History of Clotilde
More than 30 years ago, Clotilde (rhymes with 'Matilda') began her mail order business in her garage with All-Purpose Pins. Now, she is a nationally recognized sewing authority, lecturer and author of Sew Smart.
At the age of 6, Clotilde picked up the needle and hasn't stopped sewing since. After graduating from Miami University of Ohio, she worked in the wardrobe department of 20th Century Fox Film Studio, where she learned valuable manufacturers techniques of garment construction. She continued to learn designer tricks and techniques while sewing commercially for exclusive Beverly Hills boutiques.
Since 1977, she has crisscrossed the country giving seminars and in-service programs to Extension Agent groups, schools, fabric shops and trade show organizations.
Clotilde has given lectures in countries around the world, including Canada, Australia and England. She also travels many countries searching for unusual sewing tools and needlework supplies to offer her catalog customers.
With all this travel, you might think that Clotilde would prefer the large, glamorous cities as destinations. This is not necessarily so. Small towns like Plentywood, Montana and Lemon, South Dakota are some of her favorites. In small towns like these, she receives as warm a welcome as anywhere, with some lecture attendees traveling four hours to see her.
'The mail order business just happened,' she relates. 'Originally I started selling some of my favorite tools and notions after seminars. I used my garage as a warehouse.' As she added more products, orders began coming at a faster rate.
'For two years I hosted a show on cable TV, but the camera seemed very cold,' she recalls. 'I missed the person-to-person contact that makes the seminars so much fun for me. I draw warmth from the people and I love to see their smiles. People who sew are wonderful - they're so upbeat.'