After the review comes the challenge! New Year's Day is the perfect time for good resolutions for the coming year... Promises we keep, right... otherwise, it's pointless 😂

Reviewing the year 2023 last week allowed me to adjust my needs and desires for 2024. Treating yourself is very important to keep going in the long run. Ready to discover what I chose and maybe take on part of the challenge with me?

Enough talk... here come the 2024 resolutions!

1. Time and space management

At the risk of sounding like a sci-fi series, we’re going to talk about space/time. In 2023, I unfortunately bumped into some limits... Why don’t my days last 36 hours? That would be so much easier!

Even a prayer to Saint Rita (patron saint of hopeless causes) didn’t work... so I’ll have to do better this year!

Time management

Of course, this is the first priority, just like last year 😂. I was full of good intentions! It worked well at the start, when Marie Hélène arrived at the end of May. Then I got carried away by my creativity and increased the offer of course themes, time slots... In short, Marie Hélène, who was mainly supposed to support me, now also has her own course load. It’s great because she’s been embraced by both old and new students. I’m happy every day about this collaboration but as a result... I’m still just as busy 😂 Whose fault is it? Mine!

So, this year, my main goal for the first quarter is to strengthen the team so I can take better care of myself. It’s a bit of a cliché phrase but it’s by taking care of yourself that you can take care of others: my students, customers, but also my family, my partner, my godson Martin... and especially me 😂.

There will therefore be a new face to strengthen our team in 2024 and maybe more if my creativity sparks too much (we’ll talk about that later in resolution no. 5)!

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... yes, level two is coming 😂), 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 first quarter program is online and already filling up well, so don’t hesitate too long to sign up if some themes interest you.

Space management

You’ve seen it, throughout 2023 our shop has grown a lot with the arrival of yarn and knitting supplies, all kinds of fabrics (Japanese, wool, jersey...), the development of classic embroidery and the arrival of sashiko supplies, the jolys coupons: our 3m coupons at great prices... All this requires space and despite my imagination and overflowing creativity to fit everything in, we’re reaching the limits of available space.

Since we want to stay in the Ixelles cemetery neighborhood and haven’t yet found larger affordable premises (if you find any in the area, let us know 😊), we will get help from architects to help us bring order, flow, and logic to all our treasures.

There will probably be changes... but you’ll see in a few months when we’ve worked on the plans.

The workshop will also have some adjustments, especially in terms of storage space (you can never have enough, right?) but also to better arrange the machines and facilitate movement. It will be great, that’s for sure; even if it will require some work from us.

2. Continue developing C'est du Joly

Last year was crazy in terms of expansion. You always tell us when you come into the shop, "Oh, there’s something new again" or "Oh, you changed that..."

One thing is certain, I want to strengthen my collaboration with our preferred suppliers, those who produce the highest quality supplies/patterns. My philosophy when I opened the shop was to have a haberdashery where I myself would want to get lost: good quality products at a fair price served with advice and a smile.

I want this spirit to remain the cornerstone of C'est du Joly.

New suppliers will come in due time, that’s for sure, and we will introduce them to you.

Secondly, Marie Hélène, Céline, and I will continue to develop new courses so that during the summer holidays 2024 and especially in September you will have new course themes ever more suited to your requests... and we have plenty of ideas!

3. Keep the shop and workshop tidy

As I told you last week, I feel like I spend my life tidying up but that’s partly explained by a lack of storage space. So, I’m eagerly awaiting the changes we will make, see resolution 1, to better manage order in the shop and workshop.

For our architects to make the workshop more efficient, I have to do a lot of explaining about how a workshop works, the flow inside, managing course preparations, students’ work...

Besides that, the shop will need to be "redesigned" to better display new products.

After that, I’ll have no excuse 😂; the tidying will have to be perfect... well, I’m also counting a bit on you to help me.

4. Continue training myself and the team

I think my review of last year is pretty good and I want 2024 to be in the same vein.

I already know – because I really want to – that I will continue to specialize in sashiko and complete several projects in this thread art. I have lots of ideas that I’ll need to channel!

In sewing, I have several training ideas for 2024. I haven’t yet chosen the subject I’ll deepen among the many themes that tempt me... I’ll share that with you during the year.

Also, Marie Hélène and Céline will join me on this theme (and on tidying too, by the way 😂 they didn’t know that yet 😂😂😂). Marie Hélène continues to train in sewing on various themes, I challenge her regularly 😂 and Céline will continue her training in sewing and knitting... and honestly, Céline is starting to do some great things in knitting. In short, I’m really proud of my two colleagues who really invest themselves in their work to give their best every day.

5. Sew and embroider for fun and to inspire you 😊

All these resolutions are great but the most important thing in life is to have fun (and good health), so I’m also going to set myself the goal of sewing and embroidering simply for my own pleasure.

It’s good to write blog posts, to race against time to stay on trend, post photos, make stories, reels, TikToks, POVs and all those letters I don’t understand 😂...

In short, this year I invite you to take the time to sit down and create without worrying about society’s diktats or the pursuit of performance because life isn’t about that! In fact, my Instagram account reflects this a bit; you won’t find polished fashion photos taken by a pro but real-life photos, the ones when you didn’t do your hair because you didn’t have time to go to the hairdresser, when the lighting isn’t right because it’s late when you can/must take the photo, when you forgot your lipstick... in short, real life!

So this year, I want fun and also to inspire you! With the girls, we will share a little, a lot, passionately, our little bits of shop life, arrivals, courses, our supplier searches... In short, the simple little moments that feel good and show you that we’re not perfect and that’s perfectly fine!

Whew, that’s quite a program for next year! Well, it’s too late now, if you’ve made it this far, it means you’ve read it... I can’t change anything anymore and I’ll have to follow it... when I think I’m the one who wrote it 😂.

To sum up this year, there will be work, yes, but also lots of fun! So, inspired and ready to take on the 2024 resolutions challenge with me? I’m good, I’m ready!

So let’s go, grab your needles!