When I first started getting the hang of how Steemit worked, I remember reading several posts that urged others to use tags that were relevant to their post. They would warn how you could get flagged or downvoted for using tags that were irrelevant and had nothing to do with the content in your post. I understand that more now than ever.
Last year I started a weekly initiative called #NeedleWorkMonday. The picture collages used in this post are some of the handiwork that has been shared and posted under this tag. I wanted to find other crafters I could share my ideas and creations with. So I literally went out and searched craft words like crochet, sewing and knitting to find those who were also posting these kinds of things and I invited them to join me on Monday’s. I told them to use the tag so that I could easily find them and support them and others could start catching on.
Who all can join in and use the #NeedleWorkMonday tag?
• Anyone that creates a craft that involves a Needle ie. crochet work, knitting, needle felting, embroidery work, string art, appliqué, cross stitch, needle lace, ribbon work, tatting work, textile arts and crafts, crewel work, costume artists and upholstery
Why was this initiative created?
• To bring needlework crafters together to share their creations and ideas
• For needlework crafters to support and encourage one another by upvoting, commenting, resteeming and following
• To be apart of a community that has like interests and skills
• For a place to share tips, patterns and shortcuts
• For inspiration and motivation
• To fill up the Steemit blockchain with incredible handmade arts and crafts
• To encourage and inspire other Steemicans to give hand crafting a try
Lately @crystalize and I have noticed a few people posting using this tag in irrelevant posts. We put out reminders occasionally so everyone will know what our tag is all about and what type of content can be posted using it. I don’t understand why people don’t research tags before using them in their posts. I wish everyone would take this into consideration but I do realize this is social media and Steemit is an open plattform meaning there is no way to control everything. Some people will be mindful and respectful of those who create initiatives like this and then there will always be some that really just don’t care. This is a plattform where people are given monetary rewards and for some that’s all they care about is finding ways to get more rewards.
For the last few weeks I have sent messages to certain Steemicans that have misused our tag asking them to please use a different tag that would better suit their posts. #NeedlWorkMonday represents needlework crafts only! Please feel free to ignore posts that are misusing the tag. I will not be supporting posts that do not use our tag appropriately.
Also be aware of anyone that uses online pictures and posts them as their own work. We have already called one person out on this and we haven’t heard from him again ever since. In a perfect world everyone would be honest and only claim the work they actually have done...but it’s not a perfect world. As I mentioned before some will go the extreme to gain more rewards. It’s not fair to those that do work hard to get their original work on here to be shared. We will not support plagiarism of any kind. If you are ever suspicious and feel someone may be falsely claiming original work, feel free to ask them questions or reach out to myself or @crystalize.
Being a Supportive Community
One of the main aspects of having #NeedleWorkMonday is for support! I wanted all of us crafters to get together every week and have fun viewing each other’s work while spreading some love and encouragement. I know for me personally, I have been so motivated and inspired just by reading your posts every week. It has made me want to try new things and improve on my skills.
While I am aware everyone will not participate in the supporting part, I do want to take this time and show my appreciation to those that do. I have made note of those that have been commenting, upvoting and even resteeming other’s posts. It really shows me that there are a lot of people in our group that does love the community aspect of it and they really want to interact with others. I know a few have expressed to me they feel they don’t have enough voting power yet to really support like they would want to. But leaving a comment is showing support as well and your feedback may really help someone.
Thank you to the following that have been very supportive and engaging in our Monday group:
@crystalize, @anise, @tali72, @apanamamama, @womenempowerment, @oceanmoon, @akipponn, @creative-life, @neumannsalva, @cryptocariad, @mrscwin, @kimbolo86, @bedoodle, @thriftymum, @danielles, @elew, @itaka, @violetmed, @jamethiel, @luthvarian, @inna-yatsuk, @redbone, @naditinkoff, @metzli, @colleenthurber, @g-gurl84, @borrowedearth, @phoenixwren, @madame-malena, @mamabear72, @red-white-blue, @shanibeer, @nyaituppi, @wondermaey, @mariamelga, and @handwork!
If I forgot to mention anyone that has been supportive and engaging please tell me in the comments below. Thank you~
We are excited about the growth happening in this initiative and that more and more Steemicans are sharing their talents on the plattform.
’Project Warm A Soul’ Reminder’
If you have not read about our Community Project #2 for February ’Project Warm A Soul’ please read the details HERE!
A huge shoutout to @rigaronib for creating my Logo Banner! He was incredibly pleasant and awesome to work with!!! I was blessed to have found him and that he was available to work with me!!! Thank you so much for your lovely work!!! I am very pleased with the outcome!!! 😆
It is unfortunate that I can not participate every Monday. But I will always support your initiative! I wish you luck and prosperity!
That is totally okay and understandable. I love seeing your work when you do post it. Just know we’ll be here and you can come any Monday you like. Thank you so very much for your continued support!! 😘
Thank you, I'm very glad that there is such a group).
Absolutely!! 😊
I appreciate your words and leadership in this community. Needlework Monday has led me to follow some really talented, interesting people, including you :) The benefits of this community are undeniable, even if a few people are not really with the program. Thanks for all you do!
Awww thank you for such a wonderful comment and for your feedback!! Reading this really made my night. I am so glad this has led you to some awesome talented people! I am so excited to know you find this community beneficial, that means a lot. I agree, what really matters are the ones like you that are enjoying themselves and reaping the benefits!
Thank you for expressing your appreciation. It is my pleasure :)
Hurray! Happy to see the community growing. And yeah, there'll always be a few who want to take advantage, but there are so many more of us who really love the initiative. Thanks for all your hard work!
I really am too! 😃 Yes you are so right about that and that’s what I want to focus on the most...those that do love this initiative!!! Thank you so much for your feedback I really appreciate it! I am so glad you are here~ 😊
This is such a great reminder to us all, @crosheille, for the great reasons why we enjoy #NeedlworkMonday so much. It is a chance to showcase our wonderful crafts with others who also love crafting, sewing, and needlework. Thank you for keeping us focused and supported. Nice new logo, by the way!!
I can’t express how much I appreciate you and all of your help, support and efforts with this initiative! You really Rock and are truly a 💎!!!
Thank you so much!! I really really love my new logo! I’m very pleased :D 💕
Can you perhaps read my mind 😅 ...? I had a bad day yesterday women problems, an interrupted internet, totally drunk neighbours and me making mistakes while trying to upload knitting videos (by the way I used youtube, I cannot figure out how to change the setting on dtube) Finally I managed to finish my post despite my hinderances, only to notice I have published it under a wrong tag (ahhhh I used needleCRAFTmonday - I don't know why) and I could not change it. I was so angry with myself. You are right, using the correct hashtag is important 😄
I am really happy to have found you and this creative group and I am sad to hear people try to steal photos or use the tag wrongly. Tanks again to you and @crystalize for bringing us all together 💕
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear about your bad day but I am glad you got your post published and videos finished. I saw that you used YouTube. I haven’t had time to look more into DTube but I still plan on trying to figure it out eventually.
Lol, yes it really makes a difference in the tags you use. I am very happy you found me too because I have enjoyed getting to know you and seeing your beautiful work! I am so grateful this group has been so beneficial to many!! 😊💜
Ohhh that's so frustrating! I just checked out your post and gave you my vote, but I'm afraid I'm still stuck in the recent .00 abyss . . . 😕
No Problem with the abyss, I am happy you found the post. And my mood was not very high on that day :-D
Very well said! I did notice today a few irrelevant posts, and it did annoy me a little...but I know people do anything when they have dollar signs in their eyes.
For me, needleworkmonday is like a breath of fresh air :) I have already learned a few new tricks, and seen some amazingly beautiful work!
I am grateful for the connection <3
Thank you @elew! Lol so you know how we’ve been feeling. It’s very annoying and frustrating when you have people that just don’t care.
That makes me happy hearing this! I’m so glad #NeedleWorkMonday has been a breathe of fresh air for you! That’s what it is for me. It’s like my outlet, my “me” time away from the daily life of chaos dealing with crazy kids all day!! 😂
I’m so glad you’re here my new friend!! 💕
Thanks so much for putting together this amazing community! It is so inspiring to see others creations and get new ideas or motivation to do more crafting. I really hate that others are using the #needleworkmonday tag to get more comments or upvotes, but there are always people out to “Hustle the system”, you know? Enjoy being here and being inspired by you all! 💜
You are so welcome! It has really been fun meeting so many different crafters here on Steemit! I am so glad you are getting inspired and motivated by being a part of this community! 😃
Yes it really stinks that there are always people out to drain and hustle the system. We can only do our best to to try to keep this as organized as possible. I’m just really excited to know that so many of us are having fun and enjoying our time together! ☺️ I’m so glad to have you with us~ Looking forward to getting to know you more!
I love #needleworkmonday 💗 thank you so much for starting it and bringing together such an amazing group of people. I have found the community to be so supportive.
I also feel so honoured that you mentioned me and featured a photo of my work 😀 you guys are so inspiring.
This makes me so happy to hear!! I am so glad you are enjoying this community and getting great support! Thank you for your feedback!!! ☺️
Absolutely! I’m glad you feel honored, you did an amazing job on that Steem hat and I appreciate you returning the support to others!!! It pleases me that you feel inspired~ 💕
I am sooo happy I found you and fun Mondays :) I made two posts so far but plan to stay and contribute as much as I can.
Thank you once again 💚
I am so glad you found me too and have already joined in the sharing! I look forward to seeing more of your work and I hope you are able to connect with many from the group! 😉💜
Glad to be a part of this community! :) Funny that we both were doing crafting posts on Mondays and then met up! I enjoy seeing all the other things that people post about. There's some pretty amazing crafters out here on Steemit!!
I am so glad to have met you through crafting! That was funny how we both were already using Monday’s to craft away! I love seeing what other’s post about too and viewing all of this Amazing talent all on one plattform!!! 😃
I also like your logo, Cynthia !!!! I saw posts that went under our tag but it's not clear what they wrote about. I was surprised. you explained in this post and now I understand what happened. you made beautiful collages. I'm glad that you used my jacket in them :)
Thank you Tala! I’m glad you like my logo! I was so happy to have it made!
Yes there have been a few posts that have been unclear on what they are posting about and why. That’s why I wanted to write this post to give the group a heads up on what’s going on.
Of course!! I love those jackets you made and you have been here in this community since the beginning. I thank you for all of your support and interaction!! 😊💜
thank you, dear! I am very pleased!!!!!
Thank You @crosheille . What a great opportunity you have given to all us "needleworkers" to meet and share our craft with others. There are many more posts now and it's sometimes hard to comment and upvote on them all but I will continue to do what I can.
You’re so welcome Anise!!! I definitely understand about not being able to comment on all of the #NeedleWorkMonday posts. To be honest it might get to a point when I’m not able to upvote and comment on all of them. My husband is already nervous about the growth of this initiative and how much time it takes me to get through all of them. 😄
I know we all are busy and have lives and families. I don’t expect everyone to comment on every needlework post that is posted. I’m just encouraging everyone to try to support as many as they are able to. There have been some really great connections made with people just commenting and it’s really cool to see.
Thank you for your comment, I appreciate you bringing up this point! 😉👌🏽
You're saying everything very correctly. Thank you again for your initiative to create this community. That's a really good idea. I think we all do the work, when we read posts, comment, give advice. This is important for each of us.
If I see a post, that does not fit our tag - I will definitely let you, because I understand, how much time you spend on it!
Thank you so much for your feedback! Yes doing all of those things you mentioned will only help us to continue to grow. When we help each other we help ourselves because we are all benefiting in some way :)
Thank you, I appreciate you looking out for irrelevant use of our tag. It does take a lot of time trying to keep this initiative organized. I know eventually it may grow too big to really keep a handle on it but we can only do what we can.
I just celebrated a month on the steemits 😊 and in my blog I wrote that it is my pleasure to meet women who like handwork. I'm glad to become part of Needleworkmonday and I expect to see more new ideas and finished handwork in future.
Oh wow that’s wonderful!! I’ll have to check out your post. I am so glad to hear you are enjoying yourself and are glad to be apart!! Thank you so much, we’re glad to have you~ 😊
So happy to have found this community!
This is the first I have come across the monthly project. Ooh! I like it! Stash reducing project!
My #needleworkMonday post will arrive tardily on Tues this week, we are playing hookey tonight and having Valentine's movie night with a neighbor.
I can't wait to see everyone's posts!
I am so happy you found us too! 😉
Yes I’d love for you to join us on the project. That’s exactly what I am using...my stash away yarn! 😁
No problem at all. I understand that everyone won’t always be able to post exactly on Monday. I just want us all to have fun sharing!!! 😊
Great! I found my crafting and sewing community. I am newbie here. I enjoy sewing and crafting. I don't crochet but do some applique.
Yay!! That’s awesome! We would love to have you join us on Monday’s!!!! 😃 I’m so glad you found us!
I was so happy when I found the needle work Monday post after I joined steemit! The community has been supportive and inspiring my creativity. I am happy that I could be a part of this because it really gives me a reason to work on my projects, to have someone to share them with. Plus because steemit doesn't let me vote constantly and like things constantly I actually get offline and make time to work on them now!
I am so glad to hear that you have gained inspiration and new ideas from joining in on Monday’s! I am really glad to hear of all the support you have received. It really does motivate us to get busy crafting seeing all of these wonderful creations. So glad you’re here with us!! 😊😉
Hi :) I have a question. I am new to steemit, and am having some trouble locating a community that share my passion: upholstery. Although this involves staples and tacking, it also entails a fair bit of sewing - all depending on the piece being upholstered. Would it be frowned upon if I use the needleworkmonday tag for upholstery work? I totally agree with you on the choosing a tag that describes your post. But at the same time, I think one should choose tags if you believe your post would be of interest or of use for a specific group of steemers, even though not directly related to the tag. Take my interest for example. If I only chose the upholstery tag, I probably wouldn't reach many people. But I strongly believe that among the crafty, needle-proficient people using the needleworkmonday tag, some would possibly be very interested in learning new ways of using their needles or learning new crafting skills. And some are not. But it's all about locating the audience that could be interested. :)
-@lil-mich
Hello @lil-mich! Thank you for your question and checking to see if upholstery would be considered appropriate for the tag. I have just added upholstery to this post with the list of acceptable crafts. I’m not sure if you noticed the picture of the office chair above. It was upholstered with jean fabric by @oceanmoon. She too does upholstery and I was excited when she shared her post. Maybe you could connect with her. Upholstery does involve needlework so it too is welcome. 😊
I definitely understand about wanting to connect with people of like interests but if everyone starts using tags that aren’t directly related to their posts or that don’t fit that tags description it would start to get confusing on what that tag was really meant for. Eventually there will be no point of using tags if people just start using them indirectly. I love that there are specific tags for specific topics so you can easily find people of like interests.
Anyhoo, I would love to have you join in on Monday’s to share your upholstery work. I love all of the different types of needlework that are joining in now. I know others could learn from what you do. Thanks again for your question and comments and I hope to see you soon for #NeedleWorkMonday! 😊
Thanks for your reply - I see what you mean on it becoming a little confusing if muddled up too much. I’ll definitely be checking in for #NeedleWorkMonday 😄
You’re absolutely welcome! I’m looking forward to seeing you on Monday’s!!! 😃
Awesome!! Thanks for putting all of us on here so we can learn who all shares our interest!! Wish we had this kind of support on our home towns!!
My pleasure!! I would love to have something like this in person too. I have a few people I sometimes get together with to craft but it’s not often enough.
Around here it's family and this is what we doin anytime we have spare time it goes with us :) it's real nice seeing the talent others have an it inspires
That’s awesome! It is very inspiring seeing the talent of others!! 😀
Thank you very much @crosheille. I have met wonderful people in this group and have been inspired by their awesome work and ideas.
I am still getting to grips with steemit, but I feel welcome in this group.
You are very welcome! It’s pleasing to hear you have met some wonderful people and have been inspired...one of the main purposes of this initiative! 😀 I am really glad to know you feel welcomed here on Steemit! You will get the grips of this plattform more and more as you continue to mingle and blog. 😊
My dress looks so cute up there. I ❤️ having an excuse to use my needle.
I’m glad you liked seeing your dress!! I had to include that little cutie in the college!!! 😁
good tosee some fabulous work. i remember my mom used to do that . now with more technology advancement, we lost the art of needle work....btw i m from india.
Thank you for your comment @steemflow! That is one of the reasons why this initiative was started...to revive the needlework arts and inspire others to try them. It is very true this has become a lost art but there are still many of us (as you can see) that still love it! 😊
Indeed...i still own few of the woolen stuff that mom made for my dad. And i am using it now.....and i like it. Many find them awkward in my office due to old fashion and theu are into latest trend and style but still it is mom made and i proudly show case it.....no matter what the world say
I heard that! I think it’s awesome that you value and cherish those things your mom made no matter what others think!!!
👍
Oh wow, I didnt even know the steemians on #needleworkmonday were as many as these. I'd keep that in mind. Meanwhile this has been a great and purely beneficial platform for me. It has widens my perspective and I hope to contribute and encourage one and all with my humble designs. I appreciate you @crosheille for starting this and @crystalize for inviting me 🙂
Yes there are quite a few of us now! We have 40+ posts every week! I’m very pleased to hear this plattform has been beneficial to you. I appreciate your contributions and support within the group. We’re glad to have you here~ 😊
Me too! ☺
This is damn awesome now i got the message clearly @crosheille
Thank you for reading @tfame3865!