NEEDLEWORK: MY 2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog, it is 31/12/2023 over here and this feels like the perfect time to talk about my achievements for 2023 when it comes to needlework. So here we go!

Share about all of your needlework accomplishments in 2023 (Skills learned, projects completed, supplies gained, goals met etc.)
Reflecting on the objectives we’ve attained can be very motivating, reminding us what we are capable of.

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GETTING A MANNEQUIN

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When I started the year, the first thing on my mind was to get a mannequin. This was not a decision that just popped into my head, it happened because in late 2022, I made a very pretty red beach wear for a client and I can’t quantify how hurt I was that I couldn’t take a proper picture of the dress. It was a mesh dress and had tassels attached symmetrically around the dress and the front neckline had this pretty sweetheart shape, with a square neckline at the back and a slit from the knee down at the back.

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Thankfully, in January 2023, I got an order for a skirt and top and with the profit I got from making the items I was able to cover the cost of a new mannequin, without hands. However, that wasn’t a problem for me since I only needed the full-body mannequin. So that was my first major accomplishment for the year.

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MY PRECIOUS RING LIGHT

My second major accomplishment for 2023 was getting a ring light. Owning a ring light has always been on my list since I always do my crochet work at night because of my day job and taking process pictures or video is always a hassle, and even the final piece, sometimes I finish an order at night and have to deliver the next day but I can’t take final pictures because it’s night and dark.

What has been stopping me has been the price, so I decided to get a small one which I could afford at the time but that was a big mistake. The light from the ring-light was worse than the light from my phone. It is so low, I was pissed after that purchase. Anyway, I set out to save for a bigger one, by March I had gotten enough for it, so I bought it.

I was pleased with that purchase as it made taking pictures for my business so much easier for me and I didn’t have to worry about my pictures not coming out well at night. Even when I didn’t have time to take pictures during the day, taking nighttime pictures was no longer an issue.

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TAKING MY BUSINESS TO THE NEXT STEP

My third accomplishment for the year was successfully separating my business account from my account. I started noticing an issue when I couldn’t tell if I made a profit or not because the money was nowhere to be found. I had either used it to settle a personal bill or get more materials, I just couldn’t tell. So I decided to get a separate account for my business.

I didn’t get around to opening an account until May mainly because I don’t like going to the bank and I needed to do so to get a new account, thankfully a bank sales representative came to my office and I used that opportunity to create a new account for the business.

Since I opened an account, it has been a lot easier to track my profit and now I do not confuse personal bills with that of the business or mix them up. I also set a goal for the amount I wanted to have in the account at the end of the year and I am proud to say that I was able to meet my target and even surpass it.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

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Also, for the first time, I held an online training session. I must admit it was challenging, it is harder to get people to stay committed when you are not seeing physically. I had previously done a physical class and that yielded more results than the online class. I don’t think I would recommend the online class, especially for small business owners. It was a beginner class and I did what needed to be done, although I wanted more from that class, I was still happy with how it went.

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In addition, I made my biggest sale this year. It is a crochet sweatshirt that I playfully made with the mini-bean stitch. Surprisingly, a lot of people loved that stitch and how it looked in a sweatshirt. I made the first of that sweatshirt in July and since then I have made about 6 more of that sweatshirt.

Lastly, I made a video of the sweatshirt and posted it on TikTok, it became my first-ever viral video. I was really surprised when I saw the video blow up because I did not expect that to happen. Then people started reaching out to me to teach me how to make it or what stitch I used, materials and all, it felt really good and I love it.

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These are a few of my accomplishments, I think that every little project I completed is worthy of celebration but I can’t fit all that in one post right😁, it has been a beautiful year and I expect 2024 to be much better.

Thanks for stopping by❤️