One of my favourite parts of the New Year is getting to reflect on my sewing so I can make more, better faster in the future.

This year, I sifted through all of my sewing projects for 2017 and did a little analysis. In total, I made 19 projects. Of all of those projects one was a (failed) dress, one was a coat and the rest were tops. This pretty accurately reflects my shopping habits, which is a pretty big problem as a human with legs. I hate shopping for pants – nothing ever fits unless it’s pretty heavy on the elastic. You would think this would encourage me to make my own, but for some reason, I have never, as an adult, made pants.

I also realized that, while I liked a lot of what I made, I didn’t have any full me-made outfits that I love. This mainly had to do with being pregnant or newly post-partum for most of the year, but still, it made me reflect on my fave batch of outfits ever and resolve to figure out what made those pieces heavy hitters in my wardrobe. I also decided a couple of years ago to make more basics. The kind of boring pieces that aren’t terribly fun to sew, but get pulled out again and again.

Lastly, I have made it a goal to rock Me Made May as I had to sit it out last year (you know, having a brand-new baby isn’t conducive to photographing one’s outfits). I go back to work in April, so I’ve also got some back-to-work items on my list.

This year, I’ve taken a good portion of December to plan my entire year of sewing. This is totally new for me as I generally sew as I feel inspired, but I realized this year that planning things out on a calendar totally works for me. I also realized that, in order to make pieces that I will wear tons and can wear as an outfit, I need to really think about what I am going to make. For most of the year, I’ve already purchased the fabric and picked out the pattern – I’ve even made a spreadsheet! It feels so weird to be literally planned until December (side note: planning a year in advance has its pluses – I’m super inspired right now for winter sewing, but obviously need to start making for spring, so I’ve stored my ideas for next winter), but I feel more confident that my makes will more hits than misses.

Here are my plans for 2018:

Total items: 20

Shirts: 10

Pants/shorts: 5

Skirts: 3

Dresses: 2

Outerwear: 1

I’m feeling good about this list as I have a good proportion of tops to bottoms (10:8) and a couple of dresses (2). I’ve also planned three shirt-skirt combos that double as dresses (if you haven’t done this yet, you NEED to). Most of the items I’m making are super versatile and will function both at work and on vacation. I’ve got a couple of “occasion” garments that I will get a couple of wears out of (stay tuned for the dress of the summer that will go to a graduation, a wedding and possible some type of dress-maker’s gala.) Lastly, I have plans for a slew of basic tanks and shorts that will get me through the dog days of summer. In stead of the cute clothes I make, July and August usually see me wearing breathable, basic athletic wear so, this time, I’m going to make it.