2026 Goals
Happy New Year!
2026 is officially here and I’m writing down a few goals for myself for the upcoming year. I enjoyed sewing many pieces last year, but I don’t want to set a goal to finish a particular number of projects. I don’t want to put pressure on myself for sewing more and more pieces, sewing should be relaxing. However, I do have a few other goals or challenges in mind, let me share them with you.
Over the years, I have gathered quite some pieces of fabric. As I have mentioned before, fabric shopping is an entirely different hobby than sewing, one I also enjoy a lot. So naturally, I have acquired more fabric than that I am able to use. My goal for 2026 is to buy less fabric and use more of what I already have. I am challenging myself not to buy any new fabric, or de-stash and spend less, if you wil. Of course, there will be a few exceptions, for example when I need fabric for a project for someone else, or when I’m planning to make something that I have absolutely no suitable fabric for (like a raincoat). If I buy any extra fabric, I should have a purpose for that fabric when purchasing.
I also want to apply this to patterns. I have bought quite some patterns lately that I use happily. I want to challenge myself to not buy new patterns, unless it’s for a project that I don’t have a similar patterns for and is something I cannot draft myself. Speaking of drafting, I want to explore this further. I need to make do with the patterns I already have, so that could mean I need to pattern hack existing patterns or draft new patterns entirely. This is not something I am familiar with, so I am looking forward to stepping into the world of pattern drafting!
One thing I love about sewing is that I am able to create a fully customizable wardrobe. Last year it was my aim to buy as little new clothing is possible. I only bought clothes I couldn’t make myself. I want to continue with that this year. I want to have a mindful, slow fashion wardrobe completely tailored to my style and taste. That also means that I want to sew only pieces that I know I will love or that are very me. If that results in having to pass on a pattern test because it is for a skirt that I’ll likely never wear, so be it. To be fair, last year I have sewn a few pieces which I have barely worn. The pieces themselves are pretty, they are just not my style. I think by now I have quite a good grasp on my style and taste, so I’m looking forward to putting that in practice!
For me, the word of the year will be adventurous. In general, I err on the safe side of things and I’m not a big risk taker. I’m not saying I’m letting go of all of that (don’t think that I can…), but I want to encourage myself to be more adventurous in everything that I deo. In that sense, using patterns is safe because I know exactly what needs to happen. So I want to step away from a pattern every now and then, just start with a vision and wing it. I also want to be more adventurous on social media. I love sharing my makes on Instagram and I also share silly videos on Tiktok, but I’m a little shy about sharing more. I would love to grow my online community and to do that, I need to step out of my comfort zone.
Plenty of things that I can relate to the word adventurous. I think it is a very appropriate word for me and it will be a good inspiration. I’m curious to see where it will bring me, and I’ll be sure to share it all with you!