Challenges of Going Pro

One of the major challenges of turning sewing blogging into a career is that often you can't blog about what you're working on. For instance, right now I'm developing the patterns for my next book while also hard at work on two new Butterick patterns. While it would be fun to show you every step of the process, my publishers would, quite frankly, not be pleased. (And I like to think you all enjoy the surprise of a big reveal once something is released. What lady doesn't like to make a grand entrance?) I also have an incredibly full teaching schedule right now (teaching my first college level courses and still doing private lessons as well) that is eating up most of my sewing time.

Every now and then I'll get a comment noting that my blog has changed--that I don't blog what I'm sewing as much as I used to, or it seems like I'm just promoting my "products" (oddly, I don't think of my book or my patterns as products, that seems too clinical a word for something that so much of myself has gone into).  Unless I give up sleeping, the only way to turn my blog back into what it was 3 years ago would be to get an office job, break all my current contracts, and just sew for fun. I hope you'll forgive me for not wanting to do that! (Though maybe I could get a job in a fabric store instead of an office. Yeah, that would be awesome.)

I guess this post is really about stress, which I know we can all relate to. As modern women, we're pulled in so many different directions: career, family, basic life chores, email inboxes, bills, etc. Often taking care of ourselves is last on the list of priorities. We're also used to saying yes to everything and trying to please everyone, right? Sometimes it feels like we're all just scraping by, doing lots of stuff but not doing any of it as well as we would like. I've certainly made my share of mistakes along the way. Scratch that, I know I've made more than my share.

I suppose I'm just trying to say I'm doing the best I can to keep all the balls in the air, but I've also learned that being successful means knowing which balls to juggle. (Does it make me immature that every time I type "balls" I giggle inside?)

Hmm, I think I just wrote a post about my feelings. I hope you don't mind! And if, by some chance you actually enjoy reading stuff like this, there's plenty more where this came from.

P.S. In lieu of any sewing photos, here are some shots of me hanging out with Henry and Rosie. Almost as good as dresses? (Also, have I mentioned that I'm learning to play the ukulele? Great stress relief!)