✍🏾 Why I Took a 10-Year Break From Blogging (And Why I’m Back Now for Good)

📍 Written by Stacey Quinn

 

 

There was a time when blogging felt like pressure, not peace.

Ten years ago, when I first started sharing my love of sewing and personal style online, I felt like I had to have it all figured out. The perfect layout. The perfect photo. The perfect words. Everything had to look polished, and I was constantly comparing my behind-the-scenes mess to everyone else’s curated highlight reel.

 

And honestly?

I didn’t have that in me. 😩

 

What started as a creative outlet slowly became a source of anxiety. I didn’t feel like I had my own voice yet, and if I did, I didn’t know how to use it without second-guessing everything.

In fact, I didn’t even know what story I was trying to tell.

Back then, I based my content on what other bloggers were doing. I followed the same trends, used the same templates, tried to fit into what was already popular in the sewing space. But it didn’t feel authentic or original. It didn’t feel like me. I was going in circles, not creating from a place of truth, but from a place of comparison.

And then life got even busier.

I launched my boutique, and the success came fast. Faster than I could manage some days. Between fulfilling orders, handling customer service, and trying to stay visible on social media, I barely had time to breathe…let alone blog. Adding long-form writing and filming content around that just felt impossible. It was overstimulating and exhausting, and I had to step back before I burned out completely.

 

So I stopped blogging. 

 

Even though I loved sewing.

 

Even though I had a blog name, Patterns + Peas …I knew could grow into something more than just fabric and stitches.

I let it sit. For 10 years.

 

But I didn’t stop evolving.

Now, years later, I’m coming back with more balance. No, my business isn’t on autopilot, but I have systems. I’ve streamlined my routine. I’ve learned how to prioritize what matters most. And more importantly, I finally know what story I want to tell: my own.

This time, it’s not about staying on trend.

It’s about staying honest.

About sharing the seasons I’ve lived through, the joy, the burnout, the growth, the mess, and the beauty in all of it.

And while I was quiet, I watched. I observed so many incredible women in the sewing space show up consistently, create magic, and build communities that inspired me even when I wasn’t ready to speak up. I’ll be giving them their flowers in an upcoming post, because they held the light even when I was figuring out how to find mine.

But today, this post is just for me.

My voice.

My return.

My heart reminds me that it’s never too late to begin again.

 

 

🫛

With love,

Stacey

 

 

 

When I made these wide-leg bell-bottom pants from scratch, I didn’t have a serger…just pinking shears, patience, and pure passion. This was a time when I was really into perfecting my craft. Every seam told a story, even the ones no one would ever see. ✂️