From small things big things grow ... I admit it my ideal Sunday morning is to settle back with a cuppa and poke around the the blogs to see what has been happening and what people are making. A few months back I started to compose a list of blogs that I was reading regularly and then some that I was reading not so regularly but I returned to fairly often.

Next I had the bright park idea to organise it into an alphabetical listing. Then I made the absolutely fatal mistake of adding interesting blogs I encountered in my blog travels. Lets say the list has grown! I was going to share the whole list with you but it is far too long so I have broken it up and plan to post the list over the next few weeks. Think of it as weekend reading!

What is in the list? These blogs are written by textile practitioners who are actively making and contributing to the community online. So you will find bloggers who quilt, stitch, dye, sew and embellish fabric. Readers here are often interested in visual/art journals so I have included these blogs too. This subject area often overlaps into areas like ATCs (artists trading cards), Altered books and book arts. Blogs that cover these topics are often included particularly if the techniques discussed can be applied to art journals. Some are also art/design blogs since I see textile practice as an art.

I have listed blogs that are at least 80% on topic. Any blog that at the time of review had more than 2 in ten off topic posts I dropped from the list. Craft often overlaps into this subject area. In the case of craft blogs I looked for content that related to textiles. If this dominated I included them in the list.

I also looked at how active the blogger was. Any blog that had not been updated in the last 6-8 weeks at the time of review was excluded.

Blogs that are obviously written as marketing blogs or blogs that simply constantly review products and services with the express aim of selling goods I have excluded. Blogs written by small businesses that just pointed to new product lines, gadgets, books etc I also excluded. I don't object to advertising on blog when it is in moderation but some have very little actual content when you examine them. If I encountered a blog that had the odd advert in a side bar I am not worried but any blog where most of the screen space was taken up with advertising dominating the actual content of the blog, I excluded. Their purpose of existing is to make money. Blogs that are so heavily monetised that all content falls below the fold ie you have to scroll past a screen of adverts to find the content were excluded.

Anyway here is the start of the list. I will post a letter every week or fortnight. I think you will find there are some interesting blogs out there and hopefully you will discover some that you were unaware of before. Grab a cuppa, take some time out for yourself and enjoy!

• A Bookish Life The dominant activities covered here are reading and crafting. In the craft area there is an emphasis on sewing and making gift.


• A Crafty vegan Vania writes about knitting, cooking and vegan products


• A Creative Journey Karen Winters is a painter who paints and blogs daily


• A Ervilha Cor de Rosa Rosa Pomar who documents her craft activities


• A Fanciful Twist by Vanessa Valencia is kept to document her quirky art pieces


• A Garner of Stitched Thoughts is a blog kept during the City and Guilds course in Embroidery.


• A Girl and Her Journal by Samantha Kris Harding is a blog about visual journalling.


• A Little Hut Patricia works with paper. I started to read her blog when I encountered this work.


• A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk covers crafting activities, sewing, page spreads from a visual journal and recycling clothing and thrift shop finds.


• A Little Something Sharon McCreary writes and Anna Hebbert is the photographer of this worthwhile and interesting blog which aims to help refugee women achieve self-sufficiency through handmade crafts. The project is based in America so if anyone is contemplating a decluttering they might like to send some of thier stash to them as they are in need of materials.


• A Look at Art & Design by Lisa Mikulski discusses art, design, inspiration and marketing


• A Movable Feast Neki blogs her explorations in contemporary textile surface design and manipulation techniques, and needle felting.


• A Quilted Life Eve blogs her progress as she quilts and knits


• A Realization in Texture, Color and Movement Stephanie is a mixed media textile artist who makes beaded art dolls quilts and jewelry designs.


• A Sketch in Time is kept by Cathy Gatland who blogs the page spreads of her visual journal. She lives in South Africa.


• A Stitch in Dye Malka dyes fabric, quilts and knits.


• A Stitch in Time is kept by Scottish Fiber artist Carol Clasper. Contemporary textiles and fabric postcards appear regularly in her blog.


• A Village Quilter by Sarah Jayne covers quilting, sewing and her progress while taking drawing classes.


• A Walk in the Woods Frieda Anderson quilter and dyer tracks her activities in her blog.


• A Wrinkle in the Calico is a blog kept during the City and Guilds course in Embroidery


• Ace Jet 170 covers encounters with typography, book design and graphic design


• Acuarela covers watercolour, and illustration.


• Adventures of a Mixed Media Textile Artist Joanie San Chirico is a textile artist interested in contemporary mixed media techniques.


• Adventures of Angel Cat is a fiber arts blog touching on a number of areas such as fabric postcards, embroidery, dyeing, and knitting. Angela is also participating in the Take it further challenge


• Aileen's Musings covers altered art and mixed media projects many of them 3D


• Albedo Design is the blog of Canadian textile artist Arlee who works with contemporary textile techniques.


• Alchemy Studios Robin creates collages and ATCs (Artist Trading Cards)


• Alis Clair tracks her explorations in contemporary textiles


• All About Hand Dyeing this blog consists of answers to questions sent to Paula Burch about dyeing. It is well worth adding to your RSS feed as it consists of all sorts of tips and solid advice


• All the Strange Hours David Rourke covers drawing, painting, art history, techniques, and topics related to visual art. This post on drawing made me add it to my RSS feed and I have not been disappointed


• Allie's in Stitches is the blog of the fantastic crazy quilter Alison Aller. (You can tell I am a fan)


• Allsorts Jennifer Beck Harris's craft blog


• Alma Stoller Fabric and mixed media work of Alme Stoller who has been published in Cloth Paper and Scissors


• Altered Antiquity Kathy Wasilewski uses mixed media techniques in art journals and altered books.


• Altered book, artist's journal Valerie covers altered books, art journals, and related mixed media in her blog.


• Altered fabrications Cathy works on art quilts, inchies, fabric postcards using contemporary textile techniques


• Altered Visions Linda spins and dyes yarn.


• Altering Thoughts Pat often blogs her explorations into contemporary textile techniques. She is also going to participate in the Take it Further challenge


• An Artist's Journal full time professional artist Martha Marshall writes about her current work and what catches her eye.


• An illustration a day illustration, painting, drawing, sketching, collage, photographs and inspiration from Suana over 365 days the some


• And Sew On Sarah is an art quilter


• Andrea Joseph's Sketchblog this is exactly as described and filled with lovely detailed drawings


• Angelcat covers craft and sewing projects in her blog


• Angie's ART & FULL Life covers knitting beading and crafting


• Angry Chicken is a sewing cooking craft blog kept by Amy Carol


• Ann Wood blogs the progress of her work. It was her contemporary Dioramas that led me to read her blog


• Anna Maria Horner is a quilter who keep s a blog of her work in progress


• Anna Nowicki - My Textile Art Anna is a contemporary textile artist who blogs about the techniques, materials and processes in her work.


• Annies Crazy World is a fellow Aussie crazy quilter who I live not far from so she is good friend too!


• Apples and Oranges is a blog kept by Kate a contemporary crafter. Sewing, embroidery and knitting are some of the topics covered and she is going to participate in the Take it Further challenge


• Applique and Embroidery in Beijing I met Mara as a student in one of my classes.Mara does lovely stitching as a result her blog is worth checking out


• Art ADD Works for Me Gisela is a a painter/muralist who has become a quilter


• Art at Work Kit Vincent is interested in surface design and records work in progress


• Art Bead Scene is written by Elaine Ray. It covers mainly beaded jewelry and occasionally touches on embellishing fabric with beads.


• Art Cloth Text started in August 2007 by Mackenzie Frere who is a Canadian textile artist, writer and teacher.


• Art Dolls and Fiber Arts by Judi Wellnitz


• Art Escapes ATCs, mixed media and stamping projects and techniques are documented by Gisele.


• Art for Housewives is a quirky delightful link heavy blog that covers textiles and crafts online


• Art Frenzy Art journals, ATCs, Silk dyeing, quilting, beaded jewelry, bookbinding, altered arts, collage and mixed media all interest ladibug


• Art History Today is an art blog


• Art in Stitches Susan Lenz documents her progress as a contemporary textile practitioner. Her interest in contemporary textiles makes her blog stimulating reading.


• Art Junk Girl is a well known blog on mixed media and altered art projects


• Art Knowledge News covers news in the world of fine arts.


• Art News Blog is an art blog


• Art Notes is kept by Bob Abrahams who as a painter writes about his work and techniques.


• Art of Ann Christine Dennison who expresses herself through collage, drawing, fiber, and photography.


• Art of Stitch Susan D documents her progress as she undertakes a City and Guilds course in Embroidery


• Art of Textiles Susan quilts, embroiders explores surface design and many fiber related crafts. Susan also keeps the Art of Stitch


• Art Quilts Kathy York creates at quilts embellished with seed beads and buttons.


• Art Play Possibility Jeannine Peregrine covers art dolls, art journals, and crafts


• Art, Quilts and Other Adventures is an art quilter who blogs but also heads off into other activities such as scrap booking


• Art-Quilt-Works Juanita Yeager writes about her art quilts.


• ArtBiz Blog Alyson Stanfirld writes about the business of art aimed at studio based artists. The blog is full of good tips and ideas on earning a living in any of the creative industries.


• Arts Texile et Dentelle Carinemarie interests range from free form crochet to needlelace, contemporary lace and felt embellishing and she is participating in the Take it Further challenge


• Artwhispers Terry is taking part in the Take it Further challenge


• Artful Adventures Sue Pieper art journals, creates ATCs and uses mixed media techniques.


• Artful Muse KV is beader who keeps a beading blog pointing to news and resources as well as documenting her work.


• Artgirlz is written by Allison and Tracy who quilt and make contemporary cloth dolls


• Artist Reborne is interested in paper arts such as scrapbooking, card-making, collage, ATCs, altered books, handmade books and textiles such as contemporary quilting


• Artistic License the blog of needlework designer Teresa Wentzler who is well known for counted cross-stitch desings


• ArtMixter Marion documents her experiments in mixed media textile techniques, Artists' Trading Cards (ATCs), and quilting.


• Artrageous Afternoon covers paper arts such as scrapbooking, visual journals, collage, ATCs, and crafts.


• Arts and Quilts Rete covers mainly quilting and knitting projects and often writes tutorials


• Artsy Crafty Babe Beki sews and blogs her crafts.


• Artsy Crafty Fun, Fun, Fun Laura lists her intersts as knitting, sewing, quilting and she is participating in the Take it Further challenge.


• Artsy Visions Kelly Buton works with mixed media techniques on altered art and collage pieces.


• Artsyfran Fran Saperstein art journals, writes, sews and used mixed media techniques in her projects


• ArtsyMama covers art journalling and related crafts.


• Arty Lady Liz is interested in ATCs, altered art and related crafts


• Artyfax documents creating ATCs as well sketching, painting and related crafts.


• Ascender Rises Above is the blog of a water colourist, and a collage mixed media artist


• Ati on the crazy road... Ati uses her blog to document her crazy quilting projects.


• Au Fil du Jardin Vero is interested in the fiber arts, and posts her projects.


• Available Space Erika Tysse blogs her interest in mixed media and collage


• Average Jane Crafter Rachel explores and moves across many crafts blogging her explorations along the way.