Hi there guys! Today I’d like to introduce Joanne to you. She blogs at Zoe Livana and she lives in the same town as me, which I found out through Map the Sewintists.
Joanne
I asked her some questions about who inspires her in her sewing adventures and here are her answers:
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What makes a sewing blog stand out in your blog reader?
I follow A LOT of sewing blogs. Some people read the news on their phones, and I’m the one always catching up on my blogs. What makes a blog stand out is often their photography and their sense of humour. I love a writing style that is honest, to the point, and personal. But above all, I love looking at all the pretty pictures, especially if I’ve let my blog reader pile up…
Which Sewcialists inspire you and why? What is it that is inspiring – style, technical skills, energy, etc?
This is a very difficult question because there are so many sewcialists that I follow and find inspiring. I’ve narrowed it down to a top 3, based heavily on the volume of posts they put out there, I think. They kind of give me a consistent stream of inspiration, so to speak.
Let’s start with Lauren of Lladybird. She is one sassy lady and I love her style! I mean, have you seen her hair? I think it’s amazing how quickly she can sew, and with great accuracy. She also seems to really know how to make clothes fit, which is an amazing skill to have. She tends to look good in pretty much everything she makes.
I also love Anna of Paunnet! She is also kind of sassy, but less outspoken than Lauren, except when she’s doing her pattern magazine reviews. I love her photographs and I’d wear just about anything she makes. I feel as though I can relate to her partly because she’s European, and partly because she is a fellow pear-shaped beauty. The only thing I find slightly annoying about her is that she often boasts that her size fits right out of the envelope. I do not have that luxury because my torso is much too long.
And last, but not least, Roisin of Dolly Clackett. I’m sure many of you have heard that she is Queen of the dresses, and that’s because she really is! What’s different about her blog is that she doesn’t just review patterns or post pictures of her makes, she has a really humorous and honest blogging style. She’s not afraid to get personal in her posts, and she sometimes talks about tv shows etc. Her blog titles are always witty (quotes?), which really makes me want to read her posts. And did I mention the DRESSES?? Her style is amazing and I want every single thing she makes! (almost). She makes such good use of novelty fabric and pairs it with beautiful dresses to really make both the fabric and pattern wearable, if that makes sense. I also love to make and wear dresses, so we have that in common.
What is your favourite make by your favourite blogger?
Lladybird: A Belladone for Bicycling (if any of you read my blog, you’ll know I’ve already made 3 Belladones and I’m not stopping…)
If you were going to sew in the style of your favourite blogger what would you do?
For Lladybird, I would have to go with some bicycling fabric, because she’s said on a couple of occasions that it’s her favourite. For paunnet, I would probably choose a solid fabric because she does solids so well. And I’d probably make a skirt because let’s be honest, I have enough dresses for now… Which brings me to Dolly Clackett. I’d have to make a By Hand London Dress because that’s one of her favourite brands, and I’d have to choose an amazing novelty print. I’ve actually made a dress in her style during Sew Dolly Clackett where sewcialists around the world sewed in her honour when she got married. How sweet is that?? The dress I made is by far the dress I get the most compliments on.
How do other people inspire your sewing in general?
When a new pattern comes out from an indie designer, I usually wait a little while to see what other sewing bloggers come up with before I make the decision to purchase the pattern. I really get inspired by fabric choices and finishes that other bloggers do. I feel like they really push my creativity. Like the Sew Dolly Clackett dress. I had ear-marked that fabric for a ‘boring’ pair of pyjama pants, and I’m so glad that I used it to make a dress.
Through reading blogs, I have also learned a lot about fitting and finishing techniques, more so than I could have learned from any sewing book. Maybe because blogs are so much more fun to read than a boring sewing book 😉 I’m pretty fearless when it comes to sewing techniques in general, so I’m on board with trying just about anything once, as long as the instructions are clear.
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Thank you Joanne for giving us a little insight on who and what inspires you!
Joanne
A really enjoyable read – you picked some of my favourite bloggers too. Thanks