It's crazy... we have surpassed 100,000 followers on social media!!!
This week marks the 282nd blog post and we have just passed the milestone of sending 200 newsletters each week... really, this calls for a celebration!
So what better than a contest to thank you for your support and loyalty to our haberdashery and to our sewing, embroidery, crochet, and knitting courses...
We are delighted to have gathered a caring community around us where encouragement, perseverance, and the desire to do well are abundant. I am thrilled with the atmosphere in the workshops where we learn while having fun. If someone had told me it would be this good, I don't think I would have believed it, yet here we are!
We really want a contest that highlights our community and adds some fun to this celebration... you’re probably wondering what we’ve prepared for you... and you’re right to be curious 😂!
Before moving on to the contest, a little flashback for those who have just discovered C'est du Joly or don’t know the whole story... and for those who do, see you in the next paragraph.
Little Flashback
It all started in April 2019. I created the sewing advice blog you are currently on, and you are actually reading the 281st article.
At first, I ran the blog to share my passion for sewing while working in a hospital setting. C'est du Joly didn’t exist yet, and you could follow my adventures on the Facebook page coutureconseil. In fact, the blog kept that name, which I still find very relevant. This blog contains lots of information about fabrics, patterns, materials, tutorials... in short, I’m very happy with this compilation of articles. Feel free to take a look after reading this article 😉
In March 2020, the whole world faced COVID. My professional life was completely turned upside down. With my partner, we launched the C'est du Joly website to create masks, encouraged by the municipality looking for citizen initiatives to distribute masks. During the day, I worked at the hospital; in the evening, I sewed masks and delivered them on foot within the municipality before the curfew.
August 2020: I ordered Japanese fabric (4 rolls of 6m) because Japan is also one of my passions and their finely woven poplins are perfect for masks and so beautiful!
November 2020: We ordered more Japanese fabrics and the haberdashery section arrived to complete the offer because you asked me for materials to create bags.
April 2021: I resigned to fully dedicate myself to C'est du Joly and its development. We decided to rename our Facebook page, which was still "coutureconseil," to "C'est du Joly."
July 2021: A commercial space near my home became available and we really needed more room.
May 2022: After quite a bit of work, we opened the physical store and started the courses! Céline joined the team for sales on Saturdays while I taught the sewing courses. It’s really great to meet customers "in person" at the store and to teach in a friendly, caring atmosphere... it feels good!
End of 2022, we expanded the offer with products for knitting, embroidery, and crochet. Céline teaches crochet courses and I teach embroidery 😊.
May 2023: I was working a lot and couldn’t manage alone anymore... Marie-Hélène joined our sales team, teaches knitting courses, and strengthens the sewing course offer.
July 2023: We started the "Jolys coupons" adventure: 3m coupons at very attractive prices. All the fabrics offered are end-of-stock bought in larger quantities and cut by us into 3m coupons.
September 2023: Yarn arrived at C'est du Joly and we chose beautiful quality from Rowan and DMC! And we reached 100,000 followers on Facebook without even realizing it 🤪.
The Contest
For this contest, we really wanted to highlight our wonderful community and spoil you.
We decided to have 2 categories to enter:
First category: my most beautiful sewing projects made with C'est du Joly fabrics.
Post one or more photos of garments or accessories made from fabrics purchased in our store. The sewing project doesn’t have to be made specifically for the contest; you can share a previous creation. The goal is to share 😊
Second category: my most beautiful creation at the C'est du Joly workshop; the one I am most proud of
More and more of you come to the workshop to take sewing courses but also knitting, crochet, and embroidery, so I wanted to honor you. Whether you made a kimono, a shoulder bag, a free project in the workshop, jeans... in short, post your favorite sewing projects made at the workshop
Prizes
For the first category:
First prize: a surprise box of supplies worth €150
Second prize: a surprise box worth €70
Third prize: a 3m coupon
For the second category:
First prize: a €75 gift voucher redeemable on your next courses
Second prize: a spot in the course: I discover fabrics
Participation Conditions:
To make participation and photo uploading easier, the contest will take place on Instagram 😊
1. Follow the Instagram account cestdujoly.be, like the contest post, and tag 2 people in the comments to participate
2. Post your contest photo(s) before November 15, mentioning our page (@cestdujoly.be) and using the hashtag #fierencestdujoly
3. For category 2, you must have been registered for a workshop (yes, that’s the point of this category)
4. Have fun participating because that’s the most important!
Contest open to Belgium, mainland France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Austria.
Winner Selection
The winner will be chosen by our jury composed of Marie-Hélène, Céline, and myself.
We will check if the participation conditions are met (see above) and select the best creation among eligible entries. The three of us are excited to discover your beautiful sewing projects as jury members... with only one regret: not being able to participate ourselves 😂!
Good luck to all!
So, ready to get started?
Grab your needles! (to sew, embroider, or knit)!
