The goal sheet shown in the image at the top of this page is easy to download and available as a PDF document that you can purchase in color or in greyscale, in my Etsy store for a whoppin’ 99 cents (American)!
Please consider supporting the Chelly Wood library of free, printable PDF sewing patterns, by purchasing your own printable goal sheet from my Etsy store.
Today I’m sharing with you my goals for 2023…
First, I’d like to convert all Ken doll clothes patterns to PDF’s this year. In 2022, I finished converting all Barbie patterns to PDF’s, and as there are tons of free Barbie patterns here, I’m really proud to have achieved that one.
But I still need to convert most of Ken’s doll clothes patterns to PDF’s as well. And I’ve got some really neat Ken clothes that I’ve designed over the years! They just need to be made more accessible to the general public.
Next, I’m actually enrolled in some college coursework through PBS — yes, that’s the Public Broadcasting channel that we all know and love because of shows like Sesame Street and Antiques Roadshow!
I’m about six homeworks behind in that class, and I’ve got to get caught up in order to re-certify as a professional teacher and librarian in the state of Idaho. So this is right at the top of my goals for 2023. It’s also one of the reasons why I’m taking a month off from writing original blog posts in April.
Some things just have to be put on hold, so I can catch up with life.
Once school’s out for summer, I’d like to re-design my “Shop” page on ChellyWood.com, so it shows images of the products I’m recommending through my affiliate marketing program.
That will make it more appealing to purchase your fabrics, snaps, and various notions through my shop.
I’ve started to create YouTube #Shorts videos, and they seem to be a lot of fun for everybody (including me). It takes quite a bit of time away from my weekends to make these, though, so I’m setting a goal to try to keep up with this until summer gets here.
Once I’m on summer vacation from school, maybe I can jump the gun and make a few #DoApick videos in advance, so I can keep posting them again in the fall, after I go back to work at the school library.
If you’ve been following this blog, you’re probably aware that I’ve been working on designing a wardrobe that my Judy Littlechap doll can wear.
I’ve also been made aware that there’s a new 13 inch Barbie out now, so I’m wondering if Judy Littlechap and the new 13 inch Barbie can swap clothes. I’ll be experimenting with this possibility in 2023.
I also bought a Sindy doll in 2022, and I’d like to build a wardrobe for her as well.
If you’re not familiar with Sindy, you can read all about her on the OurSindyMuseum.com website. The ladies who run that website have been super helpful in answering my questions, as I prepare to design some clothes for my new/used Sindy.
The challenging thing about designing a Sindy wardrobe is this: in the UK (and in most other countries outside the US) they use A4 printer paper. When I post my Sindy doll clothes patterns, I’ll need to provide A1 (American sized) PDF patterns PLUS A4 (international sized) PDF patterns.
My research will take a while on this front, but I’m certain it will help to have a Canva Pro account.
Here’s what Sindy looks like:
Sorry about her messy “bed head” in that photo. She had just arrived in the mail, after I purchased her on eBay, and she really needed a bit of a makeover at the time. I’ve cleaned her up since then, so she isn’t sitting on my shelf looking disheveled while she waits for her new wardrobe.
If her face reminds you of my Tammy doll, there’s a reason for that, but if you’re curious about her history, as I said earlier, visit OurSindyMuseum.com for more information!
It may seem greedy, but I’ve also set a goal to earn $5,000 in 2023. My fear is that once I retire in 2026, the prices of things will continue to go up, and I won’t be able to maintain this website.
Currently, I’m paying $499.00 (that’s almost $500) every two years, to maintain the digital space needed to host all my free patterns on my WordPress site. My Animoto Pro software costs $180 every year, so I can quickly and easily make my tutorial videos. And there are other expenses like that too…
I only earned a profit of $1,000 after all the expenses were deducted in 2022, so I’m concerned that there’s not enough of a safety net there to keep the website running after I retire.
That’s why I’m exploring new avenues for earnings in 2023.
I’m not a fan of selling my handmade doll clothes, but I’m going to try that. I’m sure it will bring in money, but it may also bring frustrations.
As many of you know, who sell your handmade doll clothes, you can spent 10 hours making a little doll dress, sell it for $5 plus shipping and handling, and get a bad review. That’s what I mean by “frustrating,” and that’s why I quit selling my handmade doll clothes and started to just give them away instead.
But I’m going to have to buck up and start selling again.
If you’ve experienced the tragedy of selling handmade goods online, only to be given a bad review, feel free to rant about it in the comments. I’d love to hear any advice people can give, too, as far as boxing and shipping, and how to make the whole experience more pleasant for everyone involved — buyer, seller, and child recipients!
And then, of course, another goal for 2023, is to continue to give to charitable causes.
If you didn’t read about the charitable project I was involved in during 2022, you should really go back and read, “There’s a cat in my sewing room!”
Even if you are not a cat fan, you might feel inspired by my story because it’s motivated by the loss of endangered and threatened species in my region of the world.
I’m not sure which charity will receive funds from ChellyWood LLC in 2023, but the right charitable cause typically presents itself as the end of the year draws near.
Finally, I’ve listed on my goal sheet, “Cut ties with ZenBusiness.”
I try — I really DO TRY — to be fiscally responsible. But ZenBusiness took me for a ride, and I foolishly got on that gravy train, only to get burned.
And I was left holding the bill.
It’s a long story, and I’m not going to slam another business just because I was foolish enough to make a bad business decision. But I won’t get fooled again.
I’m gettin’ out from under ZenBusiness! End of story.
So those are my goals for 2023.
If you can think of more ways for me to make money in 2023, please let me know in the comments.
Once I’m caught up on my college homework, you’ll want to watch my Etsy store, my Teachers Pay Teachers store, and my eBay store for more digital products, handmade doll clothes, dolls I’ve taken good care of but won’t be needing in the future, and diorama props I won’t be needing anymore. I’ll be selling Peter to pay for Paul.
During the month of April, we’re going to revisit some of these tutorial videos, to allow me time to get my 2023 goals underway…
- How to do a whipstitch
- How to sew snaps on fabric
- How to do a backstitch
- How to gather fabric
- How to do a baste stitch
- How to pull elastic through a casing
- How to use a needle threader
- How to do a basic straight stitch
- How to use bias tape
- How to choose fabric
- How to tie a knot using a needle and thread
- How to measure a doll
- How to press seams open, using a hot iron
- How to sew rickrack
- How to use selvage
- How to attach ribbon to doll clothes
- Tips on sewing with lace
For more of my free tutorials, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*ChellyWood.com earns money by linking to Amazon, eBay, Michaels, Etsy, and other online affiliate programs. Links provided above may be affiliate links. For a full list of my affiliate programs, and to understand how cookies are used to help this website earn money, please see my “Privacy Policy” page.
The free printable PDF sewing pattern offered here on this website is the design of Chelly Wood, and it is marked with a Creative Commons Attribution mark. Any similarity to other companies’ or other crafters’ projects of a similar nature is unintended.
Are you lovin’ all this free stuff from ChellyWood.com? Please show your support by telling people about ChellyWood.com. That’s what the “Creative Commons Attribution” mark on my patterns means: if you use my free patterns and tutorials, you should tell people where you got all this great free stuff!
- You can pin my patterns on Pinterest.
- You can post or like them on Facebook.
- You can tweet about them.
- Use any other form of social media that appeals to you!