Every week something that happens here on the site or on the Facebook page just blows my mind. A really kind or appreciative comment, a photo shared of something sewn with one of my free patterns or even some of the recent photos I've shared with you from sewing groups, like this one that sewed the Easy Cosmetics Bag or this one where they sewed the Nautical Mug Rug.
Honestly, you all inspired me just as much as the site has inspired others to try their hand at some easy sewing.
I can't believe how its grown in the last 2 years from my own online diary as I started to learn to sew. Now it's a place where we all share our experience through Readers Questions, {and now the new chat room and forum started in Dec 2014}, and I have a whole page of sewing tutorials linking to articles I've written and videos I've made as I've learned all these new sewing skills along the way. Not to mention all the patterns I've loved designing too.
We even teamed together to fund a loan for a lady in Tajikistan so she could buy a new sewing machine and set up in business to support her family. Within a couple of hours of my posting about it, the So Sew Easy readers had funded her loan! I hope our interest in sewing helped to improve her life.
Many also took part in a charity sewing project, sewing tote bags for those newly diagnosed with cancer. MJ of MJ’s Lost Cause wrote about the story of her diagnosis and the hand-made bag she received from the hospital with her information, a journal and a few simple gifts to make life a little easier. Again the So Sew Easy readers rose to the challenge and supported her efforts and in the end she received more than 550 bags!
In fact, So Sew Easy will be 2 years old on 28th November. We've come a long way together in that time. I know I couldn't have done it without you all, encouraging me, correcting me, giving me your advice and suggestions along the way and showing me the better way to do things. My sewing has come along in leaps and bounds as a result, and I know its inspired others to pick up a needle or borrow a machine and give it a try too.
Just take a look below at some of what you've all helped me achieve in the last 2 years.
Visit Deby Coles's Craftsy Pattern Store »
I really like to think this site is a collaboration of all of our efforts, shared for everyone to enjoy and benefit from.
The British Sewing Awards
So when I got an email earlier this month with this heading above, I was simply amazed and delighted. So Sew Easy has made it through to the final voting in the Sew Mag awards, and is listed along with some of the most awesome and well-followed sewing blogs around. I feel like a bit of an imposter when listed alongside such sites as Tilly and the Buttons, and Debbie Shore – who are all very popular in the UK. Tilly even appeared in the first series of the British Sewing Bee so she's a TV personality too!
Up against such stiff competition, I'm not expecting to win but I'd still like to give them a run for their money and not totally embarrass myself by getting only votes from me and my friends. 😳
So if you get a moment, would you consider a VOTE for So Sew Easy in the best sewing blog category? If you are in the UK, you even get entered into a draw to win sewing goodies just for voting too. But anyone worldwide can vote. If you just don't know the answer to a question they are asking, pick other and hit the ‘-‘ key for your answer to skip the question. Same with your address at the end – if you are in the UK, enter your address for a chance to win the prize, if not, enter a dash in the box and move on.
Don't just vote for ME, vote for US and let's see what else we can achieve together. If you ALL voted for So Sew Easy, I know we could WIN it. And if we win, I promise you a great big sewing giveaway for 2015. And I'd also post a video of me doing a happy dance! Got to be worth it to see me shaking my booty 🙂
Voting closes 11th Jan 2015.
Just finished voting for you. Good luck!
Thanks so very much Pat.
Voted for you! Good luck and can hardly wait for your next insporation for us all.
Good luck, I’ve added my vote.
I just voted for you and am keeping my fingers crossed too! I loved the video of you opening up your serger for the first time! You come across as a very genuinely nice person and I like that about you plus you are so generous in sharing your talents with us! You are already a winner in my book!!!
Thanks so much Miriam, you make me blush with your kind comments. My husband would take issue that I’m a nice person – he says I nag too much and never do the washing up! 😉
I can personally vouch for Deby that she IS the nicest person!
I just voted for ya!!! Good luck!!
I am a subscriber to your blog and love reading your posts. I have voted for you even though I am from Australia and don’t quite know some of answers! Thankyou for all your information and patterns over the last 2 years.
I voted for you too! 🙂
Good luck! You got my vote. You are awesome.
No, YOU are awesome Diane. Thank you.
Hopefully I voted ! I filled out some survey. Love your blog and tutorials. Your video on inserting a pant zipper is phenomenal.
Gail
That’s very kind of you Gail. Once I’d got my head around it, it really isn’t too difficult.
Voted! You are an inspiration to the online sewing community
You deserve to win Deby. I just voted for you. I love your blog and appreciate all the time and effort you put into it.
Thanks very much Jane. As they say – its an honor to be nominated, and the competition really is very tough, but someone has to win!
I am sorry Deby, I tried to vote for you but I’am not a UK resident 🙁 Anyway I hope you win, I love your blog and I think you really inspire us.
No¡ I was able to vote and I did it¡¡ just entered a dash in the box and moved on.
Told me i had voted already..Which i had done earlier on when you posted.
Thanks so much Mary Ellen.
I voted and it does say that the voting closes October 2015. I wasn’t able to vote the first time you posted because I couldn’t give answers to the questions about the best products in the UK. I’m glad you let us know that we could put a “-” for the “other” comment! So lucky to have found your blog in the early days and have enjoyed your humor and talents all this time! Have another great year and looking forward to what’s to come!
Ah I see what the confusion is – these are dates in the regular way, not the American way. The US puts their dates the opposite way around to the rest of the World – so 11/1/2015 is 11th Jan 2015 not 1st November. No idea why the US does their dates this way, giving priority to the month first rather than the day, but it is very confusing. Thanks so much for your kind comments Andi, I know you’ve been following along for a long while now – nearly as long as I’ve been here!
I voted! Love your site.
It told me I’d already voted before so can’t vote again – what a pity – good luck anyway 🙂
It has been open for quite some time, so thanks for voting when I posted about it originally – much appreciated.
Congratulations Deby, I do so hope you win. Cant believe you have to wait til
Nov 1, 2015 to find out results. That would drive me nuttier than I already am.
Really – I hadn’t noticed that. Do you think its a typo?
Hope I read it wrong. Can’t go back to check since I have voted.
Hi Deby. So glad to vote for ou again. You ae fantastic and I ove all your designs.
Hoping our votes help you win! I enjoy everything you do, but am terribly jealous of your advancing in leaps and bounds, since we have been sewing for about the same amount of time!
Well, I do spend a lot of time doing it and I think that it’s practice that really helps. Plus I often only show the things that went well – I still have complete disasters too!
Congrads!!! Got my vote in for you too. Glad you said something, i didn’t know anything about it.
I tried to vote but only get a link to take a survey which is states I have already taken it.
Then you already voted before – thanks Annie.
Congratulations, Deby!!!
Congrats Deby!!
Blush. It’s all down to the wonderful readers who are so kind to nominate the site for these kind of awards. But look at the competition – real sewing celebs! I’m blown away just to be seen on the same list as these people.
Well done Deby, you have certainly inspired me and I have just voted for you. You definitely deserve to win. Thanks for everything. x
Thank you very much Joyce. If I’ve inspired you and others to take up sewing, then I’m already a winner!
Congrats, Deby!! Question: Just tried to vote (again? I voted for you previously.) with the link above and it asks for my name, address, phone, date of birth, email, and then I am to click “done”. Is that it? I don’t see a way to vote for you. It just looks like I’m entering to win a prize (which I’m not eligible to do).
Hmm, that’s a mystery. The first page of the form should be the voting form where you check the boxes and then the second page asks for your personal details. I’m not sure why you aren’t being shown the first page. The links all seem to be working. But thanks for trying 🙂
I just tried again, but same thing. I wonder if it just won’t let me vote again since I did already. Thanks for checking it out though.
I voted before and again today. they asked the same questions as before and I didn’t remember my answers + I have several ‘favorites’. I put your name in on any that might ‘fit’. makes you realize how many places, stores,etc that are out there that might have things we would like to know about and might have been looking for.
looking forward to your dance. and maybe next time they will have those outside of the UK eligible for a drawing.
I finally got the right link to be able to vote again yesterday. I don’t know what the problem was with last week’s link, but I tried it twice and could never get the vote link. That’s a good idea to enter Deby’s name into some other fields.
Remarkable Deby 🙂