Hard to believe, but 2023 is nearly upon us! Time to start planning for quilting for next year.
[This post is linking up with Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl’s 2023 Planning Party Link Up. Also, here are some planning printables you can download:]
Are you a plan-ahead type of person or do you prefer to wing it as the year goes along?
I love taking time to plan for the New Year. I enjoy looking back over the past year (finding the highs I’d like to replicate and the lows I’d like to avoid), and thinking about the coming year just seems to fill me with hope. Can never get too much hope, right?!
That said, I’m careful not to go overboard with my planning. I like to have a fair idea of where I’m heading, and a solid list of potential projects. But I also like to leave room for spontaneity and taking advantage of any opportunities that pop up through the year. A good mix of things that can slide right if required can help with that.
My Quilting Planning Process
Start with a Review
Before I look forward, I like to look backward for a little while.
As I’m a small business, this also means looking at the money Bonjour Quilts made and spent over the year, how my patterns and blog fared, that sort of thing. Which patterns did I enjoy designing, which did readers enjoy buying? How many blog posts did I produce and which proved more popular?
As a quilter, I like to look back at everything I made. Did I enjoy making it? Why – was it the pattern itself or because it was part of a quilt-along or some other social event? Was the juice worth the squeeze or was it a technique/style that I don’t want to try again?
Here’s the biggest question of all: how many WIPs (works-in-progress) and UFOs (unfinished objects) do I have? [To me, a UFO is a WIP that has been set aside for 3 months or longer. Or a WIP that no longer lives in view – I’ve stashed it in a cupboard somewhere.]
Consider ‘What is Success’?
Quilting fills different needs in all of us. Some use it for therapy/relaxation, others to push themselves in a new field. Some of us work in the industry side of quilting, which has its own definition of success.
Spend a bit of time thinking about what quilting means to you and how it’s relevant to you leading a good life. What parameters define a successful year of quilting for you? Hours spent sewing, or perhaps new techniques learned? Number of quilts sewn or kilograms (pounds) or scrap fabric used up. Perhaps you want to get to UFOs/zero (like inbox/zero but even more satisfying!)
Maybe you’ll decide that it’s time to stop quilting – perhaps it no longer fills the deep need to create you have within. Ha, ha, ha – just kidding, we all know we’ll NEVER stop quilting.
Looking Forward
Once I’ve had a good think about my past year and what quilting means to me, it’s then time to think about how I want the next year to look.
The first thing I always do is look at my WIPs and UFOs. Getting these sorted is important to me as I don’t want them accumulating year after year. It can also be a bit of drag, knowing that there’s unfinished business lurking in the cupboards. Best to get them all out an assessed.
I have a post here where I talk about WIPs and UFOs and several options for getting them out of limbo and into a useful state. And it isn’t always something that you have to do yourself – there are many low-stress and liberating ways to move these projects forward. Do have a read of the WIP/UFO post, hopefully it will help you plan this aspect of your new year.
Once I have determined which UFOs are ‘must-do’ projects, I can see how much time I have for other projects through the year. I also like to consider:
- are there any new quilting techniques I’d like to learn?
- are there any new patterns or books that have really jumped out at me that I’d like to try?
- are there any social events (blog link ups, quilt-alongs, swaps, social media events or real-life retreats) that I’d like to participate in next year?
- are there any quilt competitions I’d like enter – QuiltCon, Quilt Festival, local guild comps, etc?
- does my stash and/or scrap pile need to be reduced?
- are there any upcoming memorable birthdays, anniversaries or graduations that I’d like to make a quilt for?
Consider Time for Your Quilting Planning
And then don’t forget to have a good hard think about how much time you realistically have to dedicate to quilting next year.
Go back to your definition of quilting success and what quilting means to you. You might like to purposely take on more than you think you can handle so that you can be challenged and motivated. Aim for the stars so you’ll at least clear the fence – that kind of thing.
If quilting is more of a relaxing hobby for you, then be sure to give yourself the time to work on things at an enjoyable pace. Don’t create a plan full to the gills of things that will only serve to make you feel overwhelmed and reluctant to actually do the activity you love.
I think for a lot of us quilting is about sparking joy, so make sure the projects/goals you consider hold that quality for you.
Now Let’s Plan!
I’ve created a couple of printables for you to download and use in your planning.
Year-at-a-Glance
The first is a big picture view, year-at-a-glance, where you can consider all the points I’ve written about above. What do you love about quilting, what do you want to achieve and what has to happen for you to feel you’ve been successful. Then you can move on to do a broad plan of projects over the entire year. Just keep it at dot points, or a few key words that mean something to you.
Monthly Planner
The next printable is for getting down into the weeds of each month. I find that going more granular than weekly is not terribly helpful, especially over a long time period like a year. It’s quicker and easier to break things down into weeks, just in my opinion.
You may like to dissect each month into weeks now, or just wait until the end of each month to plan the next one. If your life can change rapidly in a month, this option is a good one!
I personally like to put a few tasks at the top of each month now, so I can see how the year shakes out. But I leave it until I actually arrive at the month to break it down into actionable items. This way if my plans change as I move through the year (or tasks move right) I haven’t spent a bunch of time planning something that’s not going to happen. This is generally my feeling for everything past April. I’m happy to do some fairly intense planning up until then, but feel that things are much more likely to change after that. And all bets are off by October!
Plan For You
Don’t make plans according to what everyone else does or what you think others want you to do. You know yourself best and to get the best results from your year, make a plan that works for YOU. Use it to help you get the most out of yourself, but still be flexible and understand that life will have its own plans most of the time.
Most of all, just taking some time to think about things will undoubtably yield benefits, even if you don’t come out with a detailed plan. Just the act of reviewing your life and thinking about your future will help you get a 2023 in which you grow, learn and acheive goals. Cheers to that!
To download those planning printables, just put your details in below and they will be emailed to you.
All the best for your planning and for 2023!
This post is linking up with Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl’s 2023 Planning Link Up. If you’ve got a similar blog post, come and link up too. Otherwise, read what others are planning for the New Year – you might find some inspiration!
HI Kirsty, I have been quilting for about a year now. I think I completed one quilt, not very good. I found your site and I enjoy it very much. I have so much going on in my life right now and have a husband who has lung cancer and is going down hill every day. I can’t do much quilting right now but, I love your site and I want to plan my quilting for 2023.. Thank you so much. Mary Ann
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband, Mary Ann. It’s right that your attention is with your family and not with quilting – quilting will always be there for you later whenever you need it. I find that sometimes just seeing what other people are making is a way to be creative by proxy. I hope you continue to enjoy the site and know that it will be here for you whenever you decide to get back to quilting.
Thank you so much. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Hi Kirsty, that is a serious planning post :-) I used to be a planner by nature and at work but I’ve eventually let go of most of the planning. Mostly, I got tired of planning and having everyone else disrupt them! I do have a few must do plans, after that it’s all about play and not overdoing it. Of course being in business is a different story. Do you plan roughly how many patterns you will publish per year? Good luck in 2023!
Hi Andree, I do usually have an idea of the things I want to do in a year (number of patterns, etc) and I always leave a bit of a buffer for when things don’t go to plan. I’m generally flexible and not strongly attached to my plans because, like you, there are often disrupted! Such is this stage of family life – I’m sure it will settle down in a decade or so, ha!
These look great Kirsty. I’m hoping these I’ll help with my best intentions for 2023. It’s the follow through that is the hiccup for me. Happy new year !!
I really enjoyed your post it is very inspiring I plan to reread it and use some of your suggestions in making my own plans!
Thank you
Awesome – have a very happy (and successful) 2023!
I like your perspective on reflecting the past year. I have just spend a lot of time planning for next year in a bullet journal style quilting journal. I wish you the best for next year.
Oh that would be fun. I’m a big fan of paper planning, rather than digital!
Plan? Man Plans – God laughs! But I try to plan. I always have at least an idea of a baby quilt in mind, a wedding quit mentally in progress. Your planning sheets will help so much! Thanks – to be able to see what’s actually rattling around in my brain. A kind of picture of the Finish Line! Thanks and Happy New Year!
Yes, sometimes it seems that the only thing you can plan on is plans going awry!
Happy New Year, Joan!
I enjoyed reading your insights about the goal-setting process. Best wishes for a fulfilling and happy 2023!
Thanks Sharon, and the same to you!
I am a huge fan of planning ahead. Heck, I just made a big list of things I hope I can work on this week (when I’m also hoping that my technical editing requests are as minimal as possible). I think it’s always wise to pause and look back before making plans for the future, as learning from what worked and what didn’t seems to set me up for better success with new goals and dreams. I hope that you have a wonderful close to your year and I wish you nothing but the best for 2023!
I have to say I’m not surprised you’re a planning fan. You are one of the most organised and productive people I know!