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- [00:00]
A
Foreign.
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B
Welcome back to the Social Hour podcast. I'm your host, Audra.
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A
And I'm your host, Bethany. And today we're talking about setting goals, New year, new goals, and specifically sewing goals. And we hope that the tips that we're going to share today are going to help you be a little more conscious of your planning into the new year so that you can accomplish all the things you want to do. Because let's be honest, these years seem to fly by. By. Like, fly by? Yeah, they really.
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B
And they seem to be getting faster where we get. We're really gonna try to share some really doable strategies to set goals. Maybe not the resolution approach, more of, like, a tangible approach to your year without too much pressure, and try to eliminate some overwhelm. Going to the new year. I think we are ready to shed the year of the snake, because it has definitely been a sneaky year and move into the year of the horse, which is supposed to be great from what I've read in the Chinese calendar.
- [01:03]
A
You. Okay, I. A confession. So I really follow that stuff a whole lot, but I want to say sometime in November, and I. We ordered Chinese takeout, and Brett went to pick it up, and I guess we ordered so much Chinese takeout that night that they felt the need to gift us a new year calendar with the calendar with the horse and everything. And he was like, they've never done that before. And I'm like, we did order a lot of food. Like, it was just the two of us, you know, whatever. And so Brett opened it, and it, like, rolls down. It's beautiful. But it's. It's a whole year's calendar with this big horse at the top and everything. And he hung it in the living room. This was before I had put up the Christmas decorations, but I'd already taken down the fall stuff, so there was, like, a place for him to hang it. Right by our front door. Right by our front door. And so every time I walk into the living room, I see this calendar, and I haven't taken it down. We've just kind of left it. And maybe we will just leave it all year. I don't know. But I just think it's funny. We have a Chinese calendar hanging in our living room right now. So, you know, whatever.
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B
Yeah, we have one hanging, too. We get one every year from the Chinese restaurant.
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A
Okay, so it wasn't just us.
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B
No, ours hangs in the laundry room. Not in our living room.
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A
It is a staple in my living room right now. It is. It is. It is. There it is there. It is a conversation piece. But I, I've never done that before. And we're just like, I just. You pick your battles, you know, like, I decorated the whole house. You can have this one thing. Does it need to be in the living room? No, but that's ok.
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B
It's fine.
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A
We'll see it.
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B
Let's go into our icebreaker. Our icebreaker is to. To talk about the years. What's something that happened in 2025 that you feel proud of?
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A
Yeah, that's a. That's a big question. I mean, I know 2025 has been a bit of a roller coaster year for pretty much all of us. Like, and I feel like a lot of years we can say that, like, there's always highs and lows. And I try to take a moment at the end of the year to look back at the year and acknowledge the lows and the things that I was able to walk through and come through, but also like, really take a moment to celebrate the highs because sometimes the lows can, like, they may not be as many of them, but they can feel really loud and heavy and drown out the noise of all the winds. And I look back at the year and I know we say it goes by fast, but when you take a second to look back, you're kind of like, wow, that was this year. Like, I did that this year. And so I did kind of note down some things that I accomplished this year that weren't really goals of mine at the beginning of the year or even things I thought were going to happen at when the first of 2025 started. So I think a lot of it is just taking a moment to say, wow, I didn't see that coming, but I'm sure glad it did. And so one of those things is my trip to Australia. I knew that was coming, but like, getting to actually go and acknowledge the fact that sewing took me halfway around the world is pretty wild to say. And it was a huge life moment for me because I had never traveled outside of the country to do that. And to do it solo and to do it because of sewing just felt really, really important. I sold out two sewing retreats last year and launched that. That was really exciting, very nerve wracking and awesome. Obviously we launched this podcast and I couldn't have asked for a better co host to do this with me. Yeah. And then, you know, I took a leap and signed up for a quilt pattern writing course this fall and committed to like three months of doing that. And now if you're watching on YouTube, you can see my pattern that's releasing that behind me. I've still got to piece it all together, but it's on my quilt wall. So, like, I'm hitting some goal things that I didn't go into the year anticipating, but I'm really glad that they happen and I made space for them. And then I did have some tangible goals that I hit. And one of those, as silly as it may sound, but when you run a social platform, you always want to see growth there so that you're connecting with new people in the sewing community. And so one of my goals this year that I wrote on my whiteboard in January was to hit 10,000 followers on Instagram. And I do that in a very organic way. So I knew that was like doubling my following. That was a big goal, and I did it. So that was really exciting. I'm only 5,000 away from hitting my goal with YouTube, so. But that was more than doubling my YouTube. So that was. To hit almost 20k is, like a pretty big. Pretty big deal for YouTube. And then. Yeah, I think the one thing I'm probably most proud of is a recent thing where I kind of am taking this leap of faith to go all in on me and my craft with Bethany Brand and the things that I want to do and work for myself. Something I've always wanted to do for a very, very, very long time. And it feels like now's my time. So that's a big, scary undertaking that I'm kind of taking into the new year and doing some things now that are setting me up for hopeful success in the new year. So some of my highlights for 2025, there's been some challenging things, for sure, but I'd say it's been pretty good year. What about you, Audrey?
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B
I think you're rolling into 26 with some killer momentum.
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A
I hope so. I hope so. I feel refreshed. I feel like I've had a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and now able to really dedicate time to the things that really matter most to me. So I'm excited.
- [06:19]
B
Yeah, I think for me, this was tough, and I'm. I'm not good at tooting my own horn. I never have been. So it's even hard for me to say, like, I'm really proud I did this. It's just.
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A
Yeah, it's a mindset. Yeah. Yeah.
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B
I have. I have a. Yeah, I. I'm not good at taking compliments. I'm not good at tooting my own horn. I think really What I'm most proud of is for the last couple of years, as we'll talk about later, I can. I don't do resolutions, but I go into the year with an intention. And for the last couple years, intention has just been to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And this year, for sure, was a lot of getting uncomfortable and pushing myself in ways I haven't pushed myself before, and putting myself out there in ways I haven't put myself out there before. This podcast being one of them. So that really, I'm proud that I continued to stare that fear in the face and go, this is scary, but we're gonna do it.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And some things have been great. Some things I'm like, yeah, that was great, but I don't need to do that again. But at least I can say I tried. And I know what. What I brings me enjoyment. I'm starting to clarify what brings me enjoyment, what fills my tank, what drains me, what doesn't fill my tank. And just starting to hone that in. And it feels good to kind of start to, like, narrow that focus a bit.
- [07:42]
A
Yeah. Well. And learning to, like, say no to things. Right. Setting those boundaries for yourself, I think is something that we always struggle with, and we've talked about that here on the podcast. But I think it's something worth mentioning as we go into this topic today of, like, you don't have to do it all. Just do one thing at a time. And when. When that's no longer serving you, it's okay to just stop doing it. It's kind of like the conversation we had with one of our guests earlier this year, Varuschka. She said, why do I have to keep doing whips that no longer? Like, I'm not interested in? Like, I tried it, I learned from it, but who says I have to finish it? Like, move on? And I thought that was so empowering, like, because there's a big movement around WIPs, and I think it's great to finish things that you start, but you have the permission to choose not to. And so I think going into that mindset in the new year of setting up goals is every year. I will tell you this right now. Every year when I set up my goals at the end of the year, I look at and go, I didn't even tackle that one. I didn't even start. I had. I had all the best intentions, but life happens. Other things come into play that you didn't see coming. There's new doors that'll open, and sometimes some things aren't Meant to be or not meant to be right now. And it's okay. It doesn't mean you failed. Because when you take a second and look back at everything else you did, you're like, well, I didn't fail. I just pivoted into something else that was at the right moment. And so of course, we don't have a magic crystal ball to see, like, what this year is going to hold. I think just setting up the right mindset to be open to new things, to be able to release things that we wanted to do but maybe weren't the right time. I think that's a big thing. We don't have to. It's not like it's written in stone that we have to do these things, but I think having a goal of things we would like to do helps us be way more successful in actually striving to do those things. And so that's kind of what we're going to talk about today. But I'm proud of all the things you've done, Audra. I really am. And the embroidery and tackling new sewing things and building your skills like you've done a lot of. So give yourself some credit.
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B
I know I'm not. I'm not great at that. I wanted to talk quick. You mentioned failing and I'm air quoting for those not watching. I love the term fail forward.
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Yes.
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I don't believe failure is a failure. Failure is purely input. There was something I was watching the other day, and it's like when you quote, unquote, fail or something doesn't work. You can create an instant mindset shift by saying, data input received. It's purely input. It's not a reflection on you. It should not garner an emotional response. If something doesn't work, it's purely input that you can learn from. It is data that you can bring in and change and do something different going forward. And that's.
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A
I think it only feels like a failure when we don't figure out how to move on from it and take what we learned from it. If we continue to live in that and beat ourselves up over it, then, yeah, the failure is winning. And that's not what we want. It's a lesson learned and it's an opportunity to gain new. I mean, we fail all the time. Sewing. We mess up, we have to use our seam ripper like it's the same concept. But what do we learn from that? How can we do differently? Practice, practice, practice.
- [10:45]
B
Last night I was making a bunch of quilt blocks and I swear I pinned It. All right. I double checked. I. I thought. I triple checked. Yep, they were all freaking wrong, all eight of them. It was great. It was fantastic. But you know what? I was like, I truly don't know what I did wrong. I laid it all out. I double checked. I read through it multiple times. I checked it before I sewed it. I thought I checked it again, and I was like, nope, I don't know what I did. I truly. I must have just spaced. And I'm like, well, I guess I'm doing it again. But guess what? I did it right the second time.
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A
Yeah. Yeah, I knew. And a little extra practice never hurts, right?
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B
They were better the second time.
- [11:25]
A
Good. That's what matters. That's what matters. You're more focused on it. If you have something that you accomplished this year, it could be something small. It could be something big. Maybe you signed up for your first in person sewing class. Maybe you tried a new thing on your machine. Maybe you picked up a new type of sewing. Whatever it is, big or small, we'd love to hear about it. So please go share that over in our Facebook group, the Social Sewist, because we want to cheer you on and support you. Like, I'm cheering on Audra, even though she wants to not admit all of her wins this year. I think it's good that we celebrate the wins, because then it gives noise to the things that matter most that we should be focusing on and not the negativity of, like, the fails or the. The low points in our year and those kind of things, because we all have them. It's like, we're not ignoring it, but let's not let that be the noise that drowns out all the winds. So please share those with us. We'd love to cheer you on and support you. And that's what this whole podcast is all about, is supporting you guys. So let's talk about setting goals that stick, how to set them, and how make them doable. I think that's the key thing. So where would you start, Audra, when you're, like, sitting down and going, here's my blank piece of paper. What am. What are my goals? What am I reflecting on? What do. The first thing that comes to my mind. Why? Why?
- [12:40]
B
Well, that's it. It's setting your why. I think that is the most important thing going into a new year, whether it's life, whether it's sewing. Because if you don't have a why, then you're kind of like wandering aimlessly in the desert of possibilities. So you need to set your why. What do you. What do you want more of in your sewing? And why? What fulfills your creative tank and why? What is distracting you from what lights your soul on fire and why? And how can you get more of it? What feels exciting and why? So I think you really need to sit down and really almost create, like, this little map of, like, I love this. I don't love this. And these are the reasons why. Because the why is important. Because if it's something that doesn't fulfill you, but the why is changeable, that is important to note. But if it's something that you really love, but the why is wrong. And when I say not saying wrong, but like, if you really, really love it, but you. But the why you love it is because you're better than your friend, that's really not the best why. You know what I mean? So really, you need to look at the whys and use them as that input we talked about to make sure that it's really about you and what you enjoy and what you can control.
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A
Right. Well, and that's your driving purpose of why you spend time in this space, in this creative space. And when we're talking about our goals, we're talking about sewing specifically. But please know that this all applies to other types of goals in your personal life or your work life or your business life. So we're kind of honing in on the specifics of sewing in this conversation today. But the same concept can apply to everything else. Like, one of my personal goals is to potentially get a new car in 2026. And why? Because my car will be 11 years old in 2026. It's still fine. It still works. And I don't drive a whole, whole lot. But the why is because I'm doing more of these retreats and I could use the trunk space, my little car. I need the space. But I've, you know, why. Why do I what? And then I'm going to break that down. Like, what do I need to do to make that happen and break that down? And we're going to talk about that. But there's got to be a reason. I can't just be like, well, I want a new car because they're fun to get. Fun to get a new car. Yeah, but how am I going to get that? And why does it make sense? So just know that as we go into this, we're. We're really talking about sewing. But this can apply to personal goals. It can apply to work goals, business goals, and we'll talk about that. But let's talk about some buckets that we can kind of divide our goals into. So if you want to on your piece of paper, if you've got a piece of notebook paper out with you today while you're listening along, or the notes app on your phone, or if you're really nerdy like me, a Google spreadsheet. Because we love a Google spreadsheet. I'm so nerdy. Anyways, first bucket skill goals. So let's talk about some skills. Like maybe you saw some things that inspired you this year, maybe followed some new sewing educators online, and you're like, I want to learn how to do xyz.
- [15:39]
B
Maybe saw me making machine embroidery and now you want to do it too. Yeah.
- [15:43]
A
Or maybe you're over here, like me wanting to tackle this long arm that I'm looking at behind the camera and you know, so like, this is how they. So building skills, I think is a thing. One thing I always tell people is like, if you're new to sewing and. Or maybe you're not new to sewing, but you've had the same machine for a while and you've used the same one or two feet that came with the machine, maybe one of your skill goals is to take the feet that came with your machine, all those extra feet and learn how to use them. Maybe you've never used the rolled hem foot or the button attachment foot or the buttonhole foot for even, you know, so just know, like that could be a goal. Is just getting more familiar with your machine, trying all the accessories that came with it. Project goals. Maybe you want to make that first bag, maybe you want to make that first quilt, maybe you want to make that first garment, whatever it may be, like set some project goals. What's something that you really want to learn? And then system goals. And this is where we're talking about whether you're learning a new software like I'm going to have to learn with, with this long arm, or you're wanting to create a system for your space that makes more sense. Like maybe reorganizing your space, creating new tools that make you it more enjoyable to use your space, those kind of things. So kind of break it down into some different areas. Because when you break it down, then you can say, maybe I only want to put one or two goals in each of those buckets. We don't want to flood one bucket and then. And then the others get ignored. We kind of want to spread it out and that way we're staying intrigued and motivated and balanced throughout the year.
- [17:11]
B
Yeah. Because some of those are, some of them are just bigger than others. So it's. If you think about it like you're sitting down at dinner like you've got your appetizer, you've got your soup, your salad, you got your entree, you got your dessert. If all of your goals are entrees, that's going to be too much for you to handle.
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A
Yeah. Great analogy, great analogy.
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B
Let's have a little bit of appetizers, a little bit of salad, nice little dinner, maybe a couple desserts, maybe three or four desserts because they're fun. But like balance it out with dessert because that makes it manageable.
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A
Yeah. Well, and then you can always. When you're feeling stuck sometimes. And the same works with like a to do list. It's like checking off a couple or working towards a couple of the smaller goals. Makes you feel like you've got some momentum and it's very rewarding. It's that gratification. And then it's like, okay, now I'm. Now I have this kind of momentum. I'm not going to start with my biggest goal. Right. I mean, I. And we're going to talk about breaking it down so it doesn't feel so big, but like it can all be done simultaneously. But you gotta, you gotta lean into it. And if you gotta acknowledge, like, hey, this is feeling overwhelming. So I'm gonna take a step back from it and focus on something that I can handle right now. And then I can. Once I'm in a better headspace, I can tackle that. And give yourself some grace.
- [18:23]
B
Yeah. And I think a good way to think about it is if we go into our year with a few anchor goals, those entrees. So say one to three anchor goals. Like these are one to three things that I would really like to accomplish this year. These are my, we'll almost call like a non negotiable list. Like these are my, really my highest priority. And then from here we've got some other filler things because then we can take the time and breathing is going to talk about quantifying those bigger ones, but we can break down those bigger ones and then slot in those smaller ones to kind of keep being the gas and the quick wins. Keep moving forward.
- [18:58]
A
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Because we need that. We need those little like cherries on top of from time to time to remind us. Like, you know, if we, if every time we sat down to sew, we were tackling something new and it was hard. We Wouldn't sit down to sew as often.
- [19:13]
B
Well, I'll have. I have another analogy. So we'll. We'll call this the analogy episode. This might be. Where you're going with it is if you think about it like a fire. When we start a fire, we've got the big logs because those are the sustaining. Those are our anchor goals. But then you need the kindling. You need those little sticks to burn to keep that fire going. And if you don't have both of those so that you're not. You're just gonna. You're gonna die out. That fire is gonna die out.
- [19:38]
A
Yeah. And for me, it's like those little mindless projects in between. Right. That just are quick fills, quick wins, quick turnaround. Something we could probably sew up with our eyes closed because we've made them so many times, but they're still gratifying and they keep us. Palette cleanser cleansers.
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B
Yes.
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A
How did I not think of that?
- [19:57]
B
Anyway, I figured out where you were going. Yeah, we all knew. It's like, we all need palette cleansers. Like, we're not all going to be making massive quilts all the time. You might be in the middle of a massive quilt and be like, I am frickin sick and tired of looking at this. So I'm gonna make a quick bag this afternoon because it's a quick win, or I'm gonna make a quick tank top, because I can. And it's summer and it's beautiful. You know, like, we need those little palette cleanser moments. And also they're good ways to get unstuck because you might have this really, really big project or anchor goal you're working on, and you might get stuck. You might start to feel frustrated. You need something to build your up to remind yourself why you're doing it or what you're capable of. It's kind of like a quick, like, yes, I got this moment.
- [20:38]
A
Yeah, yeah. It's just like that off the line when you've come to a complete stop and you just need to get going. And then once you get cruising, you find that the other things aren't so, so, so overwhelming. So let's talk about these anchor goals that you've set. Maybe you've put a couple in each bucket, but maybe there's like one big one in each of those buckets. So that's the one thing that we kind of want to quantify down. And this is where you've probably heard this terminology before, the smart goals. And there's it's an acronym of setting up Goals for success. It's breaking down those big goals so they don't feel so overwhelming and so that by the end of the year, it doesn't sneak up to you and you're like, oh, I haven't even started this. And then you feel like a failure, and we don't want to do that. So this is where we're going to have those quick wins with these big goals is we're breaking them down into smaller goals. So I want you to take your piece of paper again, and I want you to write one of your big anchor goals at the top. I'm going to use the analogy that I kind of mentioned earlier of learning your accessory feet on your machine. Okay. Because that's an easy one for us to all visualize together. So on your machine, when you got your sewing machine, it probably came with 5 to 10 or plus different accessory feet, depending on your machine. Or maybe you bought some new accessory feet that you want to learn to use now.
- [21:53]
B
Or maybe like Audra, you've bought some and you still haven't used them and they're still in the packaging.
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A
That's okay. That's okay.
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B
Or may not not.
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A
That's okay. But maybe a goal this year could be, for example, tackling learning the different accessory feet that either come with your machine or you've purchased for your machine.
- [22:09]
B
That feels like a good idea.
- [22:11]
A
It may be things that you may never use. Maybe you're a quilter and you're like, why would I ever use a rolled hem foot? You'd actually be surprised. Sometimes it's just good to learn and practice because it might open up opportunities of things that you never thought you could do before. So let's say there's 12ft in your that came with your machine or that you've purchased to go with your machine. And we're doing 12 because there's 12 months in the year. And so by the end of the year, the goal is to have learned or practiced each one of those. So let's break it down to one per month. So then you're going to say, okay, every month I want to spend an hour out of my month taking one of these accessory feet. And I'm going to watch a video on how to use it. I'm going to play with it, I'm going to put some scrap fabric in it, and I'm going to practice. It doesn't mean you have to make a project with it or anything, but it of kind. It could just be a Matter of playing and learning how to use these feet and identifying what they are and which honestly a goo. Well, if you don't have your manual for machine, your machine that tells you what the feet are doing. A quick photo of the foot on Google Google Image search, it'll usually tell you what that foot is. Or you can always message me. I love playing with all the accessory feet on my machine. But besides the point, we're going to break it down month by month by month so that it's obtainable. And then what you're going to do is you're going to schedule that time into your calendar. So maybe every Sunday afternoon, one Sunday afternoon a month, you're going to sit down and do that because it's something that is investing back into learning and growing your skills.
- [23:34]
B
If you don't have the manual to your machine. Most manuals are now available online. So if you do Google, yeah, they're available digitally. So if you lost it or can't find it, Google your machine.
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A
Even if you have it, still download it because it can always walk away or sometimes it's just easier to do super nerd moment. But if you open a PDF and you hit command f or control f, it brings up a search box and you can search for words into a PDF and it'll. And you can do that with spreadsheets too. But like, then you can find specific things you're looking for f way so you don't have to go through the whole manual anyways. So let's talk about smart goals. Smart stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound. So we're really putting, as I mentioned in my example, we're quantifying things. There's 12ft, there's 12 months. I want to do one per month. That's a quantifiable thing. I want to get them done within the year. So Now I've got 12 months to do it. I'm time bound. It's a realistic goal. It's something that I already love sewing. But I want to invest in learning more and in small scales. And here's way attainable. I have found some resources. Maybe you found someone's YouTube channel that goes through that or the brand of the sewing machine that you have. Maybe they have videos on all of those feet and you've saved those as a playlist for you to go back and watch. So be very specific and intentional with this. Another example could be you've got a quilt. And maybe it's not one of those quick quilts. Maybe it's a very involved foundation paper piece quilt, or, you know, traditionally piece quilt, but there's a lot of pieces and it's a lot of detail. And your goal is to have it finished by the end of the year? Personal goal. Because it's a big project and you want to space it out. Great. Okay, so let's talk about that. Like, I did this last year. Like, I've got this big FPP quilt that I want to finish. I know how many pages there are in to fpp. Okay. So now I'm breaking that down to how many I need to do per month. But I also need to think about if I want to have it completely quilted and bound by December, then I need to give myself time to do that. So now I'm trying to get all the top done by October. So Now I've got 10 months to get or nine months to get it the top made right? So, like, I'm breaking it down bit by bit. And then once I've said, okay, I need to make this many pages of the FPP per month, maybe it's two or three per month to get to the whole top by October. Well, how much time do I need to dedicate to that? I'm putting it in my calendar, so I'm writing it down. I'm breaking down my goal into smaller goals, monthly goals, or even weekly goals so that I'm creating a sense of habit so that I can continue to stay on track. And then come October, I've got my quilt top done, and then come November, I've got it quilted. And then all I have left to do is bind it with my binding. So you can break down creative projects that are very big into smaller tasks so that you can still do these little ones along the way. Because if we just sat and focused on this hard project all the time, we may get it done faster, but it's going to be feel a lot heavier. So if it's not something that. Yeah, right, right. And then we want to just not look at our sewing machine for a while. And we want to just continue to be able to have that creative outlet and balance it all out. I think the big projects are great. The projects that challenge us are great. But we can't do every project that way. So break it down. Break it down into smaller pieces.
- [26:53]
B
And remember, we do these things because we enjoy them, not to drown ourselves in it. And the key to this. And I want to use that same quilt example because I want to you to understand that you have permission to Change your goals if it doesn't work. When you actually look at the smart system, I want to have this quilt done by October. But then you actually sit down and look at your calendar. Like, it's one thing to say I've got 10 months and I want to do five pages a month. Let's say it's five pages a month. Cool. But you look at your calendar and you realize that you're actually traveling the whole month of April or that in the summer, you know, you're going to be running your kids all over the place or your grandkids all over the place. And so you're going to have half the amount of time.
- [27:36]
A
Yeah.
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B
Or when you actually start to factor life into the mix, then you, you got to be really, really realistic with yourself. Because you might say, like, I got 10 months, I got this. But when you factor in all the other factors of life, work, travel, and then let's talk about the unexpected things. Look, I got the flu and I was benched for two weeks. Whatever. You just have to know that, like, you might sit down and go, I think I can do this. But I also give myself permission to go. I don't know if this is actually going to work based on travel work, et cetera.
- [28:10]
A
Yeah.
- [28:11]
B
So I'm actually going to make this an 18 month goal because it will be more enjoyable for me in that respect.
- [28:16]
A
Yeah. And that's part of your target. That's part of that SMART acronym. Right. So let's be a little more specific in this. And I'm going to put this graphic in our Facebook group, the social service, so you can save it and look at it while you're going through and setting any of your creative or life goals. This applies to financial goals, life goals, business goals, sewing goals, creative goals. It doesn't matter. Specifics smart. What you want to say is set real numbers with real deadlines. You don't want to do, I want more visitors or I want more projects or you know, you've got to be, you've got to really be more specific. M is measurable. The do is make sure your goal is trackable. Don't hide behind buzzwords, buzzwords like things that aren't trackable. I don't know a good example off the top of my head because I always kind of speak of like tangible things because I've done this kind of concept for so many years. But you just want to make sure that like, your goal is measurable. Like, I want to make one quilt, FPP quilt this year, you know, like one or I want to make two again.
- [29:16]
B
We're always going to sew this year. Yeah, I don't.
- [29:18]
A
Yeah, I want to make a quilt this year. Cool. But like, let's be specific. Attainable is a. You want to work towards a goal that is challenging but possible. And that's where, like, breaking it down is so important. You don't want to try to take over the world in one night and try to. Like, I'm not trying to learn my long arm in one day or one week. I'm trying to break this down throughout the year. So I'm pacing myself so I don't get overwhelmed. Art is realistic and this is what Audra was talking about. So be honest with yourself. You know, what you and are capable of and what we have to give ourselves some grace because life happens. Like, let's be realistic in setting our goals. Like, look at your year. Give yourself some wiggle room and give yourself some grace for when things don't go according to plan and life happens. Don't forget any hurdles that you may have to overcome. Sometimes the things that you're breaking out throughout the year, these bigger goals, there may be parts of it that are harder than others and they need more time than other parts of the project. So, so just know, like, there may be a month where you spend more time on it than the next month, and that's okay. But find that balance and give yourself permission to take breaks.
- [30:29]
B
Hurdles can also just be schedules.
- [30:30]
A
Yeah, like I said, absolutely. I'm traveling the whole month of March, so March, absolutely.
- [30:35]
B
Even doable, you know, and then you put that into.
- [30:37]
A
You look at that. When you're going into your scheduling and time bound, which is t. So do give yourself a deadline, but be realistic about that deadline. Don't push yourself towards a goal that you might hit someday. It needs to be something that you're like, I really, really, really want to make this quilt or I really, really, really want to learn how to use all the feet and get more comfortable with my machine. I really want to attend my first sewing retreat. I really want to attend an in person class for. For a type of sewing you haven't tried before. Like, whatever it may be, you need to figure out what it is that it's going to take for you to get there. Okay. Whether it's a financial thing that you need to save up for or a time thing, whether. Whatever it is, you're going to have to plan that out. Now. We plan these things knowing that life can happen and that things can come into play that we don't foresee happening, and it's okay for us to pivot. Once you get comfortable setting goals in that space, maybe use the same concept to set goals in your personal life. Like, I'm saving up for a car. What do I need to do to get that? I already know which car I want. So now it's like, how do I make that happen, you know, and. And be smart about it and make sure that I'm setting myself up for success? Because I haven't had a car payment in, like, a long time, so now I'm, like, preparing for that. It's like, it's. It's those kind of things, right? We're investing back into ourselves in so many different ways. And I think when we have these kind of goals and things that we're working towards, it is a way for us to, at the end of the year, to go look back and go, wow, I did that. You know, like, I did that. But I also did some things. I had some things written down at the beginning of this year, as I mentioned earlier, that I didn't even touch. And that's okay. I don't. I don't beat myself up over it. I did four out of the six goals on my whiteboard. That's pretty good. But it's because I wrote them down. If I hadn't, it's like they didn't exist. And I think this is kind of my next takeaway is once you've written them down and you've really broken them down, make sure it's something that you can see on a regular basis. So I have a whiteboard in my sewing room, and I write my goals like, the general goals. I have my breakdown, but I have my general goals on the whiteboard. And that way I look at it, it's my reminder every year, throughout the year, every month, Every time I come to my sewing room, I see it. I go, what am I doing today to work towards that? Or, what am I doing this month to work towards those? And even the ones I didn't even start, I leave them up there as reminders that it's okay to not start them all. But look at what I did do, and. And it's fine. So that's my. That's my smart goal. We're gonna put this graphic in the Facebook group, but take some time to reflect, but also look ahead. I think it's all about intention and affirmations and planning and working towards those things. And then you'll be surprised. The doors that'll open that you didn't even see coming.
- [33:25]
B
And I'm gonna. I'm gonna reiterate, too. It is so important to check in. But also, don't be afraid to pivot.
- [33:32]
A
Yeah, absolutely.
- [33:33]
B
Don't be afraid. There is absolutely nothing wrong if Bethany walked into her sewing room one day and looked at that goal board and went, you know what? Two of those are not serving me anymore. And that's not the direction I'm going anymore. This is perfectly okay to, like, wipe those off and go change, pivot. This is my new goal for the back half of the year, and it is perfectly, perfectly okay. And if you get to the end of the year and you didn't hit any of them, consider that only input. It's only data. Then you reflect back and you go, okay, I set these goals at the beginning of the year. I didn't hit them. Let's go back to the why. Why didn't I hit them? Was it because my heart wasn't in it? Was it because life happened? Was it because xyz, Whatever it is, it's perfectly okay to consider that only data. Do not consider it a failure. It's just, why didn't you attain them? Because ultimately there's a reason.
- [34:31]
A
Yeah.
- [34:32]
B
And that may have been in or out of your control, but that's totally something for you to learn from going into the next year.
- [34:38]
A
Yeah, I agree completely. And the reason why I like to keep the ones up there that I never started is because it was important to me at some point. Maybe it just wasn't the right time, but I don't want to forget about it. So maybe it's something I consider for my next year. Right. Like. Or maybe it's something that I find a new way of doing that serves me better with where I'm at now. And so, for example, one of my goals this year was to release a pattern every month in a creative space. You know, and whether it's a small quilt pattern or a bag pattern or a crafty project or something you can use using your sewing room, something that was going to continue to build skill. Well, I never did that because I was. Found myself working 60 to 80 hours a week. I didn't have time. I didn't have time, and that takes a lot of time. So while I went into the year with the intention, it wasn't the right time. But let's fast forward to the end of this year. I. That's still something that I very much wanted to do. It just wasn't the right time. Now it's the right time. And I'm launching something new in 2026 that is holding me to that goal because now that goal is the right time. So I. That's why I always like to kind of hold onto it as like a reminder, like, it was important to me. Is it still important to me? Yes or no? I can always remove it. But if it's still something I want to do, maybe it's just I don't want to forget about it. I'm very forgetful, so I hold on to things so I don't forget because life does get busy. But that was one of those things. I was like, no, I really, really want to do that. I want to get back to making those patterns and be consistent with it. And now I know I get to start that again. So, you know, again, it's all about timing and giving yourself so much grace. And I think another thing that I find really helpful and is accountability. So if there's someone in your circle or someone in the space of whatever your goals are, maybe it's a business goal and you have a friend that also has a business. So maybe you guys talk about your business, business goals together. Audra and I, we can talk about our sewing goals together, our podcast goals together. So, like, find people that are doing similar things that you are doing or want to be doing and be accountability for each other. Check in. How's your goals going this month? You know, what are you working towards? Let's hold it. That is going to help. Like, accountability within ourselves is one thing, but having a partner, someone you bounce ideas off of. I have a friend that when we're both working on things, we'll just FaceTime and talk through stuff and we'll be FaceTiming. We're both working. We get so much more done when we're doing it, but it's like we're helping each other out and just talking through things and it's like, that's right. I didn't think about it that way. So sometimes just having that kind of accountability can really help stay on track and not feel like we're on an island by ourselves. Because sewing can be definitely a solo activity, but in our home and in our space. But if you can find people to connect with, whether it's online or in person, find those people that are wanting to do similar things and encourage each other and have that accountability because there's so much value in that. Saying your goals out loud is very vulnerable, but you're more likely to work towards them. Or even complete them and reach those goals or exceed those goals. When you talk about it, when you share it with others, because then it's very real.
- [37:53]
B
So let's talk about some systems. One of my favorite ways to stay accountable. Bethany is definitely more the digital one of the two of us. I am very much the analog one of the two of us. I love writing things down. I am the person that my lists have lists. Like my lists have lists have lists. If it's not on my list, I will actually add it to my list just so I can cross it off. So but I love. I have a planner. I have my planner. I already have my 2026 planner. So I actually carry my planner. I carry my physical planner. My favorite planner is called a Passion planner. And this is my 2026 one. If you're watching the back is for all my favorite ACOTAR fans. What I love about it is it's a monthly breakdown. It's a weekly breakdown. But then in there it also has space for your work to do list, your personal to do list, space just to write ideas. It's got a focus for the week. It's got a space to write good things that happened this week. So it's really got all of it in there. And then also at the end of every month it actually has like a check in which I'm horrible about doing, but it actually has like a monthly reflection. What went good this month? What are three things you learned this month? What are you grateful for this month? What was different this month than last month month. So I'm really bad at doing those. But I just like that it's got space for it. And then in the back it also has a ton of space for taking notes. So it's like a notebook mixed with a planner mixed with a to do list mixed with a gratefulness check. It is like everything I need and I just like carrying it around. It's my thing. So not endorsed. I just love my passion planner very, very much. I usually get a plain black one. So this is the first year I got a super fancy design one which I'm very excited to carry around. But good when we talk about systems. Yeah, I love my planners. I love writing things down. I also like checking in quarterly with where I am. I don't do yearly resolutions. It's more just like a quarterly check in. How did this last quarter go? What should I do differently? What can I let go? And then also I try, I'm trying really hard with self care. Really, really, really hard. And I'm trying to implement and I encourage you, don't. The same thing is kind of like reset. Take one day each month and reset. Or I'm trying to actually do it like once a week, like on Sunday evenings, kind of like set myself up for the week, get organized, kind of this is a life thing, but also a project thing. Get things laid out that I need, organize what's coming up for the week, kind of mentally prep for what's coming up. Because it just helps me roll into the week in a better state.
- [40:35]
A
Yeah.
- [40:36]
B
And I'm, like I said, just kind of doing that throughout the year. Just checking in with yourself, get it. What makes you feel better going into your next week, your next month, your next quarter, your next goal, whether it's life or sewing. And I've always said this, but just the power of 10 minutes. Don't ever underestimate the power of 10 minutes. So when you've got these goals, the anchor goals or the smaller goals, don't underestimate 10 minutes in making headway. It doesn't have to be half a Sunday or three days or a week or whatever. It. You can take just 10 minutes and make little, little bits of progress.
- [41:14]
A
Yeah. And I love that you do the physical planner. I wish I could be a physical planner, girly. Every year I've conned myself into getting one. I've, I've not even made it through the month of January and I really struggle with it, but I need it. And I, I have to have like a schedule, right. And I have to have my calendar. If it's not on my calendar, it doesn't happen kind of thing. So for my digital girlies who are like me, who struggle to remember to grab the planner every time they leave the house. So when you get to the doctor's appointment, you have to make that follow up appointment. You're like, I don't have my calendar with me. And you like forget I put everything on my phone because I always have my phone in my purse. And so for me, the platforms that I like to use is an app called Artful Agenda. And it also can open on your web browser too. So when I'm on my computer, I can have it pulled up, but I always have it on my phone on the app. It's called Artful Agenda. It's a digital planner. You can create custom backgrounds, you can add the stickers, you can do all the fun stuff like planners that we all love to do. It breaks out month, week, day. It also has lists and habits and trackers and tasks and goals and all of that is in there, even meal planning for the week. So like you can use it as much or as little as you want. It's got places for all those notes and so it's just digital. It's all like right there. And every night, as Audra was saying, like I go to bed and I pull up my calendar and I look at my week or I look at my next day as a reminder. I don't like surprises, I don't like to be forgetful. And so if I'm like, I only have one meeting Tomorrow, it's at 1pm, I'm going to go ahead and set an alarm on my phone because I'll get distracted and be working on something and the time will go by and it's 1pm And I'm not logged into that meeting. So like I set those things to help me be successful. And that app, really, I've been using our full agenda for probably five plus years. I absolutely love it. The other thing that I obviously use in my phone is my notes app because you can put bullet points in your notes and then you just click it and it moves that task down to the bottom and all the other tasks that you haven't finished are at the top. And I find that just as satisfying as crossing them out. But I love it. I love a good like written to do list too, but I tend to like not finish it and then have to rewrite it stuff over to the next day. Whereas this is just kind of like a running to do list and I, I break it down into sections like my house chores that I need to do or my sewing or work or whatever it is. And that way I can kind of go. Right now I'm in the mental space to do laundry. So I'm going to go to that personal list and check that off. You know, right now I need to get up and move, so let's go run an errand and I can go check that off the list. So I. Those are the things, the same concept as what Audra does, but just in a digital form because that's what works for me. So you just got to figure out what works for you. But there's so many options out there and I think if it's something that you enjoy using or it's pretty like your acotar book, like you're more inclined to pick it up and use it. So invest in the one that's cute. Invest in the planner that speaks to you, invest in those highlighters or Those fun colored pens if you want. Because if it's going to make you use it to stay on top of things, then I think it's absolutely worth it. Who says it has to be boring? It should totally be fun. Should absolutely be fun.
- [44:22]
B
All right, we're going to share our words of the year. Are you ready to share your words of the year?
- [44:27]
A
Yeah. So this is something I do in addition to setting some goals. So I usually fill out my goals first and then I kind of reflect on my goals and like, there's always like a, a word that comes to mind with what I was thinking about when setting my goals, and it ends up being kind of my word of the year or my intention of the year. And my intention, my word of 2025 was determination. And I had that written on my whiteboard next to all my goals. And then even below that, I wrote some smaller words that were just kind of affirming that determination. Goal of like what, what I'm determined, determined to do. And so I even kind of fill in some smaller words that kind of relate to that same concept that are important keywords to remind myself about. But I always have this overarching word for the year. So, Audra, what is your word of the year or even a goal that you want to share that you've set for the new year?
- [45:17]
B
Mine is streamlined focus. I am a serial over committer. I, I, I resemble that very deeply. I have a very, very hard time saying no. And I've been saying yes a lot the last couple of years. Hence my, like getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I've been saying a lot of yeses. I'm at the point where I need to start streamlining and focusing in because I'm starting to feel the pressure of all the yeses. And it's not that I don't want to do all the things. I do want to do all the things.
- [45:59]
A
That's why we say yes.
- [46:01]
B
That's why I say yes. But the reality is, is life is short and I'm starting to really hone in on what does fill my tank, what drains my tank. And sometimes we have to try all the things to kind of realize what's draining and fulfilling. And I'm starting to hone that in. So streamlined focus is my intention and words going into 2026.
- [46:25]
A
So my word this year is also focused, but mine's growth focused. So I am, am definitely focused on growth. And for the record, her and I did this separately.
- [46:37]
B
We did talk separately.
- [46:38]
A
So, but I'm not surprised because we both are very intentional, I think, regardless. And we're always learning and growing. But for me, obviously stepping out and not working in a corporate job anymore and having to rely on myself, My focus is growth. My focus is growing my brand as a business in ways that I haven't had the time or capacity to be able to do in the past, even though it's something I've always wanted to do. So now I have this dedicated time. I gotta focus on that. Like, this is my top priority for the new year. So anyways, growth focus is one for me. And just to kind of let you guys know, one of those things, as I mentioned before, you know, one of my goals for 2025 was to release patterns every month that you guys could sew along to and grow your skills in 2026. 6. I'll be implementing that in a new monthly membership sewing club, essentially like a virtual sewing club where we get to hang out every month called the Stitched Circle. And I'm really excited about it because it's like now it's intentional and I have the time to really dedicate to it because I. I don't do anything halfway. And Audra can attest to this. Like, if I'm going to do something and I go all in and I'm not going to go all in or I'm not going to even start if I don't have the time to. To truly do it justice to the level of expectation that I would want, which is I. I set my bar pretty high. So for me, it's like now I really have the time and the space. So that goal from 2025 is just rolling into 2026 and looking a little different. But I'm so much more excited about it this time. It feels less daunting because I really have the time to dedicate to it and make it what I really envision it to be. So the Stitch Circle is launching soon, if you didn't know, and. And I'm really excited about it. And if you want to be in the loop on that and all the learning you can do, maybe that can be one of your goals this year. Be sure you're signed up for my newsletter because that's where you're going to get all the information or go to my website. But I'm really excited about it because it's aligning a passion of mine. My why, you know, with a goal of mine that I'm able to really like, hone in and focus on. So growth focus is for me, when
- [48:40]
B
everything happens in its right time for a reason. Because you. You would have been too drained doing it last year where there's no way. You've got space. You've got creative space.
- [48:52]
A
I do.
- [48:52]
B
And explore. And the patterns you'll set out this year in the stitch circle will be infinitely better than they would have been last year when you were pinched on time. So everything happens for real.
- [49:03]
A
Yeah. I wouldn't have been able to do it justice to the level that I wanted. And the whole purpose is for you to grow and learn and try new things. So we'll be talking about different accessory feet. We'll be talking about different techniques. And it's not just one type of sewing. It's all types of sewing. So there's something for everybody. I'm really excited about it, as you can tell. One of the things that I've gotten a lot of feedback on with my retreats is like, I can't. I can't. I'm not in a space in my life right now where I can, like, leave my kids or I have someone I care for or whatever. And it's like, I can't come and do a whole weekend, But I would love to learn from you. So this is kind of my way of, like, reaching more people in a way that I love to do with teaching and educating through sewing. So this is a virtual way to get to do that with me every month and hang out and become friends. So if you need a new sewing friend, this is another way to do that. So I cannot wait. Cannot wait.
- [49:55]
B
And she's a great sewing friend.
- [49:59]
A
Thanks.
- [50:01]
B
Okay, let's talk about you. You love to see it, and I'm gonna go first because this kind of streamlines into my streamlined focus part of mine.
- [50:08]
A
Yeah. Let's hear it.
- [50:11]
B
My love to see it is when the universe starts talking to you.
- [50:15]
A
Feel like that's been this whole year.
- [50:17]
B
The last couple months, I felt the water rising. The water rising, the water rising. And recently, I was reaching down to put some safety pins in a drawer and threw my back out. And I've never experienced that before. Hear people say, like, oh, I threw my back out. I never actually knew what that meant.
- [50:36]
A
Yeah.
- [50:36]
B
And I was not doing anything crazy. Reaching for a door handle, and I couldn't move. Like, I quite literally, like, couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. It took my breath away. I couldn't walk. I'd, like, try to get to my phone to call my husband, who was in the basement, and say, like, I need you to come help me, because I can't move. And totally benched me. I was in the worst pain I've ever been in in my life, honestly. Childbirth was not as painful, and I was benched for a few days, and it took a week until it didn't actually move with pain. And I was laying in bed on, like, think day two with my laptop, and I was sat there thinking. I'm like, okay, universe, I know I need to slow down. I get it.
- [51:27]
A
This is a bit extreme, though.
- [51:29]
B
You've been signaling this for a while.
- [51:31]
A
Yeah, but here, you.
- [51:33]
B
You could have done it without the
- [51:35]
A
pain, but would it have worked?
- [51:37]
B
Right. Like, you could have said, audra, slow the F down without the horrendous pain. But anyway, the way I'm interpreting.
- [51:46]
A
Yeah.
- [51:46]
B
Not everybody's gonna agree that the universe talks to you, but it. It helped me reset the end of my year. It truly did, because it forced me to quite literally stop moving, physically stop moving. And it forced me to go, all right, it's time to reset some things. And that really took me into that streamlined focus. Word of next year of. I can't keep this pace up. I can't keep it up. I need to refine some things.
- [52:12]
A
Mentally, physically, emotionally.
- [52:14]
B
No, I can't. I. I can't up. I really can't. And it took a physical shock to the system that may or may not have been the universe, but I'm taking it as the universe and telling me to slow the F down. So that is what I am doing. Going into 26 with some intention and some streamlined focus. Yeah.
- [52:32]
A
No, mine. My you'll love to see. It's kind of the same. My you love to see it is the end of 2025. Okay. Like, I know there's been some great things, and we started off the episode talking about some of the amazing things I've got gotten to do this year, but there have definitely been some hard things. And I would say in the last two months of the year, November alone has been really hard. We've had a sudden loss in my family. We've had some just heavy things happen that I haven't really talked about publicly losing my job. You know, just all of those things happen. And I think, like, everything happens for a reason, whether we understand it or not in that moment. And it can be really hard in that moment and overwhelming. There. There have definitely been some things that I've learned from those moments since then, and I feel like I am using December to kind of reset, as you said, so that I can go into 2026. With a fresh start. I know it's just another day. It's just another day on the week of the calendar. But there's something to be said about the mindset of January 1st in a new year, right? Like, we're not setting resolutions, but it just feels like a clean start. This is also why I take my Christmas stuff down before January 1st, because my whole year, it's like that gets left in 2025. I love my Christmas stuff, but, like, my whole year starts brand new, fresh and clean. My house is clean. My space feels bigger because my Christmas trees are down. Like, all of that, it January 1st. It's very intentional. For me, it's. It's a. It's a mindset, it's mood, it's a vibe, it's a. It's a whole thing. And for me, that's really has a huge impact on me, more so than some other things. And it may mean nothing to you, may mean a lot to you, like me, but for me, there's a big significant shift in me, myself between December 31st and January 1st, and I like to take full advantage of that. So for me, me may you love to see it is it's okay to leave 2025 behind. There have been some great things I can look back on, but there's some things I definitely don't want to focus on anymore going into 2026, and like I said earlier, having that weight lifted off my shoulders, having the space and time to commit to the things that I've always been wanting to do, is what I'm going to focus on going forward. So that's my. You love to see it is just the fresh start that the new year brings.
- [54:53]
B
Yep. I'm right there with you.
- [54:55]
A
Yeah.
- [54:55]
B
Right. Our next episode, we are going to be talking about the lies we tell ourselves about being a real solist, real in air quotes.
- [55:08]
A
It might.
- [55:08]
B
It might get a little pokey, and I'm excited for it.
- [55:12]
A
Is this our intention for the podcast for 2026? A little spicy? I love it because I'm here for it.
- [55:17]
B
You might bring a little bit more spice.
- [55:19]
A
Ah, why not? And you know, we're excited about, like, the new year with the podcast too. So you guys, and listening to us this year has meant the world to us. Us jumping on board, allowing us to adjust and pivot throughout the year to find our groove. It means a lot. You're still listening, you're still hanging out with us. And we. We love that. We love to see it. So if there's something that you would love to see from the podcast in the new year. We'd love to hear it. So let us know either by sending us a dm, dm. The, the podcast, Instagram if you want, send us a message through social media. You can email the social hour podcastmail.com. you can also just put it in our Facebook group, the Social Sewist. We'd love to hear your feedback or guest or a topic or something that you feel like you need to hear us chat about. Right. Like or have a guest on that. We can chat about it. So that's what we're here for, is to support you, to support this sewing community that we love so much. And we want to continue doing that in the new year. So let us know. Like, we have all these ideas too, but like we want to make sure we're hearing what you need and, and, and we're following through with that. If you haven't subscribed to the YouTube channel, please go over and do so. If you are listening on Spotify or Apple, please. Sure. Be sure you're liking and following. It really helps us a lot on the back end and at the end of the day. Happy New Year, guys. Happy New Year. 2026 is going to be great. We're going to learn a lot. We're going to have fun together. We're going to uplift each other and we're going to continue to make the sewing community so special because it really is and we're grateful for you.
- [56:50]
B
Yeah, absolutely. Happy New Year and happy sewing.
- [56:53]
A
Bye, guys.
- [56:54]
B
Bye.