Plan a Handmade Holiday with the 2026 Sulky Holiday Makes Planner
The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us, especially when you’re a maker. One minute, you’re happily pinning ideas for handmade gifts, embroidered ornaments and festive home décor. The next, you’re sewing at midnight, wondering how December arrived so quickly and whether you really need to make something for everyone on your list.
This year, give yourself the gift of a little organization with the 2026 Sulky Holiday Makes Planner, a FREE downloadable planner designed to help you plan your projects, manage your time and actually enjoy your holiday making.
More Making, Less Last-Minute Stress
There’s something extra special about giving a handmade gift. But every handmade project requires more than just time at the sewing machine. You need a plan.
What are you making? Who is it for? What supplies do you need? Do you already have the right thread, stabilizer and fabric? When does it need to be finished? And, perhaps most importantly, when are you actually going to make it?
The Sulky Holiday Makes Planner gives you one place to organize all those details before the holiday rush kicks into high gear.
Use it to keep track of:
- Handmade gifts and their recipients
- Sewing, quilting and embroidery projects
- Supplies you have and supplies you need
- Important dates and deadlines
- Weekly holiday-making goals
- Project ideas and inspiration
- Shopping and preparation tasks
Instead of keeping everything in your head, or scattered among notes, screenshots and saved posts, you’ll have a roadmap for your handmade holiday season.
Start Planning in October
Holiday sewing always seems manageable in October. December is so far away, right? That’s exactly why October is the perfect time to start.
The 2026 Holiday Makes Planner runs from October 12 through December 31, giving you plenty of time to look at the entire season and break bigger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. Here’s what to expect (below is just one page of the Planner).
Maybe October is the month to gather supplies and start those larger projects. November can be dedicated to gifts and décor. Then December can be reserved for finishing touches, wrapping and a few fun projects just for you.
And if your plans change? They probably will! Simply adjust your schedule and keep going. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s making your holiday sewing feel more manageable and a lot more fun.
Make Your Gift List & Check It Twice
Before you start stitching, make a list of everyone you’d like to create something for. Then get specific. Instead of writing “Mom: handmade gift,” decide what you’re actually making. An embroidered tea towel? A quilted zipper pouch? A monogrammed tote? A cozy table runner?
Once you know what you’re making, you can determine what you need and how much time the project will take.
This is also the perfect opportunity to be realistic about your list. Handmade gifts don’t have to be elaborate to be meaningful. A small project made especially for someone can be every bit as special as something that takes weeks to complete.
Plan Your Supplies Before You Sew
There’s nothing like sitting down for an evening of sewing only to discover you’re missing the one stabilizer, thread color or notion you need to continue. Use your planner to review each project and make a supply list ahead of time.
Check your stash first, then make note of anything you need to purchase. Having your fabric, Sulky Threads, stabilizers, needles and other supplies ready to go means that when you have time to sew, you can actually sew. Bonus: organizing supplies early also gives you time to combine orders and avoid those frantic last-minute shopping trips.
Schedule Time to Make
Putting a project on your list is one thing. Putting it on your calendar is another.
Look at the weeks ahead and decide when you’ll realistically have time to work on each project. Even a couple of dedicated sewing sessions each week can add up to a lot of finished gifts by December.
Break larger projects into steps, too. Instead of writing “Make Christmas stockings,” your weekly goals might be:
Week 1: Choose fabrics and gather supplies
Week 2: Cut and prep pieces
Week 3: Embroider names and embellishments
Week 4: Assemble and finish stockings
Suddenly, that big project feels much more doable. And crossing off each step? Very satisfying.
Print It Your Way
One of the best things about the Sulky Holiday Makes Planner is that you can use it however it works best for you. Download the PDF and print only the pages you need, or print the entire planner and place it in a three-ring binder to create your own holiday-making headquarters. Keep it in your sewing room, bring it along when you shop for supplies and refer to it whenever you’re deciding what to work on next.
You can even print additional copies of certain pages if your project list starts growing. (We know how that happens.)
Your Handmade Holiday Starts Here
The holidays should be about enjoying the people, traditions and creativity that make the season special, not stressing over everything you still need to finish. So, before you thread the machine and start stitching, take a few minutes to make a plan.
Download the FREE 2026 Sulky Holiday Makes Planner, pour yourself something festive and start dreaming up everything you’d love to make this season. Then write it down, schedule it out and start stitching.
Here’s to a holiday season filled with more making, less stressing and plenty of beautiful handmade moments.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE 2026 SULKY HOLIDAY MAKES PLANNER
