Must Read Monday

I had so many wonderfully crafty folks enter my May Giveaway Day Beginning Sewing giveaway. Sure, I went through ALL the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway participant lists and entered my fair share (and probably a couple other people’s fair share as well!) of giveaways. I also collected 15 or so new blogs to add to my reading list. But the best part of the entire event for me was getting to know some of my readers and fellow bloggers through your lovely, sometimes funny, and often inspiring stories about how, when, and why you began sewing.

In appreciation and admiration for all that you crafty ladies are doing, I’m featuring some of my favorite blogs and shops from all those that commented on my Beginning Sewing giveaway post. Thank you EVERYBODY for entering and telling me your stories and a special thanks to those of you who were sweet enough to share pictures of your work. Keep crafting and on with the list!

Tigerlily Tinkering – Melissa Q’s blog is part of a collective for a group of crafty friends. I especially liked that she’d done several of the same projects I’ve done – the felt crown, the smock from Bend the Rules Sewing.

SewChic – Ruth and Jessica, a mother/daughter duo who both love to craft and share their work. See their stuff for sale at Sew Chic, Sew Chic Girl, and Sew Chic Patterns.

ex libris handmade – Victoria’s fun little store that showcases her fabric books for the hip baby. I think these are adorable!

secret cake – out of Portland – Yay! She puts together some of the coolest grab bags full of vintage buttons and trims, fabrics, and do dads. You can’t help but be inspired!

Words & Wool – Alyssa writes about her knitting. I don’t knit. Wish I did, but haven’t gotten past the scarf phase. My mother-in-law on the other hand is a knitting demon and when I saw this blog I thought of her. Always like finding new inspiration to send her way.

Nonpareil – Stacy has quite the eye for the indie style and she does a beautiful job sharing!

Ikat Bag – Lier is an extremely creative mom. She isn’t selling her stuff yet, but lookout world! When she does she’s gonna knock’em dead!

Vidastyle – Melissa makes children’s clothes and home accessories with clean lines and a good eye for color. Her blog reflects this sense of style as she showcases not only work from her shop, but also her inspiration.

Sweet Tidings – Christy makes and appreciates all sorts of crafty things. Check out her shops, happy handmades and little stitches.

Jennifer Ladd – is a French teacher turned stay-at-home Mom who has a certain je ne sais quoi about her handbags. I love her fabric choices, very modern and fresh.

*to be continued…