FAQs for Contributors

Interested in writing for the Sewcialists blog? Here is how it works!

Process:

    1. We ask for volunteer authors before every theme month. We accept the first volunteers to leave a comment on that post, and ask them to email us. We also ask for authors when we are ready to explore a new Who We Are topic, and those people can email us directly at sewcialists@gmail.com .
    2. Once we have emailed back and forth about your post topic, we will invite you as an Author to the Sewcialists WordPress account.
    3. As an Author, you can create a post and upload your pics. Large, bright photos are the best way to catch readers’ eyes. Each image should be at least 750 pixels wide so that they are the width of the full column of text. (Wider photos are fine – they will be automatically displayed at the right size.) You can edit photos or create photo collages at https://www.picmonkey.com/  for free.
    4. *FEATURED IMAGE* is loaded in the right side bar and is 1200×675 pixels in landscape format. This auto loads at the top of every post and shows on the home page. Please do not put this at the top of your post inside the content. This is a separate image requirement.
    5. When your draft is ready, hit “publish” – but don’t worry, this won’t actually publish! It just means you are done with your draft. Email your point of contact at sewcialists@gmail.com to let us know your draft is in. 
    6. We’ll review your posts, make minor spelling or grammatical changes as needed, and schedule it to post! If there are any questions or clarifications needed, we will email you back.
    7. Once your post is live, please reply to comments! Your point of contact will have your scheduled date. On rare occasions, this date changes due to unforeseen complications.

Guidelines:

Everyone has a story and deserves to be heard. So to encourage diversity on the blog and ensure that everyone feels comfortable writing and sharing, this needs to be an inclusive and supportive zone. Please keep your messaging positive; here are some specific guidelines to help:
    • Body positivity is important — no sewist looks the same and we all need to be comfortable with ourselves.
    • Be inclusive of sewcialists of different genders (i.e. Starting a post with “Hi Sewcialists!” is more inclusive than “Hi Ladies!”).
    • Avoid generalisations about groups of people (e.g. avoid statements like “this group of people tend to like these types of clothes”)
    • Everyone has a different perspective so keep your writing free of judgement — there is no right or wrong.
    • The goal of the blog is to represent diverse voices, so write in whatever tone feels comfortable. Vlogs are great too!
    • Links in the post — if you mention a pattern, pattern company, or other sewist’s blog/social media please include links in your post. However, no affiliate links or advertising please. Please set all links to open in a new tab. 
    • Insert bio at the end — Make an italicized 2-4 sentence paragraph with your name, something about you, and links to find you online. We all love new blogs and Instagrams to follow.
    • If you use a picture from another Sewcialist, always name them and link to their blog/IG/YouTube etc. It’s always best to ask people for permission to use their picture in advance, via email, comments, or social media.
    • Respond to comments. We will tell you when you post is scheduled to go up. If people take the time to comment, please write back — the goal here is to create a community and have a conversation.
    • Large, bright photos are the best way to catch readers’ eyes. Each image should be at least 750 pixels wide so that they are the width of the full column of text. (Wider photos are fine — they will be automatically displayed at the right size.) Please also include alt text for your images, to make the site accessible to those who use screen readers, etc. **Featured Image is a separate requirement. It is uploaded in the right side bar, landscape with a minimum pixel requirement of 1200×675.
    • Feel free to post WIP (works in progress) pics on social media! Use the hashtags #sewcialists and tag us @sewcialists. You are welcome to share your blog post on your own blog once it is live on the Sewciaists.
    • If you can’t complete a post, that’s fine — please let us know as soon as possible, and we’ll be happy to have you back some other time!