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10 Sewing Planners to use with MyBodyModel (free + paid options)

10 Sewing Planners to Use with MyBodyModel (free + paid options!)

What are the best sewing planners to use with your body-positive fashion sketch templates from MyBodyModel? The answer depends on your planning style. We believe there’s a perfect planning system for everyone – even planning rebels! Here are ten sewing planners that we love. This list features some of our favorite free & paid planners, including printable, digital, and spiral-bound options.

This post was originally published in 2020 and has been updated for 2022.

Which one’s your favorite? Did we miss any good ones? Let us know in the comments!

1. Seamwork – Collection Planner

  • Price: Free!
  • Format: Digital PDF

Seamwork-Collection-Planner-Project-Plan-with-MYBodyModel-croquis-sketch

 

One of my absolute favorite sewing planners is Seamwork’s free Collection Planner. It includes a series of worksheets to help you design a curated collection of garments along with a Wardrobe Quick Start Series (a condensed version of the Design Your Wardrobe program). I love that the worksheets include “Looks” pages to sketch your top outfit formulas, and “Project Plan” worksheets to plan each sewing project from sketch to finished. Here’s a page from my own project plan for a Seamwork Chip moto jacket, drawn on my body model croquis.

 

To add my croquis, I simply cut the figure from my 3-croquis page from MyBodyModel – Fits perfectly! 

 

 

2. Sew DIY – Printable Sewing Planner

Printable Sewing Planner from Sew DIY with custom croquis sketch pages from MyBodyModel. Beth shares how her 12-croquis and 8-croquis pages from MyBodyModel, cut in half lengthwise, fit perfectly as an insert in her half-letter sized project binder.

 

The Sew DIY Printable Sewing Planner includes special pages for your project plans and sketches, sewing goals, seasonal plans, project queue, finished project tracker, and even a budget tracker! It also happens to work great as a knitting planner. The digital download includes multiple page size options, including a paper-saving half-letter size. Here we see Beth’s plans for a scrappy patchwork robe and a series of summer outfits, sketched out on her personal croquis from MyBodyModel. 
 
In this blog post, Beth shares how her 12-croquis and 8-croquis pages from MyBodyModel, cut in half lengthwise, fit perfectly as an insert in her half-letter sized project binder. Clearly, a match meant to be!

3. Love to Sew Podcast – Create Your Dream Wardrobe Worksheet

  • Price: Free!
  • Format: Digital PDF

The Love to Sew Podcast's free

 

The Love to Sew Podcast’s free Create Your Dream Wardrobe Worksheet pack includes a series of worksheets designed to help you define your wardrobe goals and plan your sewing projects. The guided style worksheets are beautifully thoughtful – while also being quick to fill out. Here’s my sewing plan for some linen denim Arden Pants from Helen’s Closet, sketched out on my body model croquis. 

 

I love that “Sewing Project Worksheet” page has a special place for a sketch – and my croquis cut out from the 3-models page from MyBodyModel fits so perfectly! I also love the checklist – So satisfying!

4. Grainline Studio – Pattern Cards for Home Sewing

  • Price: $3.00
  • Format: Digital PDF

Inspired by the pattern cards used by professional fashion designers, the Grainline Studio

 

When Grainline Studio announced this new freebie a couple of weeks ago, I had a major lightbulb moment (also, a “DUH, why didn’t I think of that sooner” moment)! Instead of keeping my sewing plans and documentation in a separate notebook or binder, why not keep them with the pattern pieces themselves?! Inspired by the pattern cards used by professional fashion designers, the Grainline Studio Pattern Cards for Home Sewing are designed to help you organize and keep track of your pattern pieces. I love that it has a spot for your sketch of the garment. 
I’m so excited to do this for all my patterns, starting with my tried & true favorites. I hope that it will make me more likely to keep all my fitting and modification notes organized together in one place – and easy to find, because they are clipped to the pattern pieces themselves. GAME CHANGER.

5. Needle and the Belle (a.k.a. The Crunchy Mommy) – Plan that Ish Digital Sewing Planner

  • Price: $9.99
  • Format: Digital Planner for Goodnotes, Xodo, Notability with Links (instructional video included)

Plan that Ish Digital Sewing Planner by Needle and the Belle, with MyBodyModel custom croquis

 

The fully digital Plan that Ish Digital Sewing Planner was created by Aaronica at Needle and the Belle (a.k.a.The Crunchy Mommy) and can be used with any app that allows PDF annotation. Here we can see a snapshot of Aaronica’s personal sewing planner, where she’s added her own body model to plan and visualize her latest sewing projects: Patterns for Pirates Xfactor top and joggers, Helen’s Closet Luna tank, and Made for Mermaids Bailey pants.
The planner is pre-set with standard croquis, but Aaronica has a very generous offer for MyBodyModel customers: If you send Aaronica your JPEG image file of your MyBodyModel croquis (included with every MyBodyModel download package), she will add it to your digital planner for you, as part of your “Plan that Ish” Digital Sewing Planner purchase! 

6. Scarlet Stitch – Sewing Project Template

  • Price: Free!
  • Format: Digital PDF

You may know Raylene at the Scarlet Stitch for her beautiful sewing bullet journal, but did you know that she offers a free sewing project template download for newsletter subscribers? I love that the page includes a place to sketch both the front and back views of the design. Here is a sample page showing Raylene's plan for sewing a Wilder Gown, sketched on her body model croquis.

 

You may know Raylene at the Scarlet Stitch for her beautiful sewing bullet journal, but did you know that she offers a free Sewing Project Template printable download for newsletter subscribers? I love that the page includes a place to sketch both the front and back views of your design. Here is a sample page showing Raylene’s plan for sewing a Wilder Gown, sketched on her body model croquis.

7. Squeeze Paper Goods – Digital Sewing Planner with Custom Croquis Add-On

  • Price: $12 +$3 custom croquis add-on
  • Format: Printable PDF, US letter or A4 size

Squeeze Sewing Planner with MyBodyModel custom croquis

 

MyBodyModel customer & designer/owner at Squeeze Paper Goods, Elana designed a beautiful printable sewing planner with a custom croquis add-on option. This means that if you purchase the Squeeze Sewing Planner and send her your MyBodyModel croquis, she’ll add it to 13 pages from your planner!  Elana says, “Sketching on a body similar to your own allows you to quickly visualize what styles will work for you and what alterations you might need. It’s helpful for wardrobe planning and it’s just a lot of fun!” Read more about her inspiration behind the planner in this blog post.

8. Independent Clothing Initiative – My Design Line Worksheets

  • Price: Free!
  • Format: Digital PDF

I first discovered these

 

I first discovered My Design Line Worksheets thanks to Katie Kortman, featured in our MyBodyModel Designer Spotlight series. The full package of worksheets is available as a free download when you subscribe to the Independent Clothing Initiative newsletter. The worksheets guide you through designing your own fashion collection and planning out the projects one month at a time. Here we see Katie’s plan for a patchwork version of the Named Namaste dress, sketched on her body model croquis.

9. Samantha Claridge – Sew Crafty Dressmaking Journal

  • Price: £12.95
  • Format: Spiral bound notebook, A5 size

When I saw this photo by Rudy @roodlesrunique showing her body model sketch and finished garment photo, I knew this would be a great option! This beautiful spiral bound notebook from the Samantha Claridge shop has a special page for your sketches and fabric swatches for each project. Here we see Rudy's plan for her Iceberg Dress by Alice & Co, #sketch2finish.

 

I wanted to make sure to include at least one physical notebook in this roundup, and when I saw this photo by Rudy @roodlesrunique showing her body model sketch and finished garment photo, I knew the Dressmaking Journal would be a great option! These beautiful spiral bound notebooks from the Samantha Claridge shop have a special page for your sketches & fabric swatches for each project. Here we see Rudy’s plan for her Iceberg Dress by Alice & Co, #sketch2finish.

10. MyBodyModel – Printable & Digital Project Planner

  • Price: Included with MyBodyModel purchase
  • Format: Digital PDF

I absolutely love these photos by @lisamargreet showing how she uses her MyBodyModel Project Planner pages to design her sewing projects. Here we see how she's used two different Project Planner formats: One with the front and back view croquis, where she's planning a Closet Core Cielo dress with sequins; and one with just the front view croquis, where she's planning an Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company. Every purchase from MyBodyModel includes a printable Project Planner PDF featuring your body model croquis, and many different page format options from 1 to 12 croquis per page

 

Of course, I had to include MyBodyModel’s own Project Planner PDF included in every purchase from MyBodyModel! Your printable sketchbook includes many different page formats featuring your body model croquis, from 1 to 12 croquis per page (click here to see a Table of Contents). I absolutely love these sewing project plans by @lisamargreet. Here we see how she’s used two different Project Planner formats: One with the front and back view croquis, where she’s planning a Closet Core Cielo dress with sequins; and one with just the front view croquis, where she’s planning an Adrienne blouse by Friday Pattern Company.

 

So, how to choose from all the wonderful sewing planners available?

 

Having so many options can be overwhelming. The important thing to keep in mind: There is no “right” or “wrong” way to plan your projects! It’s a win-win no matter what route you choose, and it’s completely okay to mix it up. By experimenting with different formats, you will discover what works best for you and your planning style. And maybe along the way, you’ll even discover “the One.”

Personally, I must admit I’m a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to sewing planners… I love them all! I’ve experimented with lots of printable formats – and by using a 3-hole punch, I can keep them together all in one binder so that I still feel organized, even if each page doesn’t match perfectly. I also love my bullet journal (check out these bujo posts if you’ve been wanting to give it a try)!

How about you? What sewing planners have worked best for you so far? Have you tried any of the sewing planners in this post, and did I miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments – I’d love to hear what you think.

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9 thoughts on “10 Sewing Planners to Use with MyBodyModel (free + paid options!)”

  1. ANNE

    thank you so much for the links to the blog posts. i find them so helpful when debating whether to try out a new-to-me method.–anne

    Reply
  2. Carla

    Great samples here, thanks! On my own project sheets I include a spot for the cost of materials I need to purchase for the project. This helps me plan within my budget.

    Reply
  3. Susan

    These are great. What a variety! Thanks!

    One note though, the Grainline Pattern cards aren’t free, there’s a $3 charge.

    Reply
  4. Tamara

    What an awesome post! Really will be helpful for those getting started or even for those who aren’t the happiest with their current format. I use yours and ever since starting to use the My body model format, I have been much more mindful in what I sew. It gives me direction. Mind you I can plan until the cows come home and I still have the ability to get distracted with other projects. They are easy to come back to though. I have to be careful as to when I use them. and plan with them as my 7 year old daughter loves them too – she thinks I need to wear the glittery sparkling evening wear all the time! I would love to see child croquis so that our designer children can join in with models more suited to themselves. I find the mybodymodel planning sheets very handy.

    Reply

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