For 4 years now, I have invited you every year to take up the sewing resolutions challenge ... so, it's time for the 2022 review before moving on to the 2023 resolutions... you have to learn from your own mistakes 😂. At the same time, this year 2022 has literally been crazy!

So many changes in my life! Of course, there is sewing, my passionate profession, but also the opening of the physical store, the search for new suppliers, the launch of the courses... what madness! 

A little reminder for those who may not know the beginning of the story:

• April 2019: I create the sewing advice blog (yes, the famous blog tab with its 243 articles) to share my passion for sewing because my hospital work doesn't "fulfill" me. I need to work with my hands and share the creative aspects of my life.
• March 2020: it's all hands on deck, covid arrives... we have no masks but I know how to sew, more and more people ask me for some... my municipality calls for citizen initiatives to supply residents... we launch the C'est du Joly site so people can easily place orders without going out. 
• August 2020: I order Japanese fabric (4 rolls of 6m) because Japan is also one of my passions and their finely woven poplins are perfect for masks and they are so beautiful. 
• November 2020: We order more Japanese fabrics and the haberdashery arrives to complete the offer
• April 2021: I resign to devote myself solely to C'est du Joly and its development
• May 2022: We open the physical shop and start the courses! 

2022 was more than busy; so, let's review together the report of this extraordinary year by going over the resolutions I had set. Did I succeed in the challenge?

First resolution 2022: continue the development of C'est du Joly! -> I think it worked 😊!

C'est du Joly is a bit like my baby, a teenage dream coming true day after day... and this year we can say the goal was achieved! What growth in 2022! 

We have:

• opened the physical shop at 357 avenue de la Couronne in Ixelles (Brussels - Belgium)
• created our new logo
• expanded our fabric range with jerseys, sweatshirts, wools, jeans...
• expanded our haberdashery range: straps, suspenders, buttons, lingerie elastic...
• opened a product section for embroidery (classic and sashiko), crochet (amigurumi, nova vita cotton), and knitting (wool and needles) featuring DMC and Katia among others
• began the courses in sewing in May, embroidery in September, and crochet in November
• started a collaboration with the Kinamania workshop to offer you leather workshops
• distributed the patterns from 6 new partners: l'atelier des premières, bonjour Gisèle, les Beaux Gosses, Ikatee, Coralie Bijasson, and Iam patterns
• offered reference books in the physical shop to support the courses and your knowledge
• found new fabric and haberdashery suppliers to continue offering you a carefully selected range of supplies with good quality/price ratio
• wrote one article per week on the blog about sewing but also embroidery
• ...

So none of this happened overnight... it was a huge amount of work for me, a lot of stress (mostly positive), many thoughts and discussions... We all agree that the life of a new freelancer means a huge number of working hours (I’m at about 70 hours/week) but I don’t regret my life choice at all!  

I think I can be proud of myself... I managed to keep up the pace of one article per week on the blog throughout the year; so you were able to read 52 articles this year to learn more about sewing and a bit about embroidery. 

But none of this would have been possible if I weren’t so well supported... First of all by my partner: accountant, webmaster, parcel tracking manager, printer, photographer, model, construction worker, supplier... in short, he’s worn many hats this year!

Then, there’s Céline, whom you meet on Saturdays at the shop to make your purchases on site (while I teach sewing and embroidery courses), as well as our expert crocheter. And yes, it’s Céline who leads the crochet courses! 

Finally, there is Dylan, our course tester but also chief decorator 😊 because he’s the one who comes to give me a hand to make the shop decorations when I’m in a rush. 

And then, of course, there are all the friends who support my activity and morale when I’m a bit tired 😂 with visits, little messages... but also you who read me every week, give me a "little like" on Facebook or Instagram to boost my page but especially my desire to keep going in this path. 

Second resolution 2022: I tidy my workshop and keep it tidy all year -> not bad but could be better 😂

I had already chosen this resolution in 2020, 2021, and now 2022... and I think it will come back in 2023. I share my workshop with the students; I no longer have a completely private sewing space, so I juggle between the students’ projects and mine in our sewing area of about 40m2. 

When we designed the workshop, we didn’t yet know how much volume and space the storage would take, and as a kitchen furniture salesman would say, "you never have enough storage space," and they’re absolutely right 😂! 

I had to add small cabinets to make up for the lack of storage space, and since then it’s been better! 

At the end of the year, since there were fewer courses, I followed the Japanese tradition with Oosoji: the big cleaning done before entering the new year. I tidied the workshop and my mom gave me a hand one afternoon. I think we achieved a good result; the hardest part will be keeping it that way. 

The shop area went through the same fate, with the added reorganization of zippers to make more room for Japanese fabrics. 

Third resolution 2022: I no longer buy clothes that I know how to sew myself (for me and my darling) -> really proud of myself 😊

For several years now, I have been setting this resolution, and this year it wasn’t easy to find time to sew useful pieces for myself and my darling. I’m quite proud of the result because I managed to sew in 2022:

• 4 jeans for my darling
• 1 shirt for my darling
  
• 1 Le Décontracté sweatshirt from Beaux Gosses
• a blouse in Japanese cotton lawn and a denim dress Jolène from Ready to sew
• a blouse Jeanne from Republic du Chiffon in blue Japanese fabric with small flowers
• two Marion t-shirts from Atelier des premières in ribbed jersey and pointelle
• a t-shirt and a Briac sweatshirt 
• a Monceau vest from Cozy little world 
• a Hathor vest/body warmer from Iam patterns (upcycling)
• a Caroline skirt from Atelier des premières in corduroy velvet
  
• poplin panties 
• a t-shirt and a Wanted dress by Vanessa Pouzet
  
• 3 Ségur tops from Cozy little world 
• 2 Gaia tops from Iam patterns 
• a Flo dress from La Maison Victor in Japanese cotton lawn
• 1 Gladys top from fibremood
  
• 1 Philippine jeans by Coralie Bijasson
• the Cléo dress from fibremood in red corduroy velvet
• the shop's noren and the entrance bunting with Dylan and Céline
• a leather bag with Kristina from the Kinamania workshop
  
• an embroidered fanny pack and a messenger bag
  
• shoelaces for my sneakers
• the covers for the ironing boards and all the projects from the courses 😊 with Dylan
  
• and 7 finished embroideries and one in progress

I still wonder how I had time to sew all that! It just shows that when you want, you can 😂. So, I didn’t manage to sew classic pants for my partner in 2022... so that will be more for 2023 but he did get some really nice jeans so I tell myself that makes up for it. 

As for my wardrobe, I didn’t really fulfill my desire to sew more pants and warm dresses... I still let myself be tempted by lighter tops and dresses though, I have the patterns for next year 😊 now I just have to do it!  

Fourth resolution 2022: I continue to learn and train -> mission accomplished and still ongoing

I am one of those who believe that you don’t live well for long on your achievements and that when you don’t move forward... you are moving backward! I am naturally curious and demanding with myself, so it is the same in deepening my passions. 

I set myself a set of learning goals hoping to achieve them during 2022:

• Continue to discover and exploit the full potential of my sewing machine -> validated, especially for the new sewing machines in the workshop
• Make the most of my coverstitch machine's potential -> 50% succeeded
• Learn new sewing techniques (on woven and knit fabrics) -> succeeded and to continue 😊
• Learn to sew new materials (leather, sequins, ...) -> succeeded with the leather bag from kinamania
• Learn to sew more technical lingerie -> in progress
• Learn free-motion quilting -> postponed to next year
• Continue learning embroidery and clothing customization techniques (heat transfer vinyl, ...) -> succeeded and I embroidered quite a bit this year including two sewing projects
• Read technical books -> succeeded and to continue always. I received Martine Biessy's embroidery encyclopedia and I am enjoying it! 
• Take workshops with professionals, especially in pattern making, I would really like to learn draping techniques -> not possible this year with the shop opening but I really want to for 2023 or 2024. 

Here is a summary of my review of this crazy year! It feels good to pause and take stock of a year... it gives a boost of self-confidence and allows you to say that you are moving forward, that you are progressing, and it makes you proud of yourself. It also allows me to project myself into the future and see what I need to correct to take care of myself and continue to have great energy in 2023!

So, are you ready to take on the 2023 challenge with me? 

Have you already chosen one resolution or another for this new year? On my side, progress is being made!

I would be delighted to read yours in the comments

I already wish you an excellent creative year and above all good health

Get your needles ready,

See you soon,

 Eugénie