Sewing industry reflections + predictions

The folks over at Sew, Mama, Sew are known as a pretty amazing resource in the sewing community. They always manage to stay on top of the trends (yes, there are trends in sewing), provide fantastic tutorials and patterns, and tease us all with an amazing selection of modern fabrics. Part of how they keep so on top of things is to regularly ask industry experts what they're seeing happening in the world of sewing. They're even asking us regular folk to provide our take. So...please, humour me as I pretend to be an industry expert and answer some of their questions myself.

Did you have a favorite fabric collection or print in 2011?
Outfoxed by Lizzy House. The Sly Fox pallette specifically. Love purple and orange together and the whimsy in this line is awesome.

Image via Hawthorne Threads

What did you make that you’re most proud of in 2011?
That's an easy one: the quilts I made for me niece and nephew. I think the pride comes from knowing that even though I did them in relatively quickly, I still made sure to do my absolute best work. Both were my own designs as well which always gives me a little thrill once I see the finished pieces.

Do you have a favorite sewing book or pattern from the past year to recommend?
Indeed, I do! Hands down, my favourite sewing book from 2011 is the Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew. It's become my go-to book for creating projects for my daughter. My fave pattern is definitely the bucket hat, but the messenger bag and little red riding hood projects were excellent as well.

Are there any trends you’re over and done with?
Ummm...owls?

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?
I do love the social media aspect of the sewing world. When we did our big move last year, I was still able to keep in touch with the same great sewists just as easily as I had back home thanks to social media. I've definitely had some successes with the social media thing: seeing tweets retweeted by some big names in sewing, seeing pins of my own work on Pinterest, big uptake in blog traffic this year, etc. What I don't like about social media is just how easy it's made ripping off ideas. Inspiration is one thing, but it kills me to see the same projects repeated on half a dozen blogs, each claiming to be the original designer.Or seeing blogs that do nothing but re-post other people's projects they've found on Pinterest and blogs. Really, what's the point?

Can you tell us what to expect from you in 2012? Any big projects or life-changing goals?
Oh, I have big plans for 2012. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out though!