Hey everyone,
Cindy and I started working at the Cotton Patch around the same time, so we’re a couple of the newer faces around the store. I bow down to Cindy’s expertise with machine embroidery, and you may have seen a few samples she’s sewn up for display around the store. Read on to learn a little bit more about Cindy (my favorite part is hearing how she got started with sewing!)
Quick Facts
Name: Cindy
Birthday: Dec 27
Birthplace: Los Angeles
Favorite color: Aqua
Favorite dessert: chocolate chip cookies
How long have you been working at the Cotton Patch? How did you start?
I started in January (2025), so it's been about eight months. I'd been retired for two years when I saw an ad on the Cotton Patch newsletter. I’ve shopped here for a long time but I'd never seen an ad for employment at the Cotton Patch so I thought “Oh, this is my calling! I need to respond to that.”
How did you learn how to sew?
When I was eight, I had a 12 year old neighbor who lived across the street, and she sold handmade Barbie clothes at the end of her driveway. I was so intrigued and wanted to learn how to make doll clothes too, so I asked my mother to teach me how to sew. I always saw her sewing when I was young. But I didn’t have a Barbie…I always wanted one but never got it.
So I made Troll doll clothes–I had one with pink hair and I still have it in a box somewhere.
Do you remember the first quilt you ever made?
Yes, I still have it. It’s a drunkard’s path made with gingham. I made it when I was just about 30. I lived in Orange County and my next-door neighbor always had a quilt hanging on the wall. I could see into her family room from my bedroom window and she’d always have a new quilt hanging on the wall somehow. One day, I asked her how she always had a new quilt and she explained that she held quilting bees at her house and they made quilts for the Ronald McDonald House charity. She invited me to join them but my kids were babies and I didn't really have the time to go regularly so she recommended I take a class. I got hooked and I've been quilting ever since.
What project is on your sewing table right now?
I just finished making a cover for my new Bernina B790 Pro.
Name one notion you can’t live without.
I thought I’d lost it yesterday but then I found it! It's a 6” sewing seam gauge. I also can't live without my seam ripper.
Describe your ideal sewing retreat (feel free to ignore money restraints!)
I'm a lone sewer. I'm the happiest when I'm sewing in my room with the AC on, watching Netflix shows on my iPad. I’ve gone and worked with sewing groups before but I prefer to work by myself because I concentrate more and I get more done.
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How much of Cindy’s story resonates with you? Did you ever make doll clothes as a child? Do you use a seam gauge or a ruler? Are you a lone sewer or do you get more done when you’re in a group? Are you a lover of the classic chocolate chip cookie?
And is it just me, or is it insane to think that Cindy’s very first quilt was a drunkard’s path???
…but then again, when we’re very new to a hobby we often dive in headfirst, don’t we? The third thing I ever sewed was a steel-boned corset. But that’s a story for another time.
Until next time,
Vivian