Top 5 Inspirations of 2013.

"Top 5 Inspirations: What books, people, blogs, trends etc motivated you this year?"
I don't really follow trends and sometimes feel like I'm a fashion fail. I stick to safe outfits, don't tend to accessorize, and wear mostly black.

If I had to describe my "style" I'd probably include the words feminine, floral, dresses.

I sew mostly dresses... who am I kidding - I sew only dresses. I love dresses because they are pretty and girly, the full skirts make me feel like a princess and because I hate wearing pants.
My Top 5 Inspirations for style and Motivations to sew this year include: Twitter, parties/functions, sharing my projects, other blogs/bloggers, the #sewcialist girls.
Twitter: I touch my Twitter app icon on my iPhone about 20 times an hour. No exaggeration. It's a habit. Like opening the fridge to see what's in there. My routine goes like this: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat... Twitter, Facebook, Instagram... Instagram, Twitter. I have two Twitter accounts - a private account and a sewing/public account. I get everything from Twitter: news headlines, weather, traffic updates, whereabouts of people I stalk, inspirational fitness quotes, and of course sewing world gossip. I have found so many wonderful blogs and met so many wonderful ppl thanks to Twitter. Although Twitter is not a direct inspiration, it leads me to the people/blogs that inspire me.
Parties/Functions: As mentioned in my 'Top 5 Misses' post, I always sew with an occasion in mind. You'll notice that my sewing activity is ramped up around August/September when the weather gets warmer (in Australia) and I become more social. Knowing that I have somewhere to wear my new dress motivates me to finish it. My friends and family all know by now that I sew, so every time I show up at a party they will ask that question, you know the one! "Did you make that??" and it's nice to reply "Yep!" and have them gush all over mah skillz ;)
Sharing my projects: Whether it's posting a quickie on Instagram or writing up a pattern review on my blog, it gives me such thrill to share my finished projects with others. When I first started sewing, blogs and pattern reviews were very helpful to me and it motivated me so much seeing the pattern transformed into a beautiful garment, worn on a real body. I'm hoping that I can pass on that inspiration and motivation to newbie sewists who come across my blog.
Other blogs/bloggers: Peneloping and Skunkboy are two new blogs I discovered this year. These two ladies have superb style and their photos always look beautiful... *pin it* *pin it* pin it* I want their hairrrrr!!
#sewcialist: The sewcialist girls are encouraging and full of tips. If I ever have trouble deciding between fabrics - I ask the sewcialists! If I need advice on sewing with tricky fabrics - I ask the sewcialists. If I've had enough and wanna break down in tears - I tweet about it and there's always another sewcialist who understands my pain. I also tweet about my WIPs, so knowing that my followers know I'm working on something motivates me to finish it.
The online sewing community is an incredible inspiration to me. Every one is so talented and dedicated to their craft - sewing, knitting, quilting - they make the time and effort and the end results always make me say "WOW". I have to say 'thank you' for making me WOW every day when I peruse my blogroll. It proves that you can do anything, you just have to give it a go!

My next post will be Top Hits of 2013.