At the start of this year, I announced to you (in the 2024 resolutions article) that we needed to expand the team. I am happy to announce that this goal has been achieved!

First of all, a little flashback on the 2024 resolutions where I shared that Marie Hélène’s arrival at the end of May 2023 was meant to free up some of my time. I managed my time well until around September... Then, I let my creativity take over: I increased the range of course themes, the time slots, etc., and Marie Hélène, who was mainly supposed to support me, now has a full course load.
So, my main goal for the first quarter was to strengthen the team to take better care of myself and avoid running out of time.

Drumroll please! Who is this person joining the team?
You might have guessed: it’s Céline, our amazing saleswoman and crochet teacher who used to come a few hours a week, now joining us full-time! I’m thrilled to add this little gem to our team!

So, want to know more about Céline and the team?

But who is Céline aka Madame Cuicui

First of all, I must make a little correction! No, Céline is not our Saturday student... She’s a fairy who fell into the fountain of youth, that’s all! Would you believe me if I told you she’s the oldest member of the team?

But let’s get back on track...

Céline joined the team in May 2022 when we opened our physical store. She came for sales on Saturdays while I was teaching sewing courses. In 2023, she took the plunge and started teaching crochet courses while continuing to work for her main employer as a restorer of archaeological metal objects.

I knew Céline loved both her jobs, but at the end of 2023, I took the initiative and asked if she wanted to join the team full-time. After a few weeks of setting things up, contract management, notice periods..., here she is, hired as of March 1st this year!

Céline now joins us during the week. She will handle sales but also prepare online orders with her gentle hands 😊. Our crochet specialist will be able to advise you throughout the week. Cool, right?

Céline will of course continue to teach crochet courses, and we’re working on developing other courses 🤫 We’ll keep you updated because this will take quite some preparation time. I’m already brainstorming... I feel like we’ll need a fourth person soon 😂😂😂

Fun Facts:
Céline is the ultimate "finder" of four-leaf clovers! She has plenty... and collects them.
Céline loves pink but also all colors because choosing means giving up...

She’s very slim but I assure you she has a good appetite and, as a true Belgian, she loves gratin endives.

Want to make her happy? Her favorite flowers are daisies and hellebores.

But then, you might ask, "what will the others do? if Céline does everything..." Well, uh, read on...

Marie Hélène: our store advisor and sewing and knitting teacher

Marie Hélène joined the team in May 2023 to support me first with sales and then with sewing courses. Graduated in women’s garment making from the Jeanne Toussaint Institute, Marie-Hélène passionately teaches sewing but also knitting, which was added to our course offerings since September 2023. Plus, she has a superpower: she’s left-handed! If she holds her tools like a right-hander, she can also knit and guide you in knitting instruction 😊 for both right- and left-handers, and that’s great.

Marie will continue to handle her course load. It has really grown over the last 6 months, making it difficult to manage courses and the store with just the two of us. With Céline’s arrival, Marie and I will be able to focus on courses and offer you new things. We will therefore offer more course times and new themes.

Marie has also started writing some blog articles, and I hope she’ll keep helping me with that 😊.

Fun facts:
Marie absolutely needs coffee to start her day.
Her favorite color is mauve, and she always has a touch of it with her.
Marie has an incredible and surprising ability: she can laugh and cry at the same time... yes, really!

If you want to make her happy, her favorite flowers are freesias (like me), but she also enjoys a box of candied chestnuts or a rose or lavender herbal tea.

Gaëtan the super manager and the lord of the purse

Gaëtan is first and foremost my partner, but not only that... he’s Superman, my management partner. Because yes, he’s the one who does the complex calculations, the complicated formulas with the bankers... in short, he’s a real math whiz.
Beyond that, he manages what he calls "the finances," he’s the real boss 😂. Believe me, it’s no small feat in a small growing business like ours!

Finally, he’s my proofreader for blog articles and newsletters but also our male photo model (when he feels like it and after we’ve gently persuaded him).

Fun Facts:
Gaëtan loves chocolate! If you want to keep some for yourself, you absolutely have to hide the box.

He was the first Japan enthusiast who passed the passion on to me.

He loves colors and isn’t afraid when I suggest neon, glitter, and other bold combinations for his sewing projects.

Eugénie: store manager, sewing and embroidery teacher, and in charge of purchasing and fabric overflow in the store 😂

I’m delighted that Céline is with me in the store; this will allow me to devote more time to product management (ordering, partnerships, stock management...), searching for gems for our "joly coupons," planning and developing courses; and finally to organizing the store and workshop.

The goal is that I no longer prepare online orders and that I have at least two days a week dedicated to the points mentioned above in order to rediscover the essence of the store: an environment where everyone feels good. A store where you receive quality advice from people who know what they’re talking about. A place to take the courses I would have loved to have when I started over 10 years ago.

Fun Facts:
I’m passionate about Japan (even more than Gaëtan who infected me), and my love for the country led me to learn Japanese. Yes, yes, the store radio plays Japanese 😂

My favorite color is red. I really have to be careful when selecting fabrics, or the store would have a dominant color 😂

My favorite flower is the freesia, just like Marie.

There you go! You know almost everything (and yes, we have to keep some mystery)

Also, in terms of time management, we will continue to offer you workshops during the day, in the evening, and on Saturdays so you can find times that suit you.

We will continue to offer: sewing (from absolute beginner to advanced), embroidery (classic and sashiko), knitting, and crochet for beginners and advanced!

We will also keep groups to 6 people for sewing and up to 10 for theoretical courses so you’re always in small groups in our charming little cocoon.

The second trimester program is online and already filling up well, so don’t wait too long to sign up if some themes interest you.