Clotilde Robison Lampe
1928-2011

Clotilde Robison Lampe, founder and former owner of the Clotilde catalog, died Nov. 29. She was 83.

At the time of her death, she was living in the Seattle area. She is survived by her husband, Don Lampe, of Marathon, Fla., and five children: Mark, Lisanne, Dirk and Tanja, all living on the West Coast, and Dana in the London, England, area. Her twin sister, Rosalinda Robison Paul, survives her and resides in Findlay, Ohio, and a brother, Arch Robison, resides in the Philadelphia area.

The family is considering a memorial designation in her honor that would celebrate her love of sewing and encourage that love in others.

Clotilde was a pioneer in the sewing field.

She started her catalog business in her garage with innovative sewing products, including the Iron-All, Slip-and-Snip Scissors and All-Purpose Pins in 1971. Over the ensuing 30-plus years, she became a nationally recognized sewing authority, lecturer and author of Sew Smart.

After graduating from Miami University of Ohio, Clotilde worked in the wardrobe department of 20th Century Fox film studio, where she learned valuable designer techniques of garment construction. She continued to learn tricks and techniques while sewing commercially for exclusive Beverly Hills boutiques.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Clotilde crisscrossed the country giving seminars and in-service programs to county extension groups, schools, fabric shops and trade show organizations. She gave lectures in countries around the world, including Canada, Australia and England.

Clotilde loved to travel and often discovered unusual sewing tools and needlework supplies to offer her catalog customers. She started collecting antique tools about 40 years ago on her first trip to England.

Her family accompanied her to Bali, Indonesia. Other exotic destinations included the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon jungle.

With all this globetrotting, Clotilde still preferred small communities-towns like Plentywood, Mont., and Lemon, S.D.-to the large, glamorous destinations.

Originally, Clotilde started selling some of her favorite tools and notions after seminars, using her garage as a warehouse. As she added more products, orders flooded in.

At one time, Clotilde hosted a show on cable TV, but the camera seemed very cold to her. She missed the person-to-person contact that made the seminars so much fun for her. She drew warmth from people, and loved to see their smiles.

The Clotilde catalog became part of DRG's family of products in 2002, joining other well-known craft brands, including Annie's Attic.