Can we wish ourselves Happy Anniversary? Is that a thing?
Eight years ago, on November 15, 2015, we embarked on this blog writing journey with a series of posts featuring the creation of my 20-foot saltwater crocodile collage “Crocodylus Smylus” (above). When I say “we”, I mean me and my partner/husband, Tom. It’s a team effort, as they say, and I couldn’t do it without him—at least I couldn’t do it as well or reliably.
Speaking of reliability: in the eight years since we started we haven’t missed a Saturday. Yes, we’ve posted a few re-runs during the middle of the summer when we needed time to unwind. But mostly there’s been a new fabric collage-related post every weekend for you to enjoy with your cuppa. That’s something for which we feel proud.
In time, we started posting Throwback Thursday entries. We had so much content, we figured it wouldn’t hurt if our readers were reminded of a particular post. Also we were gathering many new subscribers that hadn’t seen them the first time around, so it made sense to give the old posts a visit.
In eight years between Saturday posts and Throwbacks, that’s almost 800 posts. All of which, we remind you, are searchable by keyword and organized by Categories. If you’re on a computer the search options are in the right hand column. On other devices they may be at the bottom of the page.
Some posts have received more attention than others. Tom can look at posts and see how many views they’ve received. But perhaps a better way of judging the impact a post had, or how much readers took from it, is to look at the number of comments a post received.
So Tom has gathered the Top Eight Most Commented Posts for you to peruse. Looking at the comments readers left, they seem to fall into three categories: requests for more information, sharing of personal experience, and expressing support or passing along compliments.
1. Susan Carlson Throwback Thursday: Happy Birthday, Oma!
Happy Birthday, Oma. I am so happy to be a part of your pumpkin patch family. Some of your precious pumpkins have ended up in my care until I have been able to place them in their forever homes. They have been shared with both kids and teachers who were badly in need of a small, tangible hug—a hug that can be seen and remembered. Thank you for making each one of those individuals, (and me, of course) feel a little bit better. —Mary
I invited readers to wish my mama Meta Happy Birthday when she turned ninety, I didn’t expect so many responses. As I suggested in the post, I printed out the well-wishes so she could read them and she was so tickled. Oma as she became in the last decades of her life, was known to my students and readers as the pumpkin lady. When she made her stuffed fabric pumpkins available through Etsy.com (thanks to her grandson Sam), she became a mini-celebrity (see number 7, below), which she really soaked up. And yes, I realize this post (and #7) invited comments and pulled on the sentimental heart-strings instead of fabric collage inspiration, but I’m including them anyway. My mom inspired me and so many others, and I’m so pleased that I was able to tell her that your comments in her birthday post surpassed those any of my previous blog posts. That tickled her even more. Thank you for your contributions.
2. Copyright and Copywrong: Finding an Image for Fabric Collage
Thank you Susan, you put your information in a way that should make anyone unaware of what they are doing as a possible wrong – to have the desire to change and be more careful.
It never hurts to ask and give credit where it is due.
Thank you —Cathy W.
This post touched a nerve. The idea that images could be and should be copyright protected was a new one to many of my readers. Folks shared their own experiences of learning about copyright or of teaching others about it. Others thanked us for providing links to pages with copyright free images. It’s nice when one points out a problem to be able to provide a solution. One question asked that comes up infrequently but occasionally is whether a technique can be copyrighted. In other words, if someone makes a quilt using “my” technique do I need to be credited? The answer is a soft no. I think you should credit a teacher when the quilt you are showing, selling or entering in a competition was started in a class or using the materials from a book or eWorkshop. But otherwise, once you have learned how to do something, the resulting artwork is yours.
Copyright and Copywrong: Finding an Image for Fabric Collage
3. Art Shaming
I was hurt when my husband said that it was a pity that I had no artistic ability when I took up thread painting. Then he was amazed when a thread painted tote bag I made for his friend got such a warm response. Criticism wounds and deters from fulfillment. I just carry on in my own way. I am teaching my young granddaughters to express themselves through the medium of fabric, stitching, collage and fabric art. They know their work is valued by me and are growing in confidence. Let’s share the message that if it makes you happy then it is worthwhile to do it. —Caroline B.
Tom guest-wrote this piece. Many of the students I meet in class have come to find their creativity late in life. Too often they have stories, such as those shared in this post’s comments, describing how their childhood creativity was stifled. A thoughtless comment by a teacher, a cruel jibe from another child, or the indifference expressed by a parent prevented a budding artist from reaching their potential as an artist earlier in life. Tom says that in this case, the comments are probably more insightful than the post itself!
4. Hang It Up: Making Your Art Quilt Art
Thanks so much for all of these, Susan! I’ve been struggling to move away from the traditional “quilty” hanging sleeve and these are great suggestions. I will try them all. —Lynda S.
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make this biggest impact. Who’d have thought that something as prosaic as exploring the ways to display your fabric collage quilt would receive so many comments?
5. Eye for an Eye: Updated with Video
This video convinces me you could do an effective online class! Although I would love to go to your workshop in person this would be a possibility. Thank you for sharing so much information! —Carol C.
“The eye is the window to the soul.” When making a fabric collage portrait, the eyes are one of the first things I do and encourage my students to do. In this updated version of an older post, I added a recorded video demonstration just as I had done the same presentation in classes. The comment above was prescient, as I wouldn’t do my first online class for another 3 years!
6. The Finish Line: The Belgian Connection
Hi Susan,
I’m Rit’s husband. Ria and Rit came back from Harpswell as they had seen the light there…
Their work has truly become art now and they are pushing one another to new boundaries.
I’m sure we haven’t seen the best of them yet !!!
best regards,
Philip
I am as proud of my students’ work as I am of my own. The beautiful quilts these two made struck a chord with readers. And Rit’s husband’s comment makes me even more proud: to have had a hand in helping spark the creativity of these ladies is what keeps me teaching after more than 30 years.
7. Playing with Fabric in Oma’s Pumpkin Patch
Oma, I LOVE my collection of Oma’s Pumpkins I collected over the years of attending Susan’s classes in Maine. They brighten my home every fall and my kitty, Cosette, sniffs her approval but doesn’t “rearrange” any of the leaves or stems! Thank you for your artistry and sharing your prodigious sewing skills with us all. We all need an Oma’s pumpkin in our lives! —Sharon W.
We introduced my readers to my mama’s fabric stuffed pumpkins in this post. And many people commented to tell her how much they loved them. I made sure Oma was able to read the fabulous response her art received.
8. Running with Pelicans: Scissors for Fabric Collage
Susan, I am in awe of how generous you are with your hard earned skills and information. Thank you so much for sharing about these scissors, and everything else too. —Lorraine R.
Just this past Thursday evening as I was demonstrating cutting fabric on my newest fabric collage of a leopard, I paused to say a few words about the “pelican scissors” I was using. It’s one of my collage tools that probably gets the most questions and comments in a class as well. It’s funny how so many people have them, but don’t know what to do with them. You too? Well read on, in this eighth and final excerpt in our Eighth Blog Anniversary post.
Thank you for all the comments through all the years—it warms our hearts and keeps us going.
Happy Anniversary! It is so wonderful to revisit these posts.
A well deserved anniversary celebration! Eight years and still going strong. Congratulations and a million times “Thank you” for all of the time and effort you spend to share your skill and the art of collage.
Happy Anniversary! I read every single post, including the “throwbacks” and I get something out of each and every one. And I use your blog as a resource, searching for help with a technique or just to enjoy the read. So thank you, Susan and Tom!
Cheers, Lizzie
Well deserved celebratory post! I have been with you from very near the beginning and I can’t begin to say how much your email in my inbox on saturdays and thursdays has meant to me. I hope I am reading your blog for many more years. Saving up to take the online class.