Clothworks Projects

Greetings my friends!  Welcome back to another installment of the Wonderful Folks of the Works.  Everyday it’s a pleasure to work alongside people who are so creative, talented, and come from such diverse backgrounds.  In some ways, the employees of Clothworks remind me of a vibrantly colored patchwork quilt.   Each employee represents their own uniquely-designed fabric piece, and when united together, they create one eclectically stitched quilt.  The next person that I’m going to introduce you to has the pleasure of working with all the wonderful artwork that goes on to be printed into beautifully designed fabric.  Please meet, Candice, the Creative Director.

Candice has been with the company since 2006, when she and her husband Ted purchased Clothworks from the previous wonderful owners, David & Julie Peha.  Ted had dreamed of being his own boss and when they came across Clothworks for sale, he was thrilled because he knew how much Candice loved fabric.  Another big plus in becoming new owners of the company, was that Candice could set up a safe, chemical & fragrance free environment at Clothworks.  Since being diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities back in the 1990’s, it was difficult for Candice to work outside the home and not get sick, due to severe allergies to chemicals and fragrances.

As Creative Director, Candice oversees the Design Team at Clothworks.  They plan their collections at least one year in advance and take design submissions from artwork on paper to an approved strike off printed on fabric.  For those who don’t know what a strike off is, it is a swatch of printed fabric sent from the mill to be approved for color & printing quality.  As an owner of a company, every day is a work day for Candice.  She begins her days at home by checking email on her phone while eating breakfast, and immediately addresses any urgent concerns since she works with many international folks.  Next, she prioritizes her day based on “projects”:  what needs designing, what needs to be reviewed, what new issues or initiatives need to be analyzed or resolved and then goes from there.  As a non-artist, she loves looking at art and fabric all day, and every day!  She also enjoys working with our sales reps and customers, finding ways to help them be successful in their businesses.  And her newest favorite thing is participating in Clothworks Health Club, a weekly session where participating employees meet to encourage & support each other in their personal health & fitness goals.  The Health Club is the brainstorm of our fellow employee, Angela, who even leads us in a 15 minute arm toning workout in the warehouse a few times a week.  It’s quite a hoot!

Like many of the other employees here in the office, Candice is just as busy in the office as she is in her free time with craft projects.  And like many who have the sewing bug, she acquired her passion from her mother.  Growing up, she did a lot of needlework and sewed most of her clothes in high school.  Like every sewer, she has a lot of UFOs (Unfinished Objects).  A couple of years ago, she set a goal to complete one project a month alternating with something for someone else and something for herself.  Even though she didn’t complete 12 projects, this goal allowed her to complete more projects than the previous year and also have fun in the process!  This year her goal is to complete one UFO per month.  She missed the January goal, but blame it on losing her glasses mid-month!  A couple years ago after having finished a quilt before tackling some mending on her son’s PJs, her mind was on ¼” seams— which was not enough to accommodate the rough wear & tear of a teenager. The flannel bathrobe she’s currently working on for him will have 5/8” seams for sure!  One stunning UFO project that she’s been working on and off again for the past 8 years is a crewel embroidered pillow that she hopes to complete soon.  She also planned out a California King sized quilt based on Sew Be It’s “With or Without” pattern which Clothworks cross-promoted a while back.  Her version will have 12” blocks and no borders, so she’s excited to get cutting!!  Now if only she could just find her ruler that one of her kids borrowed for an art project.

And lastly, if Candice were ever stranded on a desert island, she couldn’t live without having some wildlife around her.  Which makes complete sense since she’s an ardent animal lover and ‘mom’ to a rabbit and playful puppy!

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