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Morning Coffee with Becky Jorgensen

Good morning!  Hope you had a restful weekend.

I have always thought that one of the things that makes this blogging thing fun for me is all of the participation from those of you who come here and read, comment, or even carry on the conversation on your own blogs.  It’s the community aspect that really does it for me.  So it occurred to me that it might be nice to get to know some readers better, and maybe you might enjoy that, too.

A few weeks ago, I checked the comment stats, picked the three readers who had commented the most in the last several months, and approached them about participating in the Morning Coffee series.  Happily, they all said yes, and today I am sharing with you the first of these interviews.

Welcome Becky!

Q&A With Becky Jorgensen

When and why did you start your blog?

I have been blogging for 2 years and love it! I really do like to share and meet others– I am a sewer and that is what I blog about.  I found the online community interesting, and entertaining. There is a big long list of blogs that I read and love.  After searching and reading for a bit I thought- hey, I could totally do this.  I jumped into blogger and switched this year over to wordpress.  I did a few tutorials at the beginning of my blogging career that got picked up by a few big sites and my readership spiked.  I loved that! I found out that I need outside approval to be happy. {not really, but it is nice}

How does blogging (reading and writing) fit in to your daily life?

I usually write the post the evening before, or if I am in the groove, i write a few and then have them scheduled.  I wish I had a routine….when school starts again I will have to follow something. My blog is on sewing and so that is what I share. I do a lot of it, so sharing it is pretty easy.  I guess it isn’t the posting time that is hard, it is keeping up with the projects.

I find myself on the computer A LOT. ugh…. but I do like it there. 🙂  I sometimes have to say -outloud- get off the computer. hee hee.  Then I go sew. lol. What to do. what to do.

Flying by the seat of your pants is totally me too.  I think that makes it a bit spunky and keeps your readers entertained.

What kind of a reader are you?

Ok. I am not a big fan of the feed reader. Not sure why. I just don’t use it.  I have my favorites saved on my computer and hop down the list every once in awhile.  Because of my obsessive behavior with my sewing group website {tweaking and adding a few things} I have slacked in the readership lately.  I am catching up though— and making comments. Those are totally important {to me on my blog- love them} so I make them on others.

I love reading about others experiences and photos. love photos. I wish my computer ran better so I could do more things with my photos…other than slapping them into the post.  {It’s on the wishlist}  I love great tutorials, and project ideas. I love reading about mistakes and faults too- nice to know we are all human.  Oh, and I love reading others comments.  There is usually an abundance of good opinions and knowledge stuck in the comment sections.  someone was offering good luck and commented– ‘break a needle’ on anothers sewing blog. got the giggles on that one.

Another thought– when I find a blog that I truly love and enjoy I check out their reading list.  They are usually full of great blogs and links.

How important are reader comments to you?

It is totally important!!! And guess what?, I don’t get many. I am not sure why….my followers are not chatty. Maybe because I say too much. Who knows. I know there are 8,000 monthly readers….google analytics tells me this… but I get maybe 5 comments a week. That really stinks. I like comments and comment back when they are made. It can be discouraging sometimes– hello, anyone there? — but, hey this is for fun and for me…so does it really matter? {um, yes} anyways.

I love to comment on others blogs and do when I hop onto their site. Sometimes when searching and I pop in on it and jump out I go back and make a comment. I have to remind myself to share the comment love.

Remind yourself that you like to get comments….why wouldn’t they?

In what ways has your involvement in the blogosphere enhanced your life, if any?

I have a store. I design patterns and sell them.  I love to be cheap too.  I get lectures from everyone..but hey after they buy the pattern they still have to buy the supplies- so I try to keep this in mind.  Plus, I am totally a cheapskate too. I don’t buy expensive patterns! hee hee.

I also sell my goods at Art Market 3 times a year in Utah.  Other boutiques have asked also- but I have kept with 1.  I am not a big mass producer, so this works out good for me.

I think that one of the best things is that I have a way of making some fun money for myself.  I can use it for whatever without having to answer to the honey. 🙂

Because I hop all over the place on projects–In January I just started an online sewing/quilt group.  I belong to a few groups locally and thought– wouldn’t it be fun to have one that is worldwide?  So, this is why I started it. I have teamed up with a bunch of talented designers.  I love the group!  Each month we ‘meet’ and have a guest, maybe an interview and of course a fabulous pattern.  We have a block of the month, mystery and quilt shows. Everyone is able to share photos, a bit of themself and of course everyone there loves to sew!  The group is slowing growing, kind of like the blog…it takes time.

I also {because I am crazy like that} started another blog, Sew Help Me Design. Really it was for me– to help me keep organized sort of. I listen to webinars on growing your blog, and find great articles, and have a to-do list for myself for the week. This is where I can share it and help others translate that info to their crafty blog. I also wrote an e-book — 20 easy steps to boost your crafty blog.  Man, I am all over the place!

If you could only visit three blogs today, what would they be?

Let’s see- 3 seriously? I am so full of variety that is a hard one!  I might have a few more- ok?

  1. The Boiled Peanut –  short posts. quick read. but fun variety.
  2. Wee Wonderfuls – I love her stuff and a few of her items have springboarded some of mine.
  3. The Twiddletails Blog – she has a great block of the month. very friendly
  4. Little Black Crow Studio – spunky! she also changes what she is working on and jumps around just like me.
  5. I of course love One Pretty Thing — hi Rachel!
  6. and Swapdex

What are your thoughts on consistency in blogging?

I found that I like to have consistency with some of the posts. This year I have started Focus Friday where each month there is a topic and every friday there is a post on that topic.  This helps with mental post blocking.

I also try to do 1 tutorial every 10 days or so.

I love to do swaps. I search the dex every once in awhile and pick up the ones I like. This helps me get links out there for my blog + I meet some great people. A few of them are designers for the sewing group!  How great is that?!

Any last bits of advice?

Just remember it is like the indoor plants that I love to kill….it takes time, a lot of consistancy, patience, and there will definitly be times when you are ready to just toss it- but keep on working on it…and it will flourish.

I love mine.  I love blogging. I love making new friends, finding new things, and growing from others experiences.  I find it a great ‘me time’ where I get to make visits around the world to others living rooms and chat for just the quick moment that I have.  Love it.

Thank you, Becky!  I am so glad you agreed to be interviewed.  It was nice getting to know you better, and I hope that everyone drops by and checks out your websites when they’re done here!

Want more?  You can find Becky in the following places:

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Posted on 5 Comments

5 thoughts on “Morning Coffee with Becky Jorgensen

  1. Very cute blog! Love the quilts. 🙂

  2. Great interview Lisa!
    It is fun to get to know you and your blog Becky. I love how you relate blogging to taking care of houseplants. That is so true! If you are consistent with feeding and caring for your blog, and are patient for the time it takes to get growing, you will eventually reap the fruits of your labor!

  3. Nice interview! Its amazing how fast Becky had gotten all her endeavors into motion, kudos!

    1. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for dropping by 🙂

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