::Sewing:: 2014 Ambitions

I wasn't going to write a post about ambitions for 2014, but after my last post I think it is important that I set myself some ambitions for this year and make myself accountable by publishing it :)

My strategy for 2014 is similar to what evolved in 2013, because I think it really worked for me.
Have target number of garments to sew and have a list of patterns I want to sew from.
However, I'm going to throw a few extra things in the mix.

Make 14 garments in 2014
Something that I took away from this post is that I am a person who is motivated by tallying up finished projects. At this stage in my sewing I'm not really worried about a project being perfect, but I do want to make a lot more me-made garments to beef up my wardrobe.
Nothing has been officially announced, but I'm making a Sewlution to make 14 garments in 2014.
I've made a progress tracker (similar to the one I made last year)

Use the patterns I have instead of buying new patterns
Today I updated the pattern stash page of my blog.
It's grown considerably since I set out my S.W.A.P. and Sewlution last year.
At the moment I have 111 patterns at my disposal. That's huge!
Of course I want more patterns, but I DON'T NEED ANYMORE!
Doing a quick tally I've only used 8 patterns so far.
So it's time to knuckle down and sew the patterns I have.

Make repeats of garments I wear frequently/Use patterns again 
There are a few garments I made last year that I keep reaching for and at this rate they will get worn out pretty soon. So it looks like I've got to make some multiples so I don't wear out my me-mades (I may even try my own One Week, One Pattern (OWOP) challenge). By reusing patterns not only am I cutting out the fitting phase of sewing those garments, but it also means I'm getting more value out of my patterns. So win, win, win.

Make special dresses for special occasions
This year I am attending 3 weddings. I'd like to wear a dress I've made to each of them.
They are in late January (that's pretty soon eep!), Mid April and Mid June.

Come to think of it I'd also love to sew a dress for my birthday too. That's in early Feb so I don't know if I'll be able to make 2 fab frocks so close together, but I'll see how I go.

Have everything for a project before I start
This ambition was prompted by the second point of this post and made me think of this post.
So in 2014 after playing with a fitting muslin  I must make sure I've got all the fabric and notions I need for the project before I kick off on the final garment. Nothing worse than getting into the swing of things only to realise that you don't have everything you need.

To sum up I've got 5 sewing ambitions for 2014

1. Make 14 garments in 2014
2. Use the patterns I have instead of buying new patterns
3. Make repeats of garments I wear frequently/Use patterns again
4. Make special dresses for special occasions
5. Have everything for a project before I start

By all of these ambitions combined hopefully 2014 will be an even more productive year than 2013.

To spur me along I've created an ambition wall. This is the first wall I see when I walk into my studio and hopefully by having these in my line of site I'll be kept motivated to keep on track.

Ambition wall - the first thing I see when I walk into my studio

My motto for 2014

Tracker for how many garments I sew in 2014

My S.W.A.P. list for 2014

I want to blog at least once a week in 2014 so I've also made a blogging tracker sheet. I can put a tick next for each time I post. This sort of links to the idea that I am a person motivated by a tally because I'm hoping to make at least 52 posts in 2014.

Blogging tracker sheet for 2014

Something else I took from this post is its important to remember the bigger purpose of a target/goal/ambition. Even if I don't accomplish all these ambitions I'll still be taking steps towards sewing more and using more patterns I already have in my stash (ties in the 'fear of failure' concept in this post).

Do you think having plans/goals/ambitions work? Do you have any ambitions for 2014? What are they?

Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Until next time,