ISSUE 4 - MAKING A PLAN FOR THE YEAR / QUARTER

THE Q & A SERIES - MAKING A PLAN FOR THE YEAR / QUARTER

Hi Emily,

I messaged you recently about a post you made on Instagram talking about something you’re using to help you stay on top of your work. Would love to know what you’re using!

(The fact that it has taken a week for me to email you should be indicative of my current state of affairs!)

thanks so much,

- Dawn

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Hi Dawn,

Thanks for the email.

I am sorry to hear you are struggling to keep on top of things. I totally feel your pain and was definitely in the same state for the first 3 years of running my business!

I am very happy to share with you what I have learned, in the hope it may help you too!

THE SYSTEM

The system I am using is probably something you could do in any project management program, or even in a paper diary, as I think it's more about the concept rather than the tools.

I am currently following this system in the project management system I use (Trello) as well as a paper planner (the planner is something I created myself which has been growing and adapting as I work out what works best for me). I am using the two formats as I do like the ability to sit down regularly and write on paper, particularly for the reflection exercises I do and the weekly planning, but then transferring all the important bits to Trello means that I can access my plan wherever I am, as I have the app on my phone - so that is really handy.

GOAL SETTING

For me, I think the goal setting is one of the most important parts of this system. Having my goals set and sorted means that I have a north star - something to refer to when I have difficult decisions to make or need to prioritise projects or tasks.

I spent a day at the beginning of the year doing some overall goal setting and thinking about what I wanted to work on for the year. I did this by reflecting on the previous year - what worked, what didn't and thinking about how I was feeling about each aspect of my life - things like business, finances, health etc. I used a simple ranking system (1-10) in each area to see what areas needed some work.

I didn't want to overwhelm myself with goals, so came up with just three to focus on for the year. My main goal is pretty simple and something I can keep coming back to when I'm questioning whether I should do something. It is related to the number of patterns I want to produce / release this year. I then have a few secondary goals that are more related to my personal life.

QUARTERLY PLANNING

I then decided to split the year into quarters - and this is probably the thing that has been the game changer for me. I created lists for the 12 weeks of each quarter (plus a 13th week that is a break week) and worked out when things needed to be done to meet the goal for the quarter.

For example, when I was creating patterns in collaboration with Peppermint magazine I put in the deadline for the sample to be made and then for the pattern to be published - these milestones were set in stone so it was very important I could always meet those deadlines. I would put the deadlines in my quarterly plan and then with this information I then worked out at what point I would need to send the pattern to be graded and illustrated (it takes the freelancer I work with 4 weeks to do it, so that helped me work out when it needed to be sent). From that I could go week by week and work out when the design needed to be finalised, when I needed to order fabric etc. I find the easiest way of doing this is by setting the project completion date and then working backwards, week by week, until all aspects of the project are accounted for.

I then did the same thing for my own patterns - working out timing in relation to the Peppermint pattern (as I can't swamp my freelancer with 2 jobs at the same time). I was realistic about how long things actually take me. For example, if I am working on a new pattern, I give myself the full quarter to work on design and development, so that means if there is a week without a more pressing deadline, I set a day aside to work on design and development. I did this for each task I wanted to complete for the quarter - trying to be realistic about what could actually get done.

For pattern releases, I put notes in the weeks before to do things like contact the testers, prepare website pages etc. For sample making, I put things like washing the fabric in my plan - this means I can be a lot more organised and also batch tasks when possible.

BREAKING IT DOWN FURTHER

Once I have a basic idea of what needs to be done when in the quarter, I add more detail. I have a list for each week of the quarter (I don’t plan any further than the quarter ahead, although have a rough idea of what will be happening for the remainder of the year. For a really small business, I think it’s difficult to realistically plan for more than 3 months in advance - so that’s the way I like to do things).

I then break each weekly list up by day and batch tasks together. This way I can see if I am setting myself reasonable amounts of work. For example, I only have 3 days a week to work on my business, so I might say, this week Wednesday is for admin and I batch all my tasks, Thursday is for sample sewing and Friday is for pattern creation and digitsation (computer based work). If something doesn’t fit or I realise I have overloaded myself - I will move the task to another week in the plan where it fits better. I find this the best way to set myself up for success, rather than packing my days to the brim and then feeling frustrated and overwhelmed when I (inevitably) don't manage to get everything done. If there is a conflict, I can look back at my goals and work out what is the priority, or consider getting outside help if it looks like I can't get through everything I need to get done.

I use the previous quarterly plan as a guide each time I sit down to do quarterly planning and tweak as I learn how long things really take. It’s a work in progress and I imagine that it is something that will always be changing and adapting as my business grows. But it's good that after I created my quarterly plan the first time, I have been able to just tweak it each quarter and have not needed to start from scratch.

WEEKLY PLANNING

As well as my 'Quarterly plan,' I have a 'Weekly to do' board in Trello. On a Sunday I do a reflection exercise from the previous week and take note of anything that didn’t get done, anything I’m struggling with etc. I then take a fresh weekly plan and copy down all the tasks from my Quarterly plan - allocating each task to the work days I have available. I do this all in my paper planner before transferring it to Trello (as mentioned earlier, I like having a digital copy so I can always access my plan on my phone, using the Trello app, even when I don’t have my planner with me).

I set a couple of goals / milestones for the week to ensure I am focused on my larger big-picture goals and am focused on doing the right work to get me there. I also add any tasks that I didn’t complete the previous week back into the current weekly plan.

DAILY CHECK-IN

Something I have added to my planner recently is space for a daily check-in. I realised that it was great to feel productive and get everything done, but there wasn’t any space in my day / plan for checking in and taking stock. I now answer a few questions each morning and evening in my planner (such as ‘What is the one thing you would like to get done today?’ ‘What will you do to celebrate completing it?’ 'What are you grateful for today?') and that is really helping me feel good about what I am achieving as well as reminding myself to schedule joyful things in my days too.

SCHEDULED BREAKS

Scheduling a break week has also been a game changer. It was so good last quarter to actually take scheduled time off and see it as a celebration for the hard work I had done. I think as creative business owners this is probably something we struggle with the most.

THE BENEFITS

The thing I have found most beneficial about the plan is that it has given me permission to not do certain things. It gives me a place to dump all the information so that when I am ready to do a particular task it is there. For example, I might suddenly think, 'I have to make a sample of xxx' and then I see it's in the plan for 2 weeks time and I can just forget about it. Prior to this I was just trying to work on everything at the same time and felt like I was never completing anything.

Working this way has also helped me realise that there are only so many hours in the day and to not over-commit myself. I try to be realistic about how long things will take so that I don't always feel like I am behind. I always try to make make my daily task list reasonable and achievable. If you struggle with this - consider writing down how long you expect the task to take next to each item. I often do this when I am feeling overwhelmed and suddenly realise I have scheduled 16 hours worth of things in a day - which is obviously setting myself up for defeat.

Although I try to always follow my plan, I am also working on going easy on myself when things don't go to plan. Most of my deadlines are self-imposed, and pushing something back by a couple of weeks is not going to be the end of the world.

Best of luck with it!

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• Trello can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series

ISSUE 3 - ATTACHING A CURVED WAISTBAND - THE WIDE LEG PANTS

THE Q & A SERIES - ATTACHING A CURVED WAISTBAND (THE PEPPERMINT WIDE LEG PANTS)

Hello,

I am making the free pattern for the wide leg pants. Thank you for making this available.

I am having a problem fitting the waistband to the pants. I have cut out a straight size D. I know that the pants need to be eased into the smaller waistband but it seems like there is too much pant to ease into the band.

I have double checked to see that I have cut out the correct pieces, and I have. I’ve also checked that I have sewn the darts correctly, and I believe I have. I have even reduced the seam allowance on the waistband to 1/4 inch. There still seems to still be over an inch of ease.

Do you have any suggestions that might help me with this, I’m really stumped.

- Donna

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Hi Donna,

Thank you for reaching out.

I am pleased to hear you are making the Wide leg pants!

The stitch line on both the pants and the waistband is exactly the same length, but due to the seam allowance, it does take a little bit of easing to get the waistband to fit the pants.

Reducing the seam allowance to 6mm (1/4in) will actually increase the problem. As the curves are two different shapes, the cut edges of the two sections (the pants and the waistband) are different lengths - it is only when you attach them right at the correct point (1cm / 3/8in from the cut edge) that the two curves become exactly the same length.

One question that comes to mind is have you got the waistband the right way up? When I was testing the Darlow pants pattern this was a common mistake testers made, putting the top of the waistband on the pants. Please see the image above, that highlights the edge that is connected to the pants.

If it is the right way up, then I'd be checking your cut pieces against the pattern and making sure that the waist of the pants hasn't stretched out during the process. It is also a good idea to check your darts are sewn at the correct width and also re-check all your seam allowances are correct.

I hope that helps. Let me know how you go!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• Free pattern - the Peppermint Wide Leg Pants. Download pattern here.

• Darlow Pants. Get the pattern here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series

Issue 2 - HOW TO LAUNCH A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

THE Q & A SERIES - HOW TO LAUNCH A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

Hi Emily,

I hope this email finds you well?

I'm a quilter/seamstress/designer/teacher and I'm about to launch a Kickstarter campaign for a project I'm very excited about.

I'm wondering if you have any tips you would be willing to share from your successful campaign? I've got a few people in my circle of friends/contacts I'm going to be asking and I hope it's OK that I asked you.

Thank you so much; I look forward to hearing from you,

- L

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Hi L,

Thank you for reaching out. How exciting that you are about to launch your own Kickstarter campaign! Although it was a tough slog, I would definitely recommend it and say it was by far one of the best things I've done for my business so far.

It was a great opportunity to connect with my community and meet other makers. It also really validated what I'm doing and gave me the push I needed to get my patterns out into the world. I hope this information doesn't overwhelm you (I'd suggest making yourself a cup of tea, as it's going to be a long one!) - it's just all the things I would have liked to have known before going into it.

understanding the playing field

I started my campaign by researching the Kickstarter platform a lot and finding campaigns that looked great and had been successful. This gave me a good idea of what I needed my campaign to look like and what information to include.

My approach is to always look at the best work (even if it took a whole team to produce it) and model my work against that. My theory is that although I will never be able to make work as polished (I am a one person show), it gets me a lot closer than if I was modelling my work up against projects that weren't as strong. Like the saying goes “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”

I found the Kickstarter creator handbook really helpful. I printed all the information out and worked through it - taking notes as I went. This became the scaffold of my whole campaign.

PLANNING REWARDS

In terms of rewards, I know it's tempting to offer heaps of different things, but I'd say hold back. I thought I'd given just enough options, but then found it difficult to fulfil one of the rewards (a slow sewing planning template) as it took longer than I had anticipated. It would have been easier (and reduced stress) if I had just offered the patterns and tote bags.

I also think it's a good idea to put an option down that is just a donation with no reward. For my campaign I did a $50 reward that was 'nothing but a whole lot of love' and a number of people picked this option as it's good for people who want to support you, but don't sew or need your product.

Also, make sure you've got a broad range of price options. I had rewards from $1 to $150, and probably could have even had an even higher value reward. It was clear that some people who were really excited about it were just scrolling down to the highest reward and picking that one.

THE VIDEO

I am not sure if you are planning on making a video, but if you can, I'd say it's definitely worth it. I found the video the most stressful part of it all (I'm quite camera shy), but it really did bring it all together, and it's the easiest way to succinctly say what your project is about.

Just like I said in the first point, I watched a lot of videos to see what I liked / didn't like and modelled mine on that. I was also lucky enough to have a trusted friend create the video for me, so I knew he would be able to create a video that was able to tell the story of me and my brand.

I prepared by writing a script that succinctly summed up what my project was about and had my friend ask questions / prompt me during filming.

PHOTOS

If you can, I'd suggest getting some professional photos taken of your product / what you are creating. I had taken some on my phone and at the last minute, decided to get a photographer in and it was a game changer. I also got her to take portraits of me for the campaign and it was good having fresh photos to use on the campaign as well as on social media. These images really brought it all together and gave my campaign a very cohesive and on-brand look. You are really selling yourself as well as the product when you're crowdfunding, so make sure you show people who you are. Also a great excuse to get some photos of your beautiful work!

DESIGN COLLATERAL

The other thing that I also found made a difference to the look of the campaign was to get a graphic designer to design all my collateral. She is the designer I worked with for my branding, pattern envelopes etc. and then she just rolled it out onto illustrations of the rewards, as well as templates for me to use on social media when I hit certain targets (for example, 'We're halfway there').

REWARD FULFILLMENT

In terms of fulfilling rewards, I had said I would get all my rewards out to people in April and found that a huge struggle. I got all my Australian ones out in time, but the international rewards were a month late. No one seemed worried about it, but I did find it stressful. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely give myself a bit of extra time. I was expecting a certain number of people to pledge and then there were a lot more in the end (which was great), but it did mean it was a lot more work to pack and send the rewards than I had thought.

As for postage, make sure you have a really good idea of how much things are going to cost to send out. I thought I'd estimated well, but quite a surprise when I got to the post office (this especially applies to shipping things internationally)!

FINAL TIPS

When it comes to launching your campaign, keep in mind it needs to be approved. I was on a bit of a deadline and hadn't taken this into consideration. It didn't take long, but I think it could take up to a couple of days - so worth keeping in mind.

To promote the Kickstarter I started by emailing all my friends and family, before I let people on my business social media / email list know. I thought it looked good if a few people had already pledged before I spread the word further.

Also, I'd suggest being as organised as you can. You want to enjoy the campaign period, so be ready to respond to questions and have posts prepared for sharing on social media etc.

Best of luck with your campaign!

Happy sewing,

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• In the Folds Kickstarter campaign can be found here.

• The Kickstarter Creator Handbook can be found here.

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P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series.

Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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More posts in the series

Issue 1 - Lengthening the Collins top (with a FBA)

Welcome the the Q & A series.

Over the last few years of running In the Folds, I have struggled with the idea of sending an email newsletter. At a time when we are constantly bombarded with information from all different directions, I kept wondering what I could create that would be truly valuable to the community that I serve.

I want to create something that you will look forward to receiving, something that will encourage you to sit down with a cup of tea and take it all in, not another piece of content that will interrupt your day, but something that will inspire and encourage you on your handmade journey.

The Q & A series - What it’s all about

The format I settled on is the Q & A series, an opportunity to share the questions I often receive in my inbox, with all of you. I realised that my answer to one person's question is a chance for us all to learn something new and an opportunity to continue the conversation about the many different parts of the process of making our own clothes.

It is my hope that this series takes us to interesting and unexpected places. I will be sending the newsletter weekly for the time-being (this is something I might adjust after seeing what the response to the newsletter is) and I hope you choose to continue on this journey with me.

If you have a question you would like to ask, please scroll to the bottom of this email to find the link to the question page. I look forward to hearing from you!

THE Q & A SERIES - LENGTHENING THE COLLINS TOP (WITH FULL BUS ADJUSTMENT)

I am in the midst of making your lovely Collins top pattern (which is so well drafted!) but I am stuck. I just went through all the steps of a FBA (full bust adjustment), finished truing and then realized I also wanted to lengthen it considerably.

Would it make sense to lengthen the front via your tutorial but true the side seams from below the new dart- maybe the bottom leg? It seems if I true again for lengthening from the top to the hem I’ll mess up the shape of the dart.

- Melissa

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Hi Melissa,

Thank you for getting in touch, and for your lovely email. I am more than happy to help you with this! Always a good idea to get a second opinion when you can, and I agree the Collins top FBA does involve a bit of work, so you don't want that going to waste!

I just printed the front piece with the dart added from the FBA tutorial and had a look what happens for both options for lengthening.

OPTION 1

Add the desired length to the pattern using this tutorial. Fold out the dart (the way you would have done in the FBA tutorial to create the dart shaping) and then true the seam from the top of the seam. Cut the new seam line and then open up dart.

OPTION 2

Add the desired length to the pattern using this tutorial. True the seam from the lower dart arm.

THE VERDICT

As you will see in the above illustration, the difference between the two approaches is minimal (barely noticeable in fact). By trueing from the top of the seam the dart shaping wasn't impacted. I'd say you can choose whichever option you feel more comfortable with as the difference is only about 2-3 millimetres.

Happy sewing,

Emily

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ISSUE

• Collins top FBA (Full bust adjustment) tutorial. Tutorial can be found here.

• Lengthening the Collins top pattern. Tutorial can be found here.

• How to check and true sewing patterns. Tutorial can be found here.

• Collins top sewing pattern. Get the pattern here.

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P.S. Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.

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