For 5 years now, I have invited you every year to take up the challenge of good resolutions. It's time to review the year 2023 before moving on to the 2024 resolutions. The year 2023 was as intense and full of emotions as 2022, if not more!
But did we keep to the resolutions? That's what we will see in this article 😊
It feels so good to stop for a moment and look back: the highlights; what went well, what was less good. It's also the time to rejoice in all the work we have accomplished with joy and good humor!
So let's see together what our resolutions were and their conclusion.
Let's go!
1. First resolution: Continue the development of C'est du Joly = achieved
After the opening of the physical shop in 2022, my goals for 2023 were to strengthen relationships with my suppliers and to find new suppliers to always offer you an original and beautiful quality selection that stands out from what you can find elsewhere 😊.
I think this year, we really made great progress in developing the shop and the workshops with the highlight being our trip to Japan this summer!
We were able to meet our fabric suppliers and visit their premises. Some are large suppliers with huge open spaces, others are very small producers in family businesses. I loved talking with them.
It was very interesting to compare our tastes in fabrics, in patterns. We also had very funny moments regarding the patterns we find cute and those that are scary! It was really great meetings! I really want to do this experience again... anyway it was magical!
All this allowed us to create new business collaborations to offer you a huge quantity of exclusive Japanese fabrics; that you won't find elsewhere. We brought in 2.5 tons of fabrics with our little arms (we will remember that moving day 😂, our arms too) but as incredible as it is, we managed to fit everything in.
The Japanese adventure in Tokyo in my Deer and Doe centaurée dress
Embroidering sashiko in a café in Akita in my Cozy Little World ségur dress
Discovering new dyeing techniques in Morioka
It's not just fabrics and embroidery that have developed... because the offer in the wool department (knitting and crochet) has also tripled! Today, we offer you Rowan yarn (a mark of quality) felted tweed and kidsilk, but also DMC yarn with woolly 5, big knit, pirouette, revelation... and katia with wow and sock yarn!
In short, our little shop is filling up with wonders and many of you say it has become a real Ali Baba's cave.
Courses side, the goals were to develop new original courses meeting your needs. I think this goal is more than achieved because we went all out this year. We expanded the offer of courses during the day, in the evening but also on weekends.
We expanded the sewing themes offer with: first coat, first jeans, serger improvement, I discover fabrics, teen courses ... but also Themed knitting and crochet: bag, granny squares, hat and mittens, amigurumi and embroidery with introductions to sashiko!
I am really delighted to offer you all these courses and especially to see your smiles and pride in having created in our workshops! By the way, don’t hesitate to tell me in the article comments what courses you would like to find and at what time; it helps me a lot to prepare my schedule. I already have plenty of ideas for 2024 😂.
Marie Hélène, Madame Knitting sets up the Rowan yarn assortment
When you test the new crochet courses with Céline, our Madame Crochet
Ready to take off to RTBF with my Namaste coat by Coralie Bijasson
On the supplier side, you may have noticed but since this year we also offer reference works in the physical store only. These are books we have selected to support our courses but also to help you continue your development at home. We are delighted to be able to offer them to you at the official price (the same as online 😂 with advice included).
We have also expanded our range of suppliers of printed patterns with: Atelier Bernie, Atelier Brunette, Cozy little world, les beaux gosses... and a big novelty since a month, we offer all the PDF patterns by Coralie Bijasson yes all of them! And that is super cool because Coralie makes us wonderful patterns that are well cut, well explained; in short, quality and I am delighted to work with a professional of her level!
Finally, to close the development section, I am delighted to have been invited by RTBF, our Belgian French-speaking national channel, to talk about creative hobbies. I think it is a great recognition for the creative arts and for my work in promoting them. So thank you Fanny, Sarah... and the whole team of amazing ladies!
Makeup session in the RTBF studio
Our reference books
2. Second resolution: Manage my time = could do better 😂 improving
Well, I have to say that this goal has not been reached. It's not for lack of trying and making efforts 😂. In 2022, I announced working about 70h/week and well, we reached the same stage in 2023... 🥲
Looking back... At the end of May, we hired Marie Hélène who came to strengthen our team to lighten my working time in the shop and in courses: a big step for our shop and the C’est du Joly adventure but also for me who had to learn to delegate. Everything was going well but... I got carried away 😂 by my imagination and creativity.
Well yes, by expanding the offer of courses and the schedules (during the day and evening)... well, Marie Hélène’s reinforcement hours have become essential hours for the activities. So back to square one and goodbye my day off!
Which means that 2024 will see new reinforcement to really try to reduce my working time because even if it fills me with joy and I’m delighted with my activity, I am well aware (and my body reminds me) that you also have to rest.
Well, let’s stay on a more positive note for this 2023 resolution... you’ve probably already seen or guessed but I love working with Marie Hélène and Céline! They are the two little gems of the shop. Even though it’s a lot of work every day, having them by my side is truly incredible support... Let’s not forget the best, my boyfriend who supports me every day... anyway, we have a great dream team!
3. Third goal: Use my fabric scraps and continue to empty my personal stock = moderately achieved
I have to say the temptations are terrible 😂 I work in a store where I choose the products... pffff so I keep giving in. Nevertheless, this year I used fabrics from my personal stock and I’m delighted; even if my stock hasn’t decreased because it was replenished by my Japanese purchases and my splurges.
Then I have to find excuses for myself... I have to showcase the fabrics from the shop, don’t I?
So this year I still used fabrics from my personal stock and scraps to make: my travel bag, my travel pouch, my Eugène backpack, my Ségur dress, the pockets of jeans, various t-shirts and sweatshirts, my Japanese apron, the ironing board covers, origami butterflies, fabric Easter eggs, Valentine’s heart cushions, some blouses... not so bad, right?
4. Fourth goal: Maintain order in the workshop and the shop = moderately achieved despite constant efforts
Believe it or not... but I feel like I spend my life tidying the shop and the workshop for a result not really up to my expectations 🥲. It must be said that the development of product arrivals and the increase in courses produce more activity and therefore more disturbances: entries/exits, dust, stock management, messy equipment, fabric scraps... for our greatest joy but with all the constraints that come with it.
Katia, one of my students, calls me her beloved witch and well, I would like to have Samantha's power to scrunch my nose and tidy the workshop in a second, top speed 😂 but well, we'll have to settle for the Cinderella version 😂.
Well, the advantage is that we learn from our mistakes (and even if my boyfriend doesn't yet see the progress 😂), I find that in the last 6 months I have managed arrivals and therefore stock much better. I'm progressing but I think we'll put this resolution aside to continue it next year.
5. Fifth goal: Sew the models and patterns from my stock for my darling and for myself = oh dear
From my multitude of printed pattern models, old magazines, I really haven't exploited the stock!
Come on, let's be kind to ourselves, I sewed quite a few new patterns from the shop: the Namasté, the travel bag, the Eugène, the Angela dress...
I sewed some old patterns that I hadn't made yet like the Benita pants for example.
On the other hand, I reused patterns that I love and had already made: the briac, plantain and wanted, the blouses Jeanne and Jolène, Gaëtan's shirt... in short, let's say mixed results but I think it's hard to do much better (and I'm telling you this, and only you) I still fell for other patterns this year so my stock has grown again 😂 (but hush). I guess you can't change who you are!
The wanted tee-shirt in a 3m coupon of jersey: a classic of my wardrobe
Gaetan's shirt: a pattern more than amortized!
Benita in linen in a trio
6. Sixth goal: Continue training: goal achieved and to be pursued
As I told you last year, training is very important to me but also for the sustainability of my business. I focus on sewing and embroidery training and that's already a lot. My goals were to continue training in sewing techniques for clothing and accessories (bags...) to keep evolving and to pass on well-founded and detailed knowledge. Well, I am happy to have continued training this year and you could see that we made several bags in the workshop in this regard. I continued to develop my expertise in coat sewing.
In embroidery, I trained and I continue to do so in sashiko and I have plenty of other ideas...
I am delighted and I will continue on this momentum for 2024 to offer you lots of super cool workshops!
Well, another year is ending... to start a new page.
And you, are you happy with your year?
I do and I can't wait to start the next one!
Get your needles ready to create even more magic!
