Cha'coud

How better to define Charlotte's sewing patterns than by Charlotte herself? "It all started ten years ago, on a beautiful July day, in my grandparents' country house. This house, filled with many childhood memories, is where all kinds of whims
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How better to define Charlotte's sewing patterns than by Charlotte herself?

"It all started ten years ago, on a beautiful July day, in my grandparents' country house. This house, filled with many childhood memories, is where all kinds of whims were allowed, all dreams possible. It's where, as a child, I nibbled garden strawberries, picked plums, raised snails, and stained and tore my clothes through endless exploration.

It was in this house that I first touched a sewing machine, my grandmother's. The story is quite ordinary; many have fallen into sewing because their mother or grandmother was a seamstress.

While on vacation at my grandparents', I asked my grandmother to teach me to sew. I immediately took to it! I started by sewing accessories, bags, pencil cases... But I wanted to go further, I saw sewing as a source of endless discovery and creativity!

That same year, for Christmas, my parents gave me my first sewing machine. I immediately experimented with clothing. My mom, with the solid foundation my grandmother had given her, helped me understand patterns and read assembly instructions.

My first garment was a skirt. I wore it on countless occasions, I was so proud! Today, my eyes hurt when I look at its finishes, but your first handmade garment is sacred!

Then everything went very quickly. I was 13, with a crazy desire to develop my creativity and sewing technique. I wanted to make it my profession, I was sure of it! But at that age, it's hard to convince your parents you've found your calling. In my case, it involved a specific curriculum in a vocational high school far from home.

After many conversations, they finally believed in my motivation and trusted me. Right after middle school, I moved to Lyon, where I studied fashion and clothing for five years. First, through a vocational baccalaureate where I learned all the basics of sewing, pattern making, textile knowledge... I continued with a BTS to further my knowledge about fabric origins, production, and the cost of a product. A more industrial aspect of the profession that goes beyond the artisanal production of a garment.

In parallel, I started to feed a Facebook page with my creations, kind of like a portfolio. And what does Charlotte do with her days? 'Cha' sews'...

During these study years, I interned with ready-to-wear companies, bridal houses, small and large-scale structures. This world never ceased to fulfill me.

After completing my BTS, I wanted to go further, I was still thirsty to learn. There are so many materials, product typologies, structures, quality grades... A professional license in alternation in a large mountain clothing company – me, who has never finished a hike – allowed me to continue my path. I worked in the design office with a lot of curiosity, discovering a very different textile world. But I quickly realized that I missed the touch of femininity, the prints, and the tailored cuts...

'Cha' sews' was meeting with some success on social media, and I was receiving more and more comments from people frustrated at not being able to make the same dress as me because... the pattern was homemade. One autumn, while I was again in my childhood country house, where all dreams are possible, I thought: 'Sell my patterns? Why not!'

The adventure began in November 2018. The Ema shorts made their debut. They were sold at a pattern retailer and sold quite well. Other patterns followed... I worked on new models when I wanted to, when I had time. They pleased me and pleased others.

I finished my curriculum with training in lingerie, corsetry, and swimwear. A world whose noble, openwork, elastic materials had long attracted me. This training was led by professionals in the field, making the experience even more real. I loved working on a product that enters the intimacy of women, a work full of little details that require special attention.

I have enriched my know-how and knowledge during these seven years of study, crossing paths with seven different companies.

Then came the time to ask: 'And now, what? What do you want to do? Where do you want to be?'

I wanted to learn, to know and to transmit; I wanted to try, to make mistakes, to perfect. What if I took control of the situation? What if I tried to really develop the 'Cha' sews' patterns, to devote all my time and energy to them?

So, I took the plunge. I continue to learn every day by setting myself challenges: new materials, new cuts, new goals. I know how to do it, it's my job, I've learned it and applied it for several years.

I transmit this knowledge by marketing my patterns and their assembly guides to passionate seamstresses. I try new pattern-making or finishing techniques with each new model. I still make mistakes, sometimes on basic knowledge; it doesn't stop me from starting