How do you connect with other sewists in today’s social media landscape? In this episode, we talk about the benefits and drawbacks of the most popular social media platforms, give some tips and tricks for making sewing content that connects with people, and answer some listener questions about sewcializing.
The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
Show Notes:
Previous Episodes Mentioned:
- Episode 5: How to Sewcialize
- Episode 79: Sewcializing 2.0
- Episode 205: Vintage Patterns and Machines by Sewrena
Resources:
- “Only see posts from people you follow in your Instagram feed” at the Instagram Help Center
- “How to Connect With People in the Sewing Community” at Seamwork
- “TikTok Auto Captions: How and Why To Use Them” by Sam Lauron at the Hootsuite blog
- “Manage reels and video captions on Instagram” at the Instagram Help Center
- @anti.ableist.makers.society on Instagram (check out their “Inclusive Instagram Tips for Makers” series)
- “Photography Tips for a Sewist” by Katja at With My Hands Dream
- “Tips for photographing your makes” at the I AM Patterns blog
- “Tips for Better Flatlay Photos” at the Sew DIY blog
- “7 Insights To Make Instagram Fun!” by Suzy Williams at the Suzy Quilts blog
Social Media Links:
- Facebook Groups:
- Sew Sew Live
- Blackbird Fabrics | BF Patterns Youtube Channel
- Pattern Review Forums
- Reddit Communities:
- Private Communities for Pattern Subscriptions:
- Virtual Sewing Room (Zoom)
- Sew Club Sewciety (Discord)
Tools:
Reels:
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Transcript:
Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.
Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew! I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.
Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.
Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s basically all we want to talk about.
Helen: When we talk about the sewing community, this is what we mean! We’re going to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of the most popular social media platforms, give some tips and tricks for making sewing content that connects with people, and answer some listener questions about sewcializing.
Caroline: If you love to sew, this is your show.
Caroline and Helen: How are you? How are you?
Helen: No, how are you? I’m great.
Caroline: I’m great, too.
Helen: I’m great, too.
Caroline: Wow, we’re so good at this.
Helen: You can tell we’re feeling a little giddy today. It’s the middle of Me-Made May. How can you not be excited?
Caroline: Oh my gosh, the most wonderful time of the year in the sewing community. How fitting that we’re doing an episode all about social media and sewing today.
Helen: Yes, it really did feel like the perfect time to discuss this topic. We’ve done a couple of episodes about sewcializing over the years. The first one was episode five. It’s a little out of date. And we did another one back in 2019; also a little out of date. ‘Cause things change. Things change quickly these days.
Caroline: Things change really quickly. But I am excited to take a little bit of stock today and just talk about where we’re at right now. And I think a lot of the tips that we’re going to give in today’s episode are going to work for years to come. We’re not getting granular on, like, how to use these platforms and how to edit videos and that kind of stuff. We’re more talking broad strokes sewcializing.
Helen: Yeah. So first off, how do you spell “sewcialize?”
Caroline: S-E-W…
Helen: Absolutely 100 percent correct. Go on.
Caroline: C-I-A-L-I-Z-E.
Helen: Ooh! Perfect, that’s the only way to spell it. There’s only one way and you nailed it.
Caroline: Thank you.
Helen: Well, if you’re listening to this podcast, you probably already know there’s a bustling sewing community on social media. We talk about it all the time and we both participate in it. And you can choose to participate in social media however you want. Making social media posts and maintaining an active presence is kind of its own separate hobby from sewing. And there’s no shame at all in being a lurker if you just like to go on there, take a peek at what’s going on, but not post. We do think that social media can be a lot of fun, so this episode is for people who want to be more active on social media, maybe explore a new platform, improve their reach, or simply just learn more about it and what’s going on.
Caroline: Yeah, and we’re going to focus today mainly on individual users and less on small businesses because most of our listeners are just sewists in the sewing community who want to interact with each other.
Helen: And as we mentioned, we haven’t done an episode about this since 2019 and a lot has changed since then. TikTok in particular has made huge gains in popularity and short form video in general has become more and more prominent across all social platforms.
Caroline: Yeah, love it or hate it, video is here to stay, I think. Social media is a great tool for sharing projects, connecting with other sewists, and gaining inspiration. And I think we should kick it off today just by talking about our own relationship with social media, participation in social media these days. Tell me what’s going on with you, Helen.
Helen: Well, it has certainly been an interesting ride. These last, like, eight years, I would say, to participate in social media, especially Instagram. That’s my main platform. Things are always evolving. But the one thing that has been constant for me is that I really do love sharing. I really enjoy the process of gathering, you know, whatever media I want in order to communicate the project that I made and then sharing it with the community. And that started way back in the day when I started my sewing blog. And social media is kind of a more short form version of that, although I’m still very active over on my blog. So making “content” has been a part of my daily life for quite a while now. But I really feel like in the past year I’ve, kind of, hit my stride a little bit, especially with these short form videos that are so popular now. Took me a little while to figure that one out, but I finally feel like I’m enjoying the process. I like creating the videos. I like the storytelling, the editing, sharing tutorials, sharing projects, all of it. I’m feeling much more comfortable on camera, which we’re going to talk about. And sometimes it can feel like a bit of a grind or a bit of a distraction, or, you know, sometimes I get in that comparison headspace and, and it’s not fun. But I’ve learned that, you know, that’s the point when I need to take breaks. And for the most part, it is a lot of fun to participate. And it’s just, like, managing the amount that you’re doing that.
Caroline: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s a great strategy. Like if it’s not feeling good, take a step away for a minute, you know?
Helen: Yeah, totally. And that’s really hard because it’s designed to be addictive. It truly is. And so that’s why it’s so much fun to pick up the phone and scroll. But the creating content part really is like a fun, creative process. And I wanted to also note that I, personally, think it’s important to have other places where you’re storing this information, and that’s not just for business owners. I think for personal sewers as well, you know, a journal, an album on your phone, a blog, a newsletter, somewhere where you’re kind of keeping track of your projects that isn’t social, because you don’t own that content on social media. Like, Instagram can shut down. The other day it just stopped working and we were all like, what’s happening? And that can be a little bit shocking. So just remember that it’s nice to have that content in other places too.
Caroline: Yeah. That’s a really great point.
Helen: In my personal time, I do enjoy a fun scroll through the silly and amazing reels on Instagram. I’m not a huge user in my off-time. I think that’s because I spend a lot of time on social doing work stuff. So I do have a personal Instagram for family and friends where I keep up with what the people in my life are up to and I share videos of my dog. But for the most part, I’m focused on work stuff. So I’m not a huge social media user in my off-hours. And the other thing I wanted to mention is that a year ago I started Cedar Quilt Co., my quilting pattern business, and I started a quilting-focused account for that. So starting from zero again, zero followers, zero, kind of, like, community over there. It’s been really fun. Like obviously I’ve brought over a lot of folks from Helen’s Closet to come and follow me there as well. But I’m also making a lot of new connections with the quilting community and other quilt pattern designers. And that’s been really interesting because it’s like starting over but in a new era of social media. And it’s giving me a chance to really experiment and do some fun things with that account. And I really love having separate accounts for my interests. So when I want to look at quilting stuff. I can go and scroll my quilting account. And when I want to look at my friends and family, I can go and scroll my friends and family account. So if you’re finding that it’s all getting jumbled up, maybe it is a good idea to separate.
Caroline: Yeah, I think it’s true that it is really fun to start small, I guess, or start over and be able to build a following or an audience from scratch in this sort of, like, social media world that we’re in right now. And I found that, often, those, like, accounts with less followers get so much more engagement, so it can be much more personal. So if you’re feeling, like, sad about not having enough “followers,” like, it’s okay, because probably all the people that follow you really want to follow you and are really excited to see what you’re up to. So it’s okay to not have a lot of followers.
Helen: 100%. Whether you’ve got five or you’ve got 5 million.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Does anyone in the sewing community have 5 million? I don’t think so.
Caroline: I don’t know.
Helen: It really, it’s true that there’s people on there that are going to connect with you. And those are the people that you want to, like, be paying attention to and be fostering those engagements. So we’re going to talk about that today. But Caroline, I want to hear from you. What’s your social media journey and your current state?
Caroline: Well, I used to, like, do the social media for Blackbird back in the day, but eventually we did hire a marketing team and Now we have Celina, who takes care of all of our social media, which has been amazing. And I think since I’ve sort of, like, offloaded that, my personal participation in the sewing, kind of, space has been mostly nonexistent. I sometimes think about posting more, but obviously not enough to actually do so. I would say most of my sewcializing comes from Blackbird’s account, which I do love participating in. I love being in the content. We have a ton of fun on Instagram Reels and TikToks at Blackbird. And it’s encouraged me to not take myself too seriously, because sometimes we’re doing, like, truly ridiculous videos like dancing or lip syncing or like hopping on funny trends. And I think, at first, that was hard. And it can take some time to, like, warm up to being on camera if you’re new to that. But it does get easier and, I don’t know, I think I like the way that social media has sort of evolved in recent years, because it is, like, less polished. There’s a little bit more authenticity. I think you’re not, like, seeing that, like, perfect feed anymore. People are just posting videos that are less, like, edited and overproduced and it’s more about just, like, having fun and having a laugh. Or at least that’s how I feel about it. And that has really helped me to enjoy it more. I’m definitely a lurker in my free time. I love scrolling TikTok. I actually get a ton of joy out of it. It makes me laugh and often lifts my spirits. TikTok, for some reason, like, it doesn’t give me icky feelings. Most of the time it gives me good feelings. I’m also very attached to Instagram, because I feel like I’ve been on that platform for so long. And there are some folks that I’ve followed for, truly, what feels like forever. And I really feel like I know them. So it’s hard to step away from that sometimes, because I just want to, like, know what all my Instagram friends are up to, you know?
Helen: Yeah, I do love that parasocial relationship that can form even if you don’t ever connect face to face or maybe even talk one on one. It’s often like you’re following people and they’re following you back and you, you’re friends. It really feels real. And I think it, in many ways it is real.
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And I did take a break from social media, like, fully, a couple of years ago. Took it off my phone and all that. And that was really healthy and good for me. So I did want to kind of throw that in there. Even though we are talking all about how great sewcializing is today, if you’re feeling burnt out, try taking some time away and I think you might come back with a fresh perspective and feel excited to get into it again.
Helen: Totally.
Caroline: Okay, I think we should talk about some of the social media platforms where you will find the sewing community. So, as we mentioned, Instagram is our platform of choice for our businesses and personally. Instagram is a very visual platform. It used to be mostly photos, but now it has short form video too. And there’s been a lot of talk about Instagram prioritizing video in people’s feeds. And it’s true that videos get a lot more views. Part of that is that reels can pop up for people that don’t follow you. However, I still see and engage with a lot of photos on Instagram. So I wouldn’t worry about it too much if you’re resistant to video. Keep posting photos. That’s A-okay.
Helen: Yeah, it’s 100% okay. And I wanted to note too, that I hear people getting frustrated with the feed these days because you go on there and you’re like, “Oh, it’s my friend and their cat.” And, “Oh, it’s that person I follow who sews.” And then it’s like: random video about cooking or like, whatever it is. It just throws stuff at you that you didn’t follow or ask for. And then it doesn’t show you the accounts that you do follow and that you did ask for, and That is kind of annoying, but I did want to say there is a way to change that. You can browse only your followed accounts in chronological order, which is how Instagram used to be. All you do is just tap the Instagram icon in the top left corner of the app and then click following, and it changes the feed back to the way it was back in the olden times.
Caroline: The olden times, when I used to be able to scroll all the way to the end and it would be like, “You’re caught up!”
Helen: “You’re all caught up! You can go do something else now.”
Caroline: Boy, how that has changed.
Helen: But yeah, you can do that. And I think that’s, that’s really fun, especially if you just want to scroll through all of your sewing inspo posts and see what people have been up to. It can be really nice to weed out all that extra stuff.
Caroline: TikTok is the newest, or one of the newest, platforms on the scene, and it’s all short form video. And like Reels on Instagram, it uses an algorithm to put videos in people’s For You feeds, whether or not they follow you. Because the videos are so short and people tend to watch a bunch at once, there’s potential for a lot of views. And there is a healthy sewing community on TikTok. You’ll find all ages there, though I would say the average probably skews a little younger than Instagram, with more Gen Z makers. And again, like, a little bit less polish. I feel like there’s a lot more like slapdash DIY pattern-free sewing happening over on TikTok.
Helen: Yes, I really like that. Especially with younger folks, like, just getting into sewing and just messing around and creating really cool stuff. And I think that we’re going to see more and more people using TikTok and more and more people of different ages. So don’t be intimidated. Don’t just assume that it’s not for you because of your age. I’ve definitely, myself, felt that way. But then once I started using the app, I was like, “Oh, it’s just like Instagram.” I don’t know. It’s not that different.
Caroline: Yeah, for sure. And I will also add: there are photos on TikTok now. Like, you can post an album where you can scroll through photos. But I would say, like, primarily it is video and I kind of love that.
Helen: Of course, there is still Facebook, and my understanding is that groups are the best way to interact with the sewing community on Facebook. That’s because most people tend to follow pages of businesses or influencers versus kind of mutually following other individual sewists. Facebook groups, on the other hand, those are a great place to ask questions, see sewists’ makes, show off your own. If you hit it off with someone from the group, you can always friend request them too, or start, like, a private chat. And there’s a few really active sewing groups on Facebook that we wanted to call out: Curvy Sewing Collective, All About Sewing, and My Hobby is Quilting. But there are thousands of groups, including local groups and groups with special interests like vintage sewing or paper piecing or bra making. So really, whatever you’re into, you can definitely find a group for that.
Caroline: Yeah, for sure. And you always want to look at the group’s description and rules before you request to join. That can help you figure out whether the group’s vibe fits what you want. For example, some groups don’t allow posts about items that are for sale. Other groups are for specific groups of people, like plus size sewists. And you want to try to follow the rules and have fun, of course. Posts from your groups will pop up in your main feed, or you can go to the group’s page and scroll the feed there. Obviously, Helen and I are not really in Facebook groups, so if you have any little tips for sewcializing on Facebook, send them our way.
Helen: One tip that came to mind, just generally on social media, and I think we mentioned this in both of our sewcializing episodes, is: don’t give unsolicited advice.
Caroline: Oh, yeah.
Helen: If you’re seeing someone’s make and they’re displaying it and they’re showing it off and you notice, you know, a drag line here or a wonky hem there, you don’t need to say anything about that. You just let it be. You say, “Wow, looks great on you.” Unless someone’s asking for, “Oh, the hem turned out a little wonky. What did I do wrong?” There’s really no need to jump in with that kind of advice, because it’s a lot of times, these are spaces where people are just wanting to show off what they did and wanting some positive reinforcement.
Caroline: Mmhmm. I love that you fit that one in there, Helen, because it’s, that advice rings true even eight years after our first sewcializing episode.
Helen: Totally.
Caroline: YouTube has so much great sewing content. It’s not quite as interactive as the other platforms we’ve talked about. There’s something a bit uneven-feeling about responding to a long video with a comment. However, there are some amazing channels like Sew Sew Live that have live sewing sessions where you can type in comments and questions in real time. And also, if you’re interested in making your own YouTube channel, it can feel more interactive in a way. You can participate in video trends and even collab with other sewing creators. I’ve personally been getting a little bit more into YouTube, because we are gonna have a YouTube channel for Blackbird and BF Patterns and start making more videos. And I’ve been filming some videos for that and I’ve been having a lot of fun. It’s kind of fun to get into something new that I haven’t really tried before and I don’t know. There’s like a whole, a whole lot going on on sewing YouTube these days.
Helen: I love sewing YouTube. I don’t necessarily, like, watch a lot of channels on the regular. But if I need a visual on how to do something, you better believe YouTube’s where I’m going. And I’m always so grateful to all the people that have put in the effort and time to make all of those tutorial videos, sewalongs, like, people are making sewalongs for our patterns and posting them up there. That is so lovely and so helpful and amazing.So I really appreciate sewing youtubers and the effort they put in.
Caroline: Yeah, totally.
Helen: There are, of course, more text-based social media platforms like X, which is formerly Twitter, BlueSky, there’s Instagram Threads. These text-based communities don’t have super active sewing components, necessarily. But if you’re trying to change that, or if you have some advice for sewists on these platforms, we’d love to know about it. Please write to us. I think because it’s a visual hobby, it kind of makes sense that it’s not thriving on these text-based platforms.
Caroline: So true. Pinterest will definitely get an honourable mention today because it is a great place to find and collect sewing inspo, tutorials, and more. It’s not very interactive though, so we’re not going to be covering it a ton in this episode. It, again, feels a little bit one-sided. There’s not a lot of, like, “sewcializing” happening on Pinterest, but I still think it’s a great tool.
Helen: Yes, I love going on there when I’m planning a new make and I can make a little board and think about the colours and the proportions. So handy. Pattern Review has popular discussion forums that are split up into categories. It can take a bit of time to navigate as opposed to social media sites that have a feed. But it can be nice if you’re looking to talk about a specific topic or if you need an answer to a very specific question. Everything under the sun has been discussed over on Pattern Review, so you’re bound to find a really good thread that you can dig through and find the information you need.
Caroline: Mmhmm. And the sewing and quilting subreddits are active and friendly. The nice thing about Reddit is you can see posts from the subreddits you follow in your main feed. And Reddit is a great place to ask and answer questions, see others’ work, and show off your own. I’ve actually been pretty into reddit lately because I’m on the Reddit, like, Puppy 101 subreddit. And I’ve really enjoyed it. I think it’s, like, kind of a different vibe. People are really helpful and encouraging. And I just like, I don’t know, there’s something about Google lately that’s been a little bit less reliable. And I find myself turning to Reddit for answers a lot of the time. It just feels more, like, organic, you know?
Helen: Google’s like asking the Internet index, but Reddit’s like asking your friend, you know.
Caroline: Yeah, totally.
Helen: Give me the direct advice.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: There are some communities online that come with pattern subscriptions, like the discussion boards on Seamwork, Closet Core Crew, and Cashmerette Club. We don’t have experience using these, but my guess is that it would be a lot like Pattern Review, but with a smaller number of people. So there’s forums and ways to interact and share your makes. And I think having a small private space can be a little bit easier sometimes. It’s a little less overwhelming.
Caroline: Mmhmm. And listener Camilla recommended Virtual Sewing Room, which is a social zoom call for sewists. The organizer, Jenny, says, “Set up in your sewing space wherever it may be and join the zoom call. Sew, quilt, knit, crochet, iron or unpick a project whilst chatting or listening in to sewing chatter.” Each session lasts for two hours and there are several available every month in 2024, so we’ll have a link in our show notes. This sounds so cool.
Helen: It’s so cool. We should go to a virtual sewing room, Caroline.
Caroline: I know, when I read this I was like, I kind of want to join. I don’t know. I feel like it’d be really fun.
Helen: Little fly on the wall.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Would you join with your real name or would you come up with an alias?
Caroline: I was just gonna say, like, maybe I’ll come up with a clever alias. Oh my gosh.
Helen: “ILoveBlackbirdFabrics.” Listener @ovo.cosido recommended the Sew Club Sewciety on Discord. It’s organized by @genuinelyempatterns. Discords are kind of like private message boards, and this one sounds like a lot of fun.
Caroline: Yes, it does. So, while it might be technically possible to be active on every social media site, it’s probably not going to be that much fun. If you can choose one or two of your favourites, you’re going to have an easier time creating content and getting to know the other people on it. If you don’t know what your favourite platform is yet, try out a few. They all have different vibes and different styles of content. And don’t worry too much about missing out on what’s going on on the other apps. The idea is to find your community and put down some roots. Seamwork has an article called “How to Connect with People in the Sewing Community” that has some really great advice. They say the pillars of community building are listening, appreciation, and sharing. So here’s how that would look on social media.
Helen: The listen pillar means spending some time reading, watching, or listening to what others are posting. The appreciation pillar means if you like what you see, you can press like, you can react, comment, or share. Such a huge boost when you do this. I know it never gets old for me to see a nice comment or a question that starts a conversation or see that a bunch of people have shared a tutorial that I made, knowing that they’re probably sending it to their friends and being like, “Wow, did you know this?” That makes me so happy. And lastly, sharing, and that can mean making your own content, answering someone’s question, or participating in, like, a fun social media trend. I really like this way of thinking about social media. You can participate in these three pillars as much or as little as you want to. You can be one pillar kind of person, a three pillar kind of person. It’s all good.
Caroline: Yeah, it is. So would your two platforms be Instagram and TikTok, Helen?
Helen: Yes, I think so. We’re currently not sharing, like, a ton of TikTok-specific content. We’re mostly sharing the same content on Instagram and TikTok, which I think is generally not recommended from a business perspective. The apps want original content. But I do really enjoy the short form video. Like, when I want to have a little social media break, and I don’t mean taking a break from, I mean like diving into social media to have a little brain break and just watch the world flow by, I love scrolling through Reels and scrolling through TikTok. Like, short form video, it’s so much fun. Like you said, Caroline, it really lifts my spirits. There’s so many people doing amazing comedy, sharing really relevant and useful information about current events. or, you know, ways that we can be better human beings and treat each other with kindness and respect. I love that people are, like, putting themselves out there, being goofy, being political, like all that stuff. It’s just so fun to see it all mixed together. And it just feels like this grab bag of awesomeness in the world, you know?
Caroline: Absolutely. I feel exactly the same way. And I think there are a lot of folks that are sharing similar content on TikTok and Instagram. So I wouldn’t be too, like, sheepish about it. I feel like it’s, like, very, very common. And totally okay if that’s all you can handle, right? Like, you don’t have to be creating original content for every platform. I still feel like the sewing community on Instagram is probably the most active. So if you’re wondering, like, “What’s one place that I could be?” Instagram might be that place.
Helen: Yeah. I would agree with that. Unless you’re, like, really into your Facebook groups and you’ve built an amazing community over there. That’s so awesome. I think that can be so valuable. And then I spend a lot of time on Pinterest, ‘cause I like looking at pretty things.
Caroline: Yeah, we can’t pick just one or two. It’s too hard.
Helen: And like, there’s this garment sewing Instagram community, and then there’s the quilting Instagram community, and, like, they blend now and then, but they’re also separate spaces. So that’s been, like, so interesting to dabble in and get to know this other sewing world of the internet that I have previously not participated in.
Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yeah. Like, do you follow any knitting people on Instagram or TikTok?
Helen: I definitely follow a few, but I’ve fallen off the knitting train, I think, since quilting came into my life. I can only have so many fiber art hobbies. So I haven’t knitted in a little while, but that is also a huge online community. And Ravelry, of course, is amazing. I mean, what we wouldn’t give to have a sewing Ravelry. We’ve said it before, but maybe one day, fingers crossed.
Caroline: It truly is like any kind of, like, hobby or like sub-hobby that you are interested in probably has its own little community online, or I would venture to say definitely has its own little community online. And that’s one of the great things about social media, is that you can find your people and really connect. Whereas back in the day when we didn’t have social media, we were kind of, like, stuck with whoever was in our immediate vicinity, you know, and not so much open to, like, the worldwide community.
Helen: It’s true. It opens a lot, a lot of doors. Okay, we have so many more sewcializing tips and tricks for y’all, but we’re going to take a quick break and we’ll be right back.
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And we’re back! Okay, let’s get into some advice about using social media. First thing is to create a bio that represents you. If you see someone’s content and you get intrigued to go to their account, I usually go to their page and I’ll look at their profile pic, their bio. So it really helps if your profile pic is a close-up of your face. As an icon, they’re super small. So it’s kind of hard to tell what’s going on. If it’s, like, a full-body photo, when it’s, like, a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh or something, it kind of disconnects me from the person. It’s always really nice to see a face or maybe a logo if it’s a business. But otherwise, yeah, it can be hard to tell who you’re interacting with.
Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true. And for the bio, here’s an idea of what to include. So you want to have your first name or handle or alias and your pronouns. This helps people who want to talk to you. It’s that basic info you find out when you introduce yourself.
Helen: And you can include other basic info too, like what you might find out about someone if you had a short conversation with them. So what do you do for work? Do you have kids or pets or partner? What are your main hobbies? Of course you can leave out whatever you don’t want to share with a large number of people, but sharing a little bit can make people feel like they’re getting to know you and give you an idea of what they might expect to find.
Caroline: And you can also straight-up tell people what to expect to find on your account. So for example,”I post my sewing projects and pictures of my cats.” Or, “Expect to see a lot of memes in stories and a lot of quilts on the grid.”
Helen: Yeah, setting those expectations can be really valuable. You can pin your best posts. So, most social media platforms have this as an option. Pick a few of your posts that you’d like to be known by or some recent stuff that you want someone new to your profile to see and you can pin that to the top so that when they go to your profile they’re seeing those things immediately.
Caroline: Mmhmm. Or if you have like a viral video that has like multiple parts, pinning that at the top is a really nice thing to do for people who are just discovering you, because they probably want to see, like, that whole, sort of, story if they go to your profile. The whole idea is to make it easy for someone new to get an overview of what you’re about, the same way they might if they were chatting with you for the first time.
Helen: So, it does take some experimentation and time to find your voice and figure out how you want to show up on social media. Think about the kind of content that you like to consume. Like, do you love it when people are being funny and chatty in stories? Or do you live for those beautiful, well lit, flat lay photos of finished makes? I mean, do you like seeing projects go from a pile of fabric to a finished dress in one TikTok video? It will be a lot easier to think of ideas for your own content if you enjoy watching or reading that kind of thing. So that can really help to guide you and your vision for what you want to share.
Caroline: Helen, I really love watching the Get Ready With Me videos, like the Storytime ones, where someone’s, like, doing their makeup while they’re telling you a really juicy story, but I feel like I couldn’t do it myself.
Helen: I can barely apply makeup. Period.
Caroline: I know, like my makeup would look so goofy if I had to also talk to a camera.
Helen: Okay, but this could be like a TikTok goal, Caroline, because this is the kind of thing that’s like, hilarious! Like, do a get ready video with me where you just like, mess it up completely. Like, it look so bad.
Caroline: Yes! Yes, I do love the ones where like, you know, there’s like a little, I don’t know, like text overlay that’s like,”I didn’t realize that I had this like crumb on my face for the whole video. Like, you’re welcome.”
Helen: Oh yeah, I’ve been there.
Caroline: Truly though, try things out. There’s no need for it to be perfect. Just like sewing, learning how to take nice pictures, write an engaging caption, or cut together a video is a learning process. You’re gonna make mistakes, and you’re gonna be way better at it after a few months of practice than you are at the beginning. But that’s kind of the beauty about learning anything new.
Helen: It’s true. And, of course, on social media, everything moves so quickly. That content that you created a few months ago that maybe wasn’t the way you wanted it to be. It’s gone. It’s, like, truly, like, so far in the back catalogue, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to just keep evolving and keep making new and exciting stuff. But of course, sharing is very vulnerable and it takes time to get comfortable in front of the camera. So try to look at yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you. Sometimes when we look at ourselves, we can only see a certain part or certain things that we don’t like, but I can guarantee you that the vast majority of people are not looking at you that way. They’re not looking at you and thinking, “Oh, they’re old,” or, “Oh, their skin is weird,” or, “Oh, their hair is, needs to be recoloured,” or whatever it is that you’re seeing. People are not seeing that. They’re thinking, “Wow, what a beautiful smile. Wow. This person made their clothes. That’s incredible. Oh my gosh. The lighting in this picture is amazing. Their dog is so cute.” They’re thinking positive things for the most part. I honestly, really, truly believe that. So try to get out of your head and avoid looking at yourself with that critical eye. And before you start filming, think of a friend you love to hang out with to get yourself in the right head space. Imagine that they’re there with you. Hey, I’ll be the little ghost friend hanging out in your camera, because truly I want to see your content and I think you’re great.
Caroline: Mmhmm. Yeah, think of me and Helen just on the other side watching and cheering you on.
Helen: I love that. Picture us just being like, “Yes! Show us the good stuff.”
Caroline: Yeah! You can also consider focusing on a niche within the sewing world. Not that all your content has to be about that, but it might be a good way to meet like-minded sewists. So here are some examples of niches. You can do vintage sewing, zero waste, thrifting and upcycling, costuming, tips and tutorials, and of course, quilting.
Helen: Quilting! Okay. We have some tips for photography also, because of course you’re going to be needing to photograph your me-mades. Natural light is the most important tool you have. So experiment with taking photos at different times of day to see when the natural light is best around your place. Or go outside. The goal is to have the subject of the photo really nicely illuminated without any harsh shadows. And I honestly can’t stress enough: it makes all the difference to have nice lighting. So when Sam and I find a location that we like for photos, we spend like two to five minutes just like going around in a circle and taking photos from different angles and then looking at them on the phone and being like, “Oh, this angle is really nice.” And it’s not always the angle that you expect. Like sometimes standing in front of the light works. Sometimes it looks amazing when you’re more silhouetted with the light behind you. Truly depends on so many factors. So it’s really fun to just take that moment to experiment and find the right angle.
Caroline: Yeah, and I do love…some folks that I follow kind of have a spot where they always take their photos. So if you can find a spot where the photos or videos often look good, like, reuse that. And you can always add a different little backdrop, maybe drape a piece of fabric in the background. Or if it’s outside, it’s always fun for your followers to see, like, the changing weather. It’s a whole vibe that totally works. So don’t worry too much about always, like, reinventing the spot that you’re taking photos. I think you can just stick to what works if you find something that really works for you.
Helen: Yeah, and if you want to, you can remove anything distracting from the background of your photos. Makes it easier to focus on you. But the truth is, the whole room can be a total mess and people are still going to be looking at you because you’re the focus of the picture. You’re sharing your makes. So I wouldn’t worry too much about cleaning up behind you. But if you want, you can clear your area and then take your pictures. Or I like to just use portrait mode on my phone so the background kind of blurs out and then all the focus, like, literal focus, is on me. That works really well, I find. Another thing I wanted to mention about lighting specifically is that a lot of people assume the best time to take photos is on a sunny day, which is just simply not the case. Full sun is really hard to take pictures in. Your skin gets reflective. There’s so many shadows on your face. Wrinkles are really pronounced on the clothing. It can be so hard to take a picture in full sunlight. So when it’s sunny out and you want to take pictures, seek out some bright shade that has, like, a nice even tone. Overcast days offer the best light because it’s just, like, super even and there’s no shadows. And then morning or sunset light are the most stunning when you’re outside. Of course, if you can pull that off, that’s the time to do it.
Caroline: Oh my gosh, it’s so true. And when you don’t have the sun, like, shining in your eyes, it’s much easier to look into the camera and not be, like, squinty. I definitely have squinty problems. I’m always squinting at the camera. so not having that sunshine is always helpful.
Helen: It’s so true.
Caroline: Taking photos with the camera at eye height can actually make your body look a little distorted, like your head is big and your feet are tiny. So if you drop the camera to waist height, your proportions will look truer to life. And this is so true. I mean, unless you are going for that sort of, like, distorted look, which is definitely, it works for some people and I think it can be a vibe. But if you’re looking for that more true-to-life kind of proportion, I think, just drop that camera a little bit.
Helen: Yeah. Experiment with dropping it all the way to the ground too. That can be a really fun look, that, like, upshot. I mean, obviously not, like,, up the skirt, but like, you know, that upwards angle can make you look so, like, fashion model. Like it really, really has, has a vibe. You don’t have to wear your me-mades in your photos. I mean, hanging them on a hanger or doing a flat lay can be really nice. Some folks are just not comfortable being in photos, don’t want to put their photo on social media, on the internet, and that’s 100% okay. Totally fine.
Caroline: Yeah. Posing can be tricky, but anyone can do it. So it helps to move around instead of sticking to one pose for a long time. And if you’re feeling tense, stretch or wiggle it out, maybe do some jumping jacks, dance around, imagine a friend cheering you on. Or you can actually get a friend or partner to take pictures of you and cheer you on. And it can also help to look through Instagram or Pinterest and save pictures with poses you like, and then you can scroll through them when you’re ready to shoot your new me-made. I know at Blackbird, when we do photo shoots with people, we’ll often actually, like, print out sheets with examples of poses. ‘Cause when you’re in the moment and getting photos taken of yourself, it’s really easy to, like, default back to your hand on the hip or legs crossed, or like a little head cocked to the side. And having something to refer to, to sort of, like, jog your memory and remember those poses that you think look cool on other people is, like, a really great tool.
Helen: Yeah, totally. And it can force you to experiment a little bit, especially if you literally just don’t know what to do with your hands.
Caroline: Yeah. And sometimes it doesn’t work, right? But that’s okay.
Helen: I have, like, many go-to poses, most of which involve me putting my hands over my head, which is kind of weird, but I love it. Strike a pose. But we do like a 360, so I’ll take, like, several from the front and then a little, like turn a little bit. Several more. Turn to the side, several more. Turn to the back, several more. So we make sure that we get everything. And that can really help to loosen me up to, just knowing, okay, we’re doing the 360. I’m going to go around in a circle and I’m just going to like, try to hit all my best America’s Next Top Model poses.
Caroline: And the, like, micro-movements, I know you’re going to talk about taking a lot of photos in a sec, but if you’re able to take a ton of photos and just do little tiny movements for every photo and little tiny expression changes, I think will give you a lot more to choose from when you’re, kind of, culling through your photos.
Helen: Totally, yeah. I know from a lot of experience taking photos over the years to take way more than you think you’re going to need. When Sam and I do a photo shoot, even if it’s just for a blog post or an Instagram album, we take like 50 to 100 photos and I choose, you know, 5 to 10. So it’s so nice to have that variety. And like you said, Caroline, those micro movements are so valuable, because you take a ton of pictures and then you look at one and you’re like, “Oh, this is so cute, but I wish my smile was a little bigger.” Next one, it’s bigger, right? Like, ‘cause you didn’t move that much. So you actually have all of those options available to you. So that can be really valuable. And another thing I wanted to say is, of course, like nobody wants to be a bother when they’re getting help taking photos, like it can feel really awkward to ask someone to take your photo to interrupt whatever it is that you’re doing. If you’re on a hike or something, or you’re out on a walk, or you’re with friends, to be like, “Oh, could you just take my picture for a second?” And you want it to be over with super quickly. You don’t want to bother anybody, but the people helping you take the photo, they’re usually actually kind of excited and they want to help you. They genuinely want to do a good job taking the photo, make sure that you get the photo that you wanted. So give them some instruction. I mean, ask for those full body shots and then ask for a couple of closeups and work with them to find the best light. And it can be actually really fun and a fun, like, bonding experience to take pictures with somebody. So just, like, have your moment, you know, stand in that moment, getting your picture taken, get the photos you want. It really just takes like 10 minutes.
Caroline: Yeah, And just tell them to take a gazillion photos.
Helen: Yeah, take lots. Take lots.
Caroline: Just take lots. But if you don’t want someone else to photograph you, or maybe you don’t have someone that’s available to do that, a tripod is a great tool to have. You can get phone tripods with a Bluetooth remote so you can take the photos yourself, or you can set a timer on your phone.
Helen: Yeah, I totally use my tripod quite often as well, especially when I’m filming video, which is our next topic of discussion. Video content is so much fun and making short form videos on TikTok or Instagram or even YouTube Shorts is a great way to reach beyond your current followers, find new people to connect with. It can feel a little complicated sometimes when you’re getting into video; there’s a lot of things to think about. But video can also be super simple. You can upload a video of you just talking to the camera, no editing. Those can be really nice. Or you can get into editing and make cool transitions, mini movies, tell a whole story of your make. Really, it runs the gamut from simple to complex and you can dabble wherever you feel is good.
Caroline: Yeah, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of editing tricks that are available, but you want to learn, you can make a goal to try one new tool or technique once a week. You can also follow people who the literal whole, like, social media thing is giving people tips and tricks on how to edit videos or how to get your videos seen. So that can be an inspiring way to sort of, like, learn some new things while you’re also scrolling.
Helen: But we do have some short form video ideas for y’all. So first, to introduce yourself, show some of your best me-mades, maybe say what you love about sewing, add a little clip of your pet being cute. We love to see those behind-the-scenes moments.
Caroline: Yeah, you can film your favourite sewing tip. I love this kind of content. The amount of sewing knowledge online is something I would have killed for as a teen, when I was just tracing out things with my scissors. Literally just laying a tee shirt on the ground and having at it. I don’t know.
Helen: I mean, that kind of content would kill on TikTok.
Caroline: True, true. Yeah.
Helen: I think tutorials are exactly what Instagram, at least, is looking for. ‘Cause every time I do a little tutorial or show a tool or show how to do a technique, those videos always perform really well. So that’s a great one. And you don’t have to put your face in it. It can just be your hands. You can film your process for a whole garment. Listener Lucie said, “I make five second videos for all the steps when sewing and then it’s easy to make short TikTok videos from it!” Simple and effective.
Caroline: If you make a garment for a particular event, film yourself wearing it there. This would be maybe hard to do if you’re really busy or if you don’t have someone with you, but I think it’s so fun to see people kind of wearing their final garment at the actual thing that they made it for.
Helen: You know what I really love? And it’s kind of the opposite of this, because it’s not an event, but I really enjoy bathroom mirror selfies at work.
Caroline: Yes.
Helen: Or elevator selfies, you’re like, in the elevator and there’s a mirrored wall and you’re like, “Here’s my outfit today. I’m at work.”
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Keep doing that, people. I love it. I live for it.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Film close-ups of the details of a garment that you’ve carefully finished. Set it to some beautiful, like, soft piano music. I mean, gorge.
Caroline: You can make a quick montage of your inspo pictures and then show the final garment you made. This is always really fun to see.
Helen: I like that. You can ask an interesting question and invite people to respond to it with their answer. You might get a lot of comments and engagement doing that.
Caroline: You can find a song that matches the vibe of your new garment, put it on, and film yourself dancing to it.
Helen: Ooh! I like that idea. You can make a montage of your projects over time to show your sewing journey and how much your skills have improved. That one sounds fun.
Caroline: Remember, if you’re not interested in making videos or it just seems like too much work to do, you don’t have to. It’s totally okay. And it doesn’t mean you can’t participate in the sewing community. I feel like the sewing community still loves pictures, so it is A-okay.
Helen: Absolutely. I think both can often be nice if you have a video on your grid of your make and then you also have an album. So if people want to see more of that particular make, they can scroll through photos. And they’re not moving, so they can get, like, a clearer picture of all those details that you put in.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: So speaking of participation, there’s some built-in ways to participate in the sewing community. So let’s talk about some of those.
Caroline: Sewing challenges are so fun. It’s the closest I’m ever going to get to being on Project Runway. Sometimes it takes a challenge to wake up your creativity. The challenge rules give you something to work with, which can be easier than working with a blank page.
Helen: Challenges also foster community engagement. There’s usually a deadline, which means people tend to post more, and that can be really motivating. Plus, you can follow the hashtag to see and comment on what others are doing, and you can make friends that way. Sometimes the hosting account or blog will share other people’s posts, so it’s a really great way to find other sewists and for them to find you.
Caroline: Mmhmm. And trends in the sewing community or trends on your social media platform can be super fun to hop on. It’s kind of like a mini-challenge to participate. And they don’t have to dictate what projects you make. Following a trend can mean following a video format or a sound, which is pretty common on TikTok.
Helen: Yeah, on the Helen’s Closet account, we did the “I’m a sewist, so of course, I…” kind of format and we asked our followers to comment with what they would include in that video. And it was so awesome to see all of the funny comments. Caroline, you guys did that one too, right?
Caroline: Yes, that was such a fun trend. I love hopping on trends, like when something’s popular, like a movie or maybe a new Taylor Swift album, there are often lots of trends that go along with it. I know back in the fall we had so much fun with Barbie movie-themed videos when that movie came out. So yeah, definitely don’t be afraid to hop on a trend when you see it because it can be a great way for people to discover you and it’s also just tons of fun.
Helen: Yeah, one way you can keep track of those is to just save them so you put them in your saved folders on Instagram or TikTok and then you’ll be able to go backthere and find that audio clip that you wanted to use or remind yourself of that sewing trend you wanted to try this week.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: All right, to wrap things up here, we have some listener questions about sewcializing. Lindsey wrote, “I wonder how to keep up with content posting, especially in the era of short form content, while trying to remain mindful and sustainable with my sewing practice.”
Caroline: Ooh, I think a lot of us feel a little underskilled on social media now because we’re posting in the same place as, like, influencers who are making content professionally. And I think it’s really important not to compare yourself to people who are literally doing this as their job. They obviously have a lot more time and resources to put into it. I don’t think it’s bad to follow influencers. I like looking at their content. That’s the part of Instagram that reminds me of flipping through magazines when I was a teenager. But I also like to follow people in the sewing community who aren’t doing things that are pleasing to the algorithm. And I think if a bunch of people do that and like and comment on each other’s stuff, it makes social media less intimidating and more about seeing what’s going on in the sewing community. So don’t stress too much about, like, a posting schedule. Instead, just focus on showing up for others the way that you’d like for them to show up for you.
Helen: Yeah, and in terms of mindfulness and sustainability, you don’t always have to be making new things all the time to make fun content. In fact, you can post in-progress stuff. That’s where you could share, “Here’s a little tip for sewing darts, because today I’m sewing darts” or “Here’s this collar that I just finished. Doesn’t it look amazing?” It doesn’t always have to be this, like, final reveal where you’re showing off a finished garment. That in-between stuff actually tends to do even better on social media. So experiment with that a little bit. And this leads us into our next question. @whatsgigimakin asked, “How to incorporate more content not associated with completing sewing projects because…the way I haven’t been sewing…”
Caroline: Yeah, I definitely go through times like this. And we already listed some ideas in this episode But we have a few more, because you don’t always have to be sharing a finished make or even a process of making something. You can give a me-made wardrobe tour. I actually love these, like people are like, “Here’s everything I made in the last year” or “Here are my five favourite sewing projects of all time” and they have a little rack and they’re going through them. Or something that’s a little bit more like snappy and quick where it’s not even necessarily, like, you modeling it. You could be flat lay. There’s so many options there.
Helen: Totally. You could show your favourite sewing gadget and ask people to share theirs.
Caroline: You can list your tried-and-true patterns and show pictures of what you’ve made from them.
Helen: Show off your favourite fabrics from your stash or highlight one really beautiful fabric. Maybe ask your followers what would they make with it.
Caroline: Ooh, you can do a fabric unboxing, too. I love those.
Helen: You would. “My Blackbird Fabrics order is here! I can’t wait to open it!”
Caroline: It’s so fun.
Helen: It’s so fun. I do love it.
Caroline: You can demonstrate your favourite hand sewing stitch. That’s a good one.
Helen: There’s so many things. Brainstorming is a really great way to come up with ideas. The concept is that you spend a short amount of time writing down everything that comes to mind without judging it as a good idea or a bad idea. It can also help to release all the restrictions of time and money and put your big ideas down there. And then the editing and judgment can come later. Brainstorming time is for unleashed creativity.
Caroline: I love brainstorming for content. It’s really fun when you can do it with other people too, in like a business setting. But even on your own, like, you know, use Pinterest or your saved posts to get you started and then just let your creativity guide you.
Helen: Mmhmm. Eowyn wrote, “I want to know what kind of tools people use to film from above for filming tutorials or to film their hands while they’re at the sewing machine. Do you have to build special overhead structures? I fear that the angle is not wide enough with the kind of little tripod that they sell online.”
Caroline: And then Esther replied, “There are tripods that film 90 degree angles. I use a phone arm that can be attached to a table. It’s cheaper than a 90 degree tripod.”
Helen: Those are great tools. I also use a phone arm. It kind of looks like one of those old-school lamps with the kink in it. So you can kind of move it around. And then I zoom out on my phone to like 0.5 zoom. So it, like, it’s more of a bit of a fisheye situation, but it gives you, like, a lot of visible area. And I find it works pretty well for most things.
Helen: I don’t have a lot of fancy stuff. I really struggle to film at my sewing machine. That’s one thing I would love to get better at. Like, how do you get the angle at the actual foot of the sewing machine where your fingers aren’t in the way and it’s in focus and it looks good and the lighting is nice? Like, that is the holy grail for me and I have not figured it out.
Caroline: And often when you’re filming, you can’t actually see the screen of your camera. So it’s only after the fact that you’re like, “Wait, my hair was in the way” or something, you know? Yeah. It can be frustrating.
Helen: So many awkward moments with, like, a tripod between my legs and I’m like trying to sew something like three feet in front of me. The lengths I go through.
Caroline: Helen, our listener Roni had a related tip that might help you. They said, “My camera is sometimes in my bra for sewing shots up close. Many times I use a mug. I’ve had a tripod with me, but it’s not always the best way to get in there. Anything that can hold the phone relatively steady works great.”
Helen: Oh my gosh, I have seen people crochet or sew or knit little like neck bands that kind of hang down in front of your chest and then you can balance your phone in them or you can just stick it in like, you know the neck band of your of your shirt or your bra. I love that idea. And then you can get that, like, right-in-front-of-you angle. Sometimes it can be a little unsteady, is the thing. Like, my sewing table is bouncy. It’s so bouncy. So if I put my camera on it, it’s a disaster.
Caroline: I was gonna say, I’ve also seen folks do, like, POV filming, where they, it literally seems like they have, like, a GoPro strapped to their head, and so the camera moves along with them, which I will say can be, like, a little bit dizzying. Like, when I’m watching it, it takes a little bit of getting used to. But that is an option, and I don’t know, I’m just imagining, like, strapping a phone to my forehead or something and just like, don’t move too much.
Helen: I love this idea of GoPro sewing. Maybe I need to work that into my, my process. Collette wrote, “I’d like to know how people add subtitles and closed captions to their videos.” Well, there’s a tool in the editor on both TikTok and Reels that you can use to add and edit subtitles for your videos. So we’ll link a tutorial for each of those in our show notes for you. As a user of those platforms, you can also turn on captions so they’ll show up for all videos. They’re not always edited, so sometimes they’re incorrect, but they do their best and they have gotten a lot better.
Caroline: Yeah, I was gonna say, it’s really nice that a lot of these tools are built into the platforms now, whereas a couple years ago you had to use a separate app to get your captions and then import it; and then there was, like, a watermark…
Helen: I remember that.
Caroline: Oh gosh, we’ve come a long way. And on a related note, Jess wrote, “It’s important to make your content accessible. Otherwise, you’re limiting the pool of people who can sewcialize with you.” @anti.ableist.makers.society has good info about this, and we’ll link that up in the show notes. But yeah, thank you so much for that, Jess. It looks like this account has a series called Inclusive Instagram Tips for Makers, which could be very helpful.
Helen: Totally. Yeah, I really love watching silent Instagram with just captions on. Like, I don’t always want the, the noise, you know? So it can be really handy for everybody. Esther wrote, “I’d like to know how to find people on Instagram who have a similar style. Since the recent hashtag browsing was removed a while ago, it’s become impossible as hashtags are just the same people over and over again. Maybe there’s a way to find them through a method outside the app.”
Caroline: Oh gosh, this change on Instagram was super frustrating. I hope they change it back eventually. It’s so much harder to browse hashtags now. And sometimes there’s just things that you don’t see. So, if you follow a hashtag you’re gonna see posts from it that pop up in your feed. So that’s one way to find people from hashtags. So instead of just like clicking the hashtag and browsing it and then leaving, you can actually follow that hashtag. Another thing that helps is, if you follow a few people who have similar style, check if the people they follow are viewable and check some of them out. Or pay attention to what people share to stories. You can often find other great people to follow that way. There are also sometimes write-ups on websites and blogs recommending Instagram accounts to follow. So Googling can be helpful. There’s even sometimes when you follow someone or go to their profile, you can click, like, “Suggestions from Instagram” and Instagram will suggest similar accounts to follow. And I’m sure they use some kind of, like, a formula for that. Like people who follow this person also follow this person. So that can be a good way to find new people to follow that are sort of in your wheelhouse.
Helen: Yeah. Sometimes that algorithm can help you out. I hate this hashtag change so much. I can’t wait for them to change it back, but I feel like I don’t want to be that person that’s like, “They changed it and I hate it!”
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: But I truly, like, miss it so much because one of my favourite things to do used to be just like going and browsing our garment pattern hashtags and it was so nice because it was in chronological order and now it’s just like, the top posts show up at the top. And those are beautiful and nice but I want to see everyone’s makes and I want to see, like, the most recent versions of things. And you can’t do that anymore and it’s very frustrating.
Caroline: I know. I know. I feel you.
Helen: Rant over. Another listener wrote in to say, “Some people are open to new DMs and some folks hate it. How do you sewcialize responsibly?”
Caroline: Okay, I think it’s always okay to shoot a DM to someone as long as their DMs are open, because you can turn them off. And you can also set an autoresponder. Have you ever seen this? Where you send a message and then you get a response that’s like, kind of a, clearly like a pre-filled thing that’s like, “We only check DMs at this time,” or whatever. But anyways, if you DM someone, like, who has more of like a personal account, if they don’t respond or if they respond negatively, don’t take it personally. Some people just don’t have the time to write to someone new and others need to close their DMs If they don’t want to get messages. If someone doesn’t respond, I would say don’t message them again, but there’s always the chance that they will respond. And there’s lots of people out there that are just like you: interested in finding a new sewing bud. So I think it’s worth taking the chance on sending a message. I also think sometimes messages just get buried, like if an account has a lot of followers or a video goes viral or a story and gets a ton of replies and stuff can just get lost. So truly don’t take it personally if your message doesn’t get responded to.
Helen: Yeah, the inbox can be like a messy place with all the different folders. And if you’ve never sent them a message before, it might go into their message requests folder, which they might not even know exists. So if you don’t get a reply back, yeah, totally don’t try and take it personally. And if you’re trying to get in touch with someone like me, for my business and patterns, email is so much easier and so much better. And I know it’s not as quick, but you’re guaranteed to get a reply, versus Instagram where, yeah, things get lost and it’s really hard to stay on top of it all.
Caroline: Listener Maura wanted to know about “the line between trying to build sewing community and parasocialism as a non-influencer.”
Helen: I think “parasocial” is said in a negative way a lot, but there’s a lot that is positive about it. For example, one of our favourite podcasts, Caroline, is Too Scary, Didn’t Watch. Absolutely love that podcast. They recap horror movies. There’s three hosts and they just have this delightful friendship and it’s so much fun to listen to. I get a lot out of it. I have fun and I feel like I’m in on the conversation and on the storytelling. And I don’t think that the hosts are actually my friends. That’s something different. But I do feel a, like, pretty strong connection with them. I know a lot that’s going on in their lives. I feel like I know them. If I ever met them in person, I feel like we would get along. And so you can kind of have those deeper connections with followers, people that you follow. And I think that’s okay. I think it can be kind of fun. I know we probably have listeners out there right now who are thinking about, that’s how they feel about us, Caroline. And I absolutely love that. I think that’s so cool that we have these, like, built-in friendships all over the world that we might not necessarily be aware of, but it’s like, it’s like a presence I can feel in my life, you know?
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And those deep connections can definitely happen, but it’s usually when you start interacting outside of social media. Like you and I, you DM’d me and now we’re here almost 10 years later. So it definitely can happen. And that kind of brings us back to like, it never hurts to send a DM. You never know what’s going to happen.
Helen: Yeah, totally. And it is a weird space these days with, there’s so much influencing content. There’s a lot of businesses carving out space in the sewing community and the social media space. So it can be hard to find your place in that. So I can definitely relate to that more trying to balance, where do I fit into this big puzzle?
Caroline: Mareike asked, “How can I make good pictures of my new makes when it’s dark outside?”
Helen: Oh, this is tough. Unless you have a studio light and reflector kind of set up, it’s going to be hard to get those really nice pics without the natural light. But I will say that the better the phone, the better the pictures it will take in dim light. So try taking photos in different spots to find the best ones. I don’t have a lot of natural light in my studio space, so I make up for it by having very bright light fixtures. I have two 24-bulb light fixtures in my studio. So 48 light bulbs. And that brightens it up a lot. And then I slap a bright filter on there and it does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Caroline: Those are great tips.
Helen: Yeah. 48 light bulbs and a filter. Erin asks, “How do you get the best flat lay photos?” So, you can set yourself up in front of a natural light source, use pieces of white foam core to gently reflect the light as needed, or to put underneath your makes if you need a nice white background.
Caroline: You might also want to look for extras that will complement the subject of your shot, like knick knacks, scarves, pieces of fabric, or sewing tools. Get creative. You can add pops of colour with your extras or keep it tonal.
Helen: Look through the camera at the composition, moving things around until they look pleasing to you. It can help to use some flatter pieces around the edges to frame things. You can group things together in clusters or lay them out evenly for an orderly look. And the way you organize things can draw your eye in different ways. So experiment and see how different compositions make you feel. It’s like you’re making a work of art.
Caroline: And taller items tend to cast shadows, so consider placing them at the edge so that the shadow falls outside of the frame.
Helen: Hold your camera as steady as you can. Use a tripod or maybe brace the arm that’s holding your phone against your body. That makes a big difference. And we’ll link up a blog post from Sew DIY, because they have a great post about this. So that will be in the show notes.
Caroline: Okay, so we’ve been super positive in this episode overall, I would say. And to be honest, I do feel positive about social media most of the time, but of course, we all know that social media isn’t all nice.
Helen: Yeah, those comparison feelings, the imposter syndrome, affect a lot of us. Past guest Suzy Quilts had a good strategy that I’m going to try. She wrote, “Next time you see something that’s really amazing, maybe it’s something that you do yourself and that this person is doing it really, really well, tell yourself this: There’s enough room for them. There’s enough room for me. Their awesomeness does not equal my lack of awesomeness.” I really like this. I feel like it helps to think about how many people I know in real life who have my skills. It’s actually pretty rare, but when you’re in these, like, dedicated online spaces, it can feel like, well, everybody knows how to make jeans. And I made a pair that’s not as nice as that person’s pair, but like, you made jeans! That’s wild!
Caroline: Yeah, it’s incredible. And also having room to grow is a good thing. If I completely 100% mastered sewing, I don’t know what I would do with my life.
Helen: Another thing that helps the social media space to be a happy place is to be genuine online. It makes everything feel friendlier. Share both the successes and the failures; that can really foster connection and build trust. Following others who are showing more than just the highlight reel can lower the pressure on your own content.
Caroline: Setting boundaries can help you have a better experience on social media. Take a bit of time to think about what aspects of your sewing practice and personal life you feel comfortable sharing online. You don’t owe your followers any certain thing and you get to decide what your content is like.
Helen: To go back to Suzy Quilts, who does have a great article about using social media as a quilter, she said to think of Instagram like a party. So think about how big you want your party to be. At a small party with only your nearest and dearest, you can get as intimate as you like. And at a big party with a lot of people you might not know, you might want to keep it a bit more surface level. And if the party stops being fun, you leave or stop by at a different party, meaning try a different platform or sewcialize with some other people. Really, you are in charge here.
Caroline: I love this way of looking at things. Thank you, Suzy. Okay, we’re gonna end with some wise words from former guest Sewrena. “Make what you love, not what you think people will love.” Perfect advice.
Helen: Perfect advice. That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Helen, at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. and Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.
Helen: Head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.
Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.
If you love to sewcialize, this is your show.
Helen: This is your show-sha-lize!
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