January always feels a bit like opening a brand‑new sketchbook. The first page is crisp, full of possibility, and just a little intimidating until you make that first mark. Usually, you’d find me easing myself gently back into the rhythm of making after the muddle of the festive season. But this year? It’s started with a bang, and I’ve been running to catch up ever since. So I thought I’d bring you along with me as I sprint my way into the year.

Easing Back Into the Worktable

There’s something about January that makes me want to organise everything — my worktable, my studio, my creative brain. After the Christmas rush swept me away, I’ve been itching to get back to making, especially after a wee shop for some fabulous new fabrics. You know that feeling when you spot a colour or texture that just speaks to you? A couple of those have already made their way into my plans for the months ahead.

January is usually a slow, thoughtful month for me. It’s when I remember why I make things in the first place — the joy of shaping something with intention, the pleasure of choosing just the right fabric, the satisfaction of a seam that sits exactly as it should. But this year, the studio has had to wait its turn. Paperwork has taken over: end‑of‑year tax returns, courses to keep me updated on new technology, tinkering with my website, photographing new stock, and getting it all online for you to enjoy. Not quite the creative start I imagined, but part of the reality of running a small handmade business.

The Beauty of Starting Again

One of the things I love most about this time of year is the gentle permission it gives us to begin again. Not in a big, resolution‑heavy way — more in the sense of quietly returning to what matters. Thinking about where I want to take the business, who I’d love to collaborate with, and what I’m excited to design and make.

For me, this means looking at the shops I supply and how their orders fit into my year, planning which events I’ll be attending, and deciding what I’ll be doing with the Treble Makers. It’s a bit like laying out fabrics on the table and seeing which ones want to sit together.

And speaking of events — the first one is coming up fast. In February, I’ll be holding a SAMPLE and SECONDS sale. It’s a brilliant chance for you to pick up some bargains, and for me to clear the decks, move on from last year’s designs, and make space for what’s coming next.

Finding Inspiration in the Quiet

I know many of you feel that same tug toward gentle creativity in January. It’s a month that invites us to slow down, to listen, to notice. When I’m feeling stuck or overwhelmed — and goodness knows I’ve felt that while trying to catch up this month — I often step outside for a walk along the river.

The winter landscape is stripped back to its essentials: bare branches, muted grasses, the soft crunch of frost underfoot. There’s a clarity to it that helps me see my work more clearly too. It reminds me that not everything needs to be decided at once. That it’s okay to pause. That ideas often arrive in their own time.

I keep needing to remind myself of that.

Why I Make, and Why It Matters

At the heart of everything I do is connection. Connection to materials, to tradition, to the women who carry my pieces, and to the stories that unfold as each bag is used and loved. That’s always been my “why.”

Every January, I find myself coming back to that truth. It’s what keeps me stitching, choosing, unpicking, re‑stitching, and dreaming up new designs. It’s what makes the long days worth it. And it’s what makes sharing this journey with you feel so special.

A Gentle Invitation

As we step into this new season together, I hope you find small moments of creativity that feel nourishing. Maybe it’s mending a favourite jumper, rearranging your sewing basket, or simply noticing a colour that sparks something in you.

Here’s to a year of thoughtful making, quiet beginnings, and the joy found in every stitch.

Julia