For 5 years now, I’ve invited you every year to take on the challenge of good resolutions. It’s time to review 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 our resolutions? That’s what we’ll see in this article 😊
It feels so good to take a moment to look back: the highlights; what went well, what was less good. It’s also the time to celebrate all the work we accomplished with joy and good spirits!
So let’s look together at what our resolutions were and their outcome.
Let’s go!
1. First resolution: Continue developing C'est du Joly = achieved
After opening the physical shop in 2022, my goals for 2023 were to strengthen relationships with my suppliers and find new suppliers to always offer you an original and high-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 ateliers, 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 chatting with them.
It was very interesting to compare our tastes in fabrics and patterns. We even had some very funny moments about the patterns we find cute and those that are scary! It was really great meetings! I’m so eager to do this experience again... in short, it was magical!
All this allowed us to create new business collaborations to offer you a huge amount of exclusive Japanese fabrics; that you won’t find anywhere else. We brought in 2.5 tons of fabric with our own little arms (we’ll remember that moving day 😂, our arms too) but as incredible as it sounds, we managed to fit it all in.
The Japanese adventure in Tokyo wearing my Deer and Doe centaurée dress
Embroidering sashiko in a café in Akita wearing my Cozy Little World ségur dress
Discovering new dyeing techniques in Morioka
It's not just fabrics and embroidery that have grown... because the wool section (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, révélation... 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.
On the courses side, the goals were to develop new original courses that meet your needs. I think this goal is more than achieved because we really went all out this year. We expanded the course offerings during the day, in the evening, and also on weekends.
We expanded the sewing themes with: first coat, first jeans, serger improvement, discovering fabrics, teen courses... but also themed knitting and crochet: bag, granny squares, hat and mittens, amigurumi, and embroidery with sashiko introductions!
I’m really happy 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’d like to find and at what times; it really helps me prepare my schedule. I already have lots of ideas for 2024 😂.
Marie Hélène, Madame Knitting, sets up the Rowan yarn assortment
When you try out the new crochet courses with Céline, our Madame Crochet
Ready to take off to RTBF wearing my Namaste coat by Coralie Bijasson
On the supplier side, you may have noticed that since this year we also offer reference books in our physical store only. These are books we have selected to support our courses but also to help you continue your development at home. We’re happy to offer them at the official price (the same as online 😂 plus advice).
We have also expanded our range of suppliers for printed patterns with: Atelier Bernie, Atelier Brunette, Cozy little world, les beaux gosses... and a big new addition since last month, we offer all the PDF patterns by Coralie Bijasson yes, all of them! And that’s super cool because Coralie creates wonderful patterns that are well cut, well explained; in short, high quality, and I’m thrilled to work with a professional of her caliber!
Finally, to close the development section, I’m delighted to have been invited by RTBF, our Belgian French-speaking national channel, to talk about creative hobbies. I think it’s a great recognition for the creative arts and for my work promoting them. So thank you Fanny, Sarah... and the whole team of amazing women!
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 goal was not reached. It's not for lack of trying and making efforts 😂. In 2022, I told you I was working about 70 hours a week, and well, we ended up at the same point in 2023... 🥲
Looking back... At the end of May, we hired Marie Hélène who came to strengthen our team to lighten my working hours 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 range of courses and the hours (daytime 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 reinforcements to really try to reduce my working hours because even though it fills me with joy and I’m happy with my activity, I’m well aware (and my body reminds me) that rest is also necessary.
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 partner who supports me every day... anyway, we have a great dream team!
3. Third goal: Use my fabric scraps and continue to clear out 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... I do need to showcase the shop’s fabrics, 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, a few blouses... not too 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 that doesn't quite meet my expectations 🥲. You have to say that the increase in product arrivals and the growth of courses create more activity and therefore more disruptions: entries/exits, dust, stock management, messy materials, 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 love 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 you learn from your mistakes (and even if my boyfriend doesn't yet see the progress 😂), I think I've managed arrivals and stock much better these last 6 months. I'm improving, 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 myself = oh dear
With my multitude of printed pattern models, old magazines, I really haven't made much of a dent in 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 backpack, 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 I love and had already made: the briac, plantain, and wanted tee-shirts, the Jeanne and Jolène blouses, Gaëtan’s shirt... in short, the outcome is mixed but I think it’s hard to do much better (and I’m telling you this, and only you) I gave in again this year to other patterns so my stock has grown again 😂 (but shh). I guess you can’t change who you are!
The wanted tee-shirt in a 3m jersey coupon: a classic in my wardrobe
Gaetan’s shirt: a pattern more than worth it!
Benita in linen in a trio
6. Sixth goal: Keep training: goal achieved and ongoing
As I told you last year, training is very important to me but also for the sustainability of my business. I’m focusing on sewing and embroidery training, and that’s already a lot. My goals were to keep training in sewing techniques for clothing and accessories (bags...) to keep evolving and pass on well-founded and detailed knowledge. Well, I’m happy to have kept training this year, and you could see that we made several bags at the workshop with this in mind. I continued to develop my expertise in sewing coats.
In embroidery, I trained and I’m continuing to do so in sashiko, and I have plenty of other ideas...
I’m delighted and I will keep this momentum going in 2024 to offer you lots of super cool workshops!
Here we go, 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!
