The Wonderful Folks of the Works: Meet Kathleen

Kathleen posing with a Laurel Burch quilt she made

 

Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome back to another installment of the Wonderful Folks of the Works!  We are now into the 5^th month of this posting and I’ve decided to dedicate this to a very special employee at Clothworks!  This wonderful lady gets her hands into everything here….and that is almost an understatement!  Her can-do attitude, her diligence, and her heart of gold make her a real asset to the company.  After 8 years at Clothworks, she has decided to retire at the end of this month.  We’re sad to see her go, but we wish her the best in her retirement and hope she can finally relax.  I’d like to introduce you to Kathleen, our ‘Jill-of-All-Trades’ at Clothworks!

Eight years ago, one of Kathleen’s quilting friends, asked her if she would like to lend a helping hand at Clothworks in preparation for Quilt Market.  For any outsiders who have no clue about Quilt Market, it is a large trade show where we showcase our ‘latest & greatest’ fabric collections, samples, and quilts.  In preparation for Quilt Market- we are assembling a multitude of sales boards to show the fabric collections to our customers, as well as fat quarter bundles, samples, etc.  The weeks leading up to Quilt Market are frenetic around the office and warehouse.  Sometimes it greatly aids us to have a helper jump in the mix and complete all of the necessary preparations that will be sent off to our Quilt Market booth.  It also helps when the helper has an interest in fabric and quilting, as some of the preparations need special attention given that only a fabric person can give.  Enter Kathleen.  Eight years ago, she was delighted to have the opportunity to work the 6 weeks needed in prep for Quilt Market.  The beautiful Clothworks fabrics had always intrigued her and with her quilting background, she jumped right in with no hesitation.  Upon interviewing for this position with our previous owner, she was given the job on the spot and those 6 weeks turned into 8 years!

Clothworks has found a gem in Kathleen!!  She gets her hands into everything here and assists many of the different teams at Clothworks:  the upstairs office with accounting and customer service, the sample room, and the design team. And I’ve even seen her pick fabric orders for the shipping team!!  I like to call her a ‘Jill-of-All-Trades’—as during a typical day at Clothworks you will find her calling customers on orders ready to ship, as well as helping any of the walk-in customers find fabric as they shop the warehouse.  Kathleen manages donations, cuts fabric samples for sales reps, lends her quilting eye to the design team seeking extra input, and even helps check quilt pattern accuracy from time to time.  Kathleen puts her heart and soul into her work, and she has quite a heart of gold, not to mention.  She deeply cares about our customers, and delivers the highest customer service as much as possible!

Working amongst the beautifully designed, high quality fabric by Clothworks is a pleasure for Kathleen, as well as working alongside the highly creative team of people at the company.  Those are two of Kathleen’s favorite things about working here!  And it makes sense, as she too, is a highly creative person!  In her free time, she enjoys working on various projects:  sewing dresses for her grand-daughters, making quilts for friends, family and colleagues, and embellishing towels using Clothworks fabric.  She enjoys needlepoint & cross-stitch, and takes some spectacular National Geographic quality photos on some of her many travels.  She spoils the heck out of us here at Clothworks- and this quality will be sorely missed when she leaves.  She makes us fantastic soups for lunch, and every holiday she will put together a carefully handcrafted bag of goodies for each and every employee in the office.  Did I not mention she has a heart of gold?   Her caring continues upon leaving the office-she has a lovely husband, 2 cockatoos named Shiva & Fiona, and a gorgeous garden that she tends to!  Which, if she were stranded on a desert island, she could not live without plants and gardening tools so that she could add her special ‘Kathleen’ flair to the island and make it beautiful!  Kathleen, from all of us at Clothworks, we wish you a happy retirement and here’s to making the world a little more beautiful with your special touch!

Tagged as: Clothworks, clothworks employee, Clothworks Employee Profile, Laurel Burch, quilts