Sometimes it seems like the sewists I follow on social media have a secret magic watch that stops time so they can sew up a whole wardrobe of amazing dresses before breakfast, then skip off to work and get on with the rest of their day (wearing an amazing handmade dress from said wardrobe, obvs).

And then there’s me, just about managing to make a simple stripe tee over the course of a couple of weeks, snatching 20-30 minutes of sewing time here and there. I don’t even count myself as particularly busy, but somehow time just speeds by and I realise that the ‘quick project’ I’ve been working on has taken me over a month to complete. In fact, one such quick project, the Tilly Dominique skirt I started making at the end of summer from a lovely rust-coloured crepe from FC Fabric Studio, will probably have to wait until next spring to be finished as winter has well and truly arrived. Sob.

Aside from giving up sleeping and/or eating (definitely not an option), I’m not really sure how I can fit in more sewing time (if anyone has any advice – or, indeed, a magic time-stopping watch – please let me know) but I thought that sharing my winter sewing plans might at least help me to narrow down my very long to-sew list into a more achievable one. A sewing shortlist, if you will.

In the spirit of getting more organised, I’ve started using Cora to keep a note of what I have in my stash – although I’ve got my handy swatch notebook, it’s great to have a list of all my fabrics to refer while I’m out and about (especially when I’m fabric shopping – I’m definitely guilty of repeat-buying!). I’ve only used the free trial so far, which lets you upload five fabrics, but I’ll definitely be upgrading to the full version.

So, with my Cora app in hand, I’ve picked out these three (admittedly not very exciting) projects from my seemingly endless to-sew list in the hope that I might actually manage to make them before the end of winter. Wish me luck. Zigzag stripe GBSB Breton top. Now I’ve finally mastered sewing with jersey, it’s all I seem to want to sew at the moment (also, I’m too lazy to learn how to rethread my new overlocker so I’m sewing as many tees as I can using the white thread it came pre-threaded with).

I’m planning on making the Breton top from the new Great British Sewing Bee book (also available to download for free here, yay!) with this zigzag jersey from Fabricland (they say it’s white and navy on their website, but it definitely looks black and white to me…). It’ll be great for layering this winter – and you can never have too many stripe tees, right? Stripe knit Walkley dress/GBSB book Breton tee mash-up. Yup, stripey knit fabric, again. I got this remnant (I think it’s ponte roma) from Montreux Fabrics (who make their own jersey fabrics at their factory in Leicester) at the Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts Show in Exeter in September. Ever since making my first stripe tee I’ve become a bit obsessed with all things striped and monochrome, so I couldn’t resist buying it even though I already have tons of fabric in my stash to sew my way through.

My first thought was to make an MIY Collection Walkley dress with it, but thought I’d get more wear out of a knit dress with sleeves, so instead I’m planning on a trying Walkley/GBSB book Breton tee mash-up. I like the overall fit of the Walkley dress and the sleeves of the Breton top, so I’m hoping that together they will make the perfect everyday dress for cooler weather. Spot viscose…something? I actually don’t have a plan for this one yet, I just really want to make something out of it, and soon (hopefully uploading it to Cora will help me to hurry up and make a decision!). I’m thinking maybe a Tilly Bettine, or the StyleArc Marilyn I’ve just downloaded (although the fabric creases quite a bit so the tie-up sleeves would probably get crumpled up and look messy…is it weird I think about things like that?). Basically I have no idea what to do with it, so suggestions on a postcard please.

I’m not going to set a deadline for making these as that never works (at least not for me), and I’m not going to feel bad about going off-piste and sewing a project not on this list if inspiration strikes, but I hope to have at least a couple of garments finished by Christmas. What are your winter sewing plans?

Like this? Then you might enjoy…

My rant about making sewing plans (again).

6 problems only people who sew will understand.

10 common sewing mistakes.

My top time-management tips for sewing bloggers.

A guide to finding sewing inspiration.