2022 Digital Sewing Planner: How To Use It!

Today, I’m showing you the new 2022 digital sewing planner and how to use it so that you can spend more time doing the thing you love most – sewing!

This digital sewing planner can also be used by other crafters to organise craft projects, but the focus today is on how to use it to plan out your dressmaking projects. I even show you how best to use the design templates as well!

So, let me run you through what is included in this digital version of my sewing planner, and how best to use it – and scroll all the way down if you’re here for the video walk through instead!

And if you know you already want it, this is where you can buy the 2022 digital sewing planner!

2022 Calendar

It wouldn’t be a planner without a year calendar included. Note that each month in the 2022 calendar is hot-linked to the appropriate monthly planner page.

Important Dates & Celebrations

One of the important pages that I bookmark so that I don’t forget or lose track of those important dates – usually birthday and travel dates.

2021 Sewing Review

This is a great page for reviewing how your projects went last year. I usually take the photos of any projects that I completed, and add them here so that I can have an overview of my achievements.

It can also be a great idea to duplicate the page, and have photos of any projects that you struggled with, along with notes, to help you break through them this year.

2022 Wardrobe Vision

I’ve called it the wardrobe vision page, but it could be used as a general ‘vision board’ page for whichever your favourite craft hobby is.

For me, I like to note an overview of my goals down for the year ahead. It helps me to then return to the page eery month to see how I’m progressing.

2022 Sewing Priorities

This page in the digital sewing planner is set out with a block for each month so that yo can note any particular priorities that you have.

For me, I need new clothing for a trip we’re planning in April, and of course, later in the year I’ll be sewing gifts for my loved ones. These get added into the priorities blocks, so that I know what I need to focus on in specific months.

2022 Sewing Budget

Who here keeps to a sewing budget? Yeah, me neither. But I do like to know what I’ve spent each month on my supplies and this is where I can keep track without the guilt!

I’ve spread the budget pages across four pages this year – one for each quarter – because I had received feedback that more space was needed than what was available on the one pager from last year’s digital sewing planner.

Fabric Stash

Appearing again is the fabric stash page. This is a great way to keep track of the fabrics you have in your stash, along with the type of fabric that it is, the fibre content and the quantity of it that you have.

The great thing about it is that the planner syncs with the app if you have them on your phone, so when I’m out and about, I can see at a glance what fabrics I have / need to buy. Win!

Sewing Pattern Inspiration

This is where I add any photos or screenshots of new pattern releases. At the moment I have the Deer & Doe Sirocco jumpsuit – which features in my best jumpsuit patterns guide! – which I plan to make the first month of 2022.

I tend to buy the patterns when they’re released, but then forget that I have them, so by adding the photo here, I can refer back to it when inspired to make something new.

Things To Recreate

You may know that I quite enjoy the process of recreating designs from my favourite runway designers. This is where I store those screenshots from the fashion shows.

If I didn’t have a ‘scrapbook’ built into my digital sewing planner, I’d forget them.

Design Templates

I had some great feedback from the design templates – also known as croquis! – and so they’re back again.

In the video at the bottom of the page, I show how I copy the a template and create a page with ten on so that I can design and have fun on a whole page. Of course this can be duplicated again and again so that you essentially have a digital fashion sketchbook with you at all times.

Note Taking

Note taking can be an important way of progressing with your projects. Having those notes to hand when we’re new to something means that we can review and work on the skills.

For this reason, I included three separate ‘note taking’ pages.

Sewing Notes

For those sewing notes that you just need to remember, but always find yourself forgetting. This is just the one page this time, but you can copy and paste the page to have more space for those essential sewing notes.

Pattern Making Notes

Just like the sewing notes page, we have one for your pattern making notes. Whether you need to note down you body measurements before drafting blocks and slopers or you want to note down certain pattern making techniques, this is where you can do that and keep them with you at all times.

Garment Construction Notes

The last ‘notes’ section is on garment construction. I use this when out and about, looking at ready to wear clothing. I do a lot of design analysis, and so taking photos or quickly sketching how something is constructed is a key research area for me. This section keeps me organised.

Sewing With A Plan – Project Planning

This is the project planning page. Use one page per project and keep track of:

• Pattern name
• View
• Size
• Date that you made it
• Fabrics used
• The photo or sketch of the pattern
• Any particular sewing construction notes
• A list of supplies needed
• Final thoughts – I include a photo of the finished item here

Duplicate this page as many times as needed throughout the year.

Quarterly Sewing Project Plans

Earlier in the digital sewing planner we looked at sewing priorities for the year ahead as well as sewing inspiration. The quarterly sewing project plan pages are where you break down those plans. We start by quarter – you can also think of the quarters as seasons – and then each quarter into three months.

Then comes the 90 day sprint pages. These are two pages that help you to break down your project (or projects) for the month into weeks. Four week for the first month, four for the second, four for the third and then a final ‘recap’ week to assess what worked well for your project planning, and what kind of sucked.

This is what has consistently helped me to stay on top of everything in my life, well, prior to August when my mum got seriously ill.

Now that I’m back on it, this system will help me get on with business plans as well as my sewing plans.

Task List

To get the most out of the project planning method in the previous section, I use what I call my ‘action taking task list’. This is where I list out ALL the tasks that need doing for a project – so you can create a duplicate of this page for every project you’re working on.

I can then refer to this task list when planning out my weeks.

Monthly Overviews

One of the essential page sin any sewing planner, the monthly overview helps me to see at a glance what I have in the diary for the month ahead.

At the top of these pages are mini calendars for the month before and after, which are hot linked so that you can jump around quickly.

To the right of the main month you’ll see the weeks of the year – these are also hot-linked, and take you directly to that week’s overview weekly planner page.

Weekly Planning Pages

There are 159 of these weekly planner pages in the digital sewing planner.

1. 52 of the general overview week, where you can set out your top three goals for the week, any personal development and self care tasks, as well as up to three daily goals.
2. 52 of the weekdays planner pages, where each day is blocked into AM or PM, with a ‘top task’ spot to focus on as well.
3. 52 of the weekend planner pages, and this is where you can track up to three habits, your weekend plans and review the week when it’s over.

And if you want more granular overview, check out the daily planning pages too.

Daily Planning Pages

This year I left these out of the main planner section, just because it saved adding n and dating 365 pages that weren’t a firm favourite.

Instead, I’ve included date-free version for Monday through Sunday in the ‘Week 0’ spread, and a second copy in the ‘blanks’ section.

The daily planning page is great for anyone who wants a more granular plan for their day:

• Top task for the day – helps you focus on that one thing!
• Schedule – from 6am through to 8pm
• Main priorities – saves on distraction
• Notes & stuff – where you can note down any fleeting thoughts that need to be captured before you carry on

Blank Pages

This digital sewing planner would not be complete without a series of blank pages that yo can use as inserts throughout the planner.

I honestly feel that this is the best version yet of my digital sewing planner, and I’m really excited for people to use it, whether as a tool to help you design and sew your own clothes, or any other craft hobby out there.

If it’s of interest, I’ll pop back at the end of each month and add photos of how I’ve been using the planner in my life.

How To Buy the 2022 Digital Sewing Planner

You can buy the 2022 digital sewing planner from my shop right now. It’ll be delivered as a PDF download, which you can then add into your project planning app.

I use GoodNotes, but it also works in Notability on the iPad. I haven’t yet tested it on Android devices, as I don’t own any.

What You’ll Need To Use The 2022 Digital Sewing Planner

There are two ways to use the 2022 planner!

As A Digital Planner

1. Install the GoodNotes app on an iOS device – I use both an iPad and an iPhone.
2. Import the PDF as a new document.
3. You’ll need to make sure that you’re not in ‘edit mode’ to use the hot-links. This is a common error people make and think that the file is broken. It isn’t, you just have to turn off the edit mode.
4. Plan away!

As A Printable PDF Planner

If you don’t want to use it as a digital planner, you can also print the PDF on a home printer. Obviously the hot-links wouldn’t work on a printed version, but otherwise its a great way to use the planner for anyone that has no tablet device.

2022 Digital Sewing Planner Walk Through Video

And here’s the walk through video for anyone wanting a closer look. If you have any questions, do let me know in the comments below!

https://youtu.be/b04MXQSC9bA

Share it out to others!