myself given by person(s), then nominate some other amazing blogs with under 200 followers for you to check out! I received one last year as well, but a lot can change in a year and I think you'll find both different questions and answers than from before:

1. Why did you start blogging? Why did I start blogging? I knew I wanted to get back into sewing my own cloths, and just prior to that I had gotten a lot of inspiration reading other sewing bloggers so I thought "why not document my journey as well?" I'm so glad I did! And I hope others have gotten even a tenth out of reading it, as I have writing it and corresponding with other bloggers. 

2. How do you get yourself out of a sewing funk? Reading other sewing blogs every day is often inspiring. I also might allow myself to do something sewing related, that isn't sewing, like clean up my sewing space, or thumb through my patterns for inspiration, check out Pinterest.com, sketch out ideas. I also usually cut out my fabric on a day before I'm going to sew, maybe in front of the TV in the evening, so that it's ready to go!

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I love Portland, ME, but it would be so cool to live a year in Europe or Asia, or even Canada! I visited friends teaching in South Korea and absolutely loved being in a foreign place, and the lives they got to live there. Mr. Sew Rachel and I have also talked about living on the west coast sometime, like the San Francisco/Portland, OR area.

4. Sewing for other people: love it or loathe it? I don't often love it when other people ask me to make them things... but I love making people things when it's my idea. :) Selfish seamstress maybe? 

5. What is your best feature? Hmm? My body has changed a lot the last couple years, and somedays it's harder to love those changes than others. I have to say, my daily photo pledge for Me-Made-May 2014 has been really positive in that regard. Even on days I'm not feeling so pretty I need to produce a flattering photo, which not only requires a degree of self-love but also presents myself back to me in a beautiful way... and for 31 days in a row. 

6. What is your favorite fabric shop? My new favorite fabric shop is one I just discovered a month or so ago when visiting Boston: Grey's Fabric and Notions. I also stumbled into (and quite literally... plantar fasciitis is painful!) Gather Here in Cambridge, MA. Bother shops have beautiful patterns and fabrics, and are staffed by very cool helpful people. It might be a tie.

7. What is your biggest sewing sin? Not taking the time to make a muslin, or time and time again not properly shortening a pattern when I know it's designed for someone a half-foot taller!

8. If you could make any sewing process disappear, what would it be? While I used to hate hemming, I've been learning some new techniques and tools to make that process less painful. I would make disappear when you finish are this close to finishing a garment only to find out it doesn't fit right or it doesn't look good on you. I hate that. Sure... some of that could be taken care of by making a proper muslin first, but sometimes you just cant tell until you have the whole thing together. 

9. Which other crafts, if any, do you do? I'm also a painter and printmaker (www.rachelchurch.com), and working toward that being my profession. Besides that I just plain old enjoy making things. I love decorating Easter eggs! I dabble in knitting. I like to cook (but not do the dishes....), and every year get a little more successful at gardening (and I DO NOT come by that naturally!).

10. Cats or dogs? Cats.... and house rabbits :)

My baby bunny boy, Filbert. (He's actually more like 6 y.o.)

So now I'm nominating these 6 blogs of less than 200 followers (based stats from Bloglovin.com) I read for you to check out. This is just a small sample of the 144 amazing bloggers I follow who inspire me daily.

Lady Sewalot (ladysewalot.blogspot.co.uk) - This girl is only like 17, and makes very cool outfits with great personal style!

Fabric Tragic (Fabrictragic.blogspot.com.au) - I would wear everything she makes.

One Small Stitch (onesmallstitchtoday.blogspot.co.uk) - Her last knitted project was amazing!

Seams Right to Me (seamsrighttome.wordpress.com) - I just discovered this blog. She's made some really nice indie pattern creations.

Sew Unravelled (sewunravelled.com) - I want her clothes :)

Gloria & Me (gloriaandme.blogspot.co.uk) - Just finished a series on the Colette Wardrobe Architect Project. Always has something thoughtful to say.

So ladies, are you up for the challenge? Will you post a little about yourselves then pass the Liebster award along to other amazing sewing bloggers?