A Tailwind Tribe just for Quilters and Quilt Bloggers.

If you are guilty of being quilty, I hope you are going to love this new quilting Tailwind Tribe!

Today I am embarking on a new side-project – sort of a little brother for the Clever Chameleon blog! I love helping other quilters find resources and inspiration for their quilt story. I have plans to slowly grow Clever Chameleon into a rocking quilting resource that will point you to all sorts of quality quilters and their blogs and knowledge. This will take time. But I have taken one more step in this direction today…..

I have launched a Quilting Tailwind Tribe for Pinterest. If you know all about Tailwind Tribes and want to join one specifically for quilters right now, here’s the invitation link: Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe.

If you want to find out the what, why and how first, read on!

Clever Chameleon on Pinterest

I love Pinterest….. I can look for, store and easily find again, articles that point me to quilt inspiration, quilt patterns, quilt book recommendations, tutorials, videos….. all sorts of quilting treasures! And I also love browsing the quilts that other people are making and showing. The variety and the talent out there is breathtaking. So a little while ago, I reorganised and rebranded my Pinterest account to match my fledgling blog’s aspirations…. Clever Chameleon on Pinterest is slowly becoming a large resource of links and inspiration for quilts of bold colours, fun designs, fascinating textures and innovative embellishments.

Helping get the Quilting word out……

In my recent blogging adventures I have been looking at methods of gaining blog exposure.. There is not much point in making a fantastic resource just for me, is there?….. Anyway, I have come across the concept of Tailwind Tribes. Of all the resources out there, I am liking this one because it is free (currently at least) and it encourages community and participation. It is also completely compatible with my goals of helping you guys discover resources to help you Quilt Your Own Story.

For those of you not in the know, Tailwind is one of several automated pinning services for Pinterest. Tailwind Tribes are collections of like-minded pinners who agree to share each other’s pins in order to get more pin exposure for everyone involved. It is a fairly young service, and seems to be a huge success. (It is currently a little slow to load due to its unforeseen popularity), 

My Experience so far with Tailwind Tribes

I have so far tried out two Tailwind Tribes. I have already removed myself from one of these because it was too general in topic and I couldn’t find any pins offered that fit my Pinterest boards. The second tribe is generally craft-related and is great. However, it is still very broad in topic and I am finding that I am spending too much time looking for pins to share that relate well enough to my Pinterest board. I can only usefully pin one in every few hundred pins. This means pinning takes longer than I really want to spend. And since I have been unable to find a tribe more specific to my needs, I have decided to create one.

On that note…. Tailwind Tribes are not always easy to discover…. you have to find their invitational gateway link. I can’t find any tribes that are primarily for quilting and patchwork.  If anyone knows differently please let me know!

In the meantime, I have started a quilting Tailwind Tribe. I have called it (most imaginatively(!)) “Patchwork and Quilting”. If you are into quilts or closely related crafts/techniques and would like to join, you are welcome and invited!

A Preview of the Small Print for the Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe

One thing I have found with Tailwind Tribes is that the rules of each tribe are a mystery until after you sign up. This is not a really big problem, as you can remove yourself from a tribe if you wish. However, it did make me slightly uncomfortable before I made the plunge to join. So, assuming that some of you guys like to know what is going on before you commit to things, I am going to let you know the current tribe rules before you get there.

The Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe rules are:

1. Quilting, patchwork and closely-related posts ONLY please. All quilts welcome – bed quilts, wall quilts, lap quilts etc. Pieced/quilted/appliquéd pillows/cushions, bags, pincushions, quilted clothing, table runners/mug rugs are also encouraged. Tutorials and quilt theory, patterns, books, embellishment techniques, quilting tips/motifs, fabric dying and painting, fabric manipulation, thread painting and embroidery are welcome if they are quilt related. Quilt eye-candy wanted!!

2. Vertical pins with quality descriptions please.

3. Only pin content you own the rights to share. It should go without saying that if it is not family friendly it doesn’t belong here, but I will say it anyway.

4. For each pin that you add, you MUST schedule someone else’s pin (more if you wish). If you do not play nicely you will be removed.

If this all sounds reasonable to you, use this link to be invited to join the Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe.

Disclaimer

As things stand at the moment, if you are new to Tailwind and you join the Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe you and I will both be offered a $15 discount (one free-month) on any commercial Tailwind services you may like to  try. I am not currently a Tailwind customer and my opinions of Tailwind and Tailwind Tribes are purely my own. What I do want though is lots of easy to pin, awesome quilt pins. Sound good?

Update August 2017:

I have written another post on how useful I am finding Tailwind Tribes for my blog, and the progress of the Patchwork and Quilting Tribe. It covers a few questions I know some people have using Tailwind Tribes. Hope it helps!

Hoping to meet you inside the Patchwork and Quilting Tailwind Tribe!

Quilt Your Own Story!