Setting goals is a funny thing. Some people love it, other hate it! I’m a planner at heart, so I quite like making resolutions for the coming year… but I always pic things that are very achievable!
To wit, my goals from last year:
- Make a dress sloper: Done in January! I’ve used it several times.
- Learn about fibre content in knits: Done! I’ve read labels more carefully and got a better sense of how different knits work.
- Make leggings: Done last winter, and many times since!
- Unselfish sewing: Definitely done! I’ve sewn 10 or so things for my sister, and given her a bunch more that weren’t as successful on me. I also sewed a mini-wardrobe of 5 pants and 7 tops for my neice!
- Seamless Pledge - No RTW: Done! I pledged for 6 months and ended up at 12 and counting. Easier than I thought!
Basically, I was done my goals by spring. I try to set goals that inspire me, and if I’m inspired, I’ll make time for it! (On the other hand, goals like loosing weight, eating better, or sewing from the stash leave me cold, so I stay away from those!)
So without further ado, here are my (achievable) goals for 2014!
1. Make a king-sized bedquilt
Look, I’m scared and bored by the idea of quilting, but I really want this! Before leaving Japan I bought a few narrow rolls of vintage cotton yukata fabric with the idea of making an indigo-and-white quilt for Jamie and I. I’m thinking of a simple modern design without a lot of piecing, but I’m not quite sure what! Here’s my pinterest board of inspiration.
My excuse so far has been that it’s so cold in Canadian winter that quilts are worse than useless - a heavy quilt would knock all the air out of my thick feather duvet! However, our new apartment is quite warm, and I think quilt would finally get used!
In preparation, I’ve ordered a leaf-green flannel sheet set to use as backing, and started checking out quilting resources on the net! I’m hoping I can straight-line quilt it myself, possibly with this Craftsy course for advice!
2. Sew some Archers!
Everyone loves this pattern, right? I’ve been scared off it so far by the thought of having to be careful for once… but Jen from Grainline has promised to help me on Twitter, and since so many of you have made it, I know you’ll help me too! (Pleeeeeease?)
I bought 4m of black mystery fabric for $3/m after Christmas, so I’m all ready to muslin… I figure that if I have heaps of fabric and nothing to lose, I won’t be too nervous! And because I never sew a pattern just once, I’ve got plans for a black+white buffalo check version next. By that point I’m hoping I’ve gained confidence, because Ms SewBusyLizzy herself is mailing me some beautiful turquoise painted chevrony rayon! Squeeeee!!! Have I mentioned recently that Sewcialists are the best? Thank you for thinking of me when you saw it, Lizzy!
3. Sew Wool
I’ve never ever sewn with wool, but people keep telling me how wonderful it is! i think it’s time for me to dip my toe into outerwear by making a woolen cape (this one, likely), as well as maybe a pair of merino leggings and a wool knit cardigan! I’m hoping my local sewing friends can help me track down some good fabric in Toronto.
4. Experiment!
Now, I know I just blogged about my essential patterns for building a wardrobe… but lets face it, I’ve made them all a million times and I don’t need any more! My goal this coming year is to be more creative with my TNTs by adding seaming, colour blocking etc, and to experiment with some new patterns. I’m aiming to make a Victory Lola dress for Jungle January, a Viking overdress for Sheildmaiden March, and try out the knit dress that comes with my fave McCalls 5890 cardigan pattern. Baby steps!
5. Keep developing the Sewcialist blog
I started the Sewcialist blog in the fall to help us keep track of all the sewalong themes that we’re doing. It ties into the Flickr group and the Sewcialist.org website with the Firehose.
My goal with the blog is to make is a shared space with lots of blogger voices, something like We Sew Retro. It’s been really fun getting different bloggers to write round-ups, set out challenges, and share inspiration. I’m always looking for more people who are interested in writing a post or two, so if you are interested, let me know! (Hint, hint: Anyone want to write one of the round-ups for Green December?)
Over the next year, I’m hoping to expand the scope of the blog beyond just the sewalong themes. I’d love to try having people post about topics like how they started sewing or a treasured piece of textile passed down from other generations. I think there are a lot of interesting topics that don’t tend to come up in our day to day blogging!
Phew! That’s it: my top 5 goals for 2014! I think it’s a good sign that after thinking of these goals since Christmas, I’ve immediately jumped into starting most of them.
I could use advice on quilting, Archers, and sewing with wool though, so if you can think of any useful links, maybe you could leave them in your comment? Thank you! And of course, if you are interested in writing for the Sewcialist blog or just want to say hi, I’d be happy to hear from you too!
Happy 2014, everyone! I hope your year is off to a good start!
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