Tag Archives: 12 week year

My goal this year is more intentionality in the sewing that I'm doing. I want to find more joy not only in the process, but in the finished results. I want to use my stash more and to buy fabric that will fit in and be used and loved quickly, not languish for long periods of time in boxes.

This kind of focus only happens as the result of planning, so planning, here I come! I actually enjoy planning, and, if I"m honest, I might enjoy it more than the doing. I love getting organized and lining things up. It's the follow-through and the finish that sometimes get away from me.

Knowing my weakness, I"m trying to plan this work in a way that is easy to see if I"m getting behind or if I need to change anything. A while back, I read a book called the 12 Week Year which is about getting results quickly and seeing change. There's a lot in the book in the process, but the gist of it is that deadlines should only be 2 weeks out and goals should only be 12 weeks out. The idea is to take what we do at the end of the year and do it every quarter. This way, we gain momentum by seeing goals accomplished quickly and are less likely to be derailed by unexpected things since we aren't planning things out as far.

So, to that end, I am planning my 1Q goals and plans, only going out to March 31. The last week of March I will review where I'm at and redo the planning for 2Q. I'm excited to see if this will be a momentum-builder into April sewing for Me-Made-May.

I'm going to assume my pace to be one garment every two weeks. I want to increase that next quarter to maybe 3 a month or more, but I'm trying to be realistic about my available time. 12 weeks divided into 2 week sprints (the term for short term goal deadlines) means I can sew 6 garments. Goals don't equal garments, though, so I will have more than 6 goals. It just means that every garment I sew has to fit into at least one of the goals I'm setting.

1Q Goals

  • Sew Sunny dress for #SewMyStyle2018
  • Sew Kalle shirt dress/tunic for #SewMyStyle2018
  • Sew a pair of well-fitting pants (without fly, to focus on fit)
  • Sew a pair of well-fitting jeans (using other pant for fit, to focus on construction)
  • Create a TNT for a basic knit shirt
  • Copy one ready-to-wear (RTW) shirt that I love, but can't wear anymore (starting from TNT pattern)
  • Build a workable 3D Capsule for every day wear that includes both RTW and me-made items
  • Identify items to make for the every day Capsule for future quarters
  • Blog/IG regularly about finished makes and processes
  • Identify fabric stash quantities and find way to track fabric use
  • Identify the fabric and notions to start learning bra making

Setting measurable goals only till March doesn't mean I can't think ahead or decide to do things further out than that. It just means that I'm going to commit to goals only until March and do a review then to see if I'm on track. I've also got some goals in mind for the whole year as well.

By-End-Of-Year Goals

  • Participate in Me-Made-May with at least 50% being me-made.
  • Do 10 of 12 of the #SewMyStyle2018 patterns (I reserve the right to take this down to 9 if I don't like any of the ones that come out later)
  • Participate in at least one photo challenge
  • Learn lingerie sewing to be able to make a bra and panty set
  • Wear 75% of what I make on a regular basis
  • Have a tried-and-true (TNT) pattern for each style in my 3D capsule wardrobe
  • Sew 4 (1/Q) selfless projects
  • Finish 4 (1/Q) WIPs