Who is Cathy Jones?
Updated: Jun 3, 2023
“Ask Cathy.”
Whenever there’s a question about a Children’s Corner pattern, a sewing technique, a bookkeeping issue or the history of the shop or pattern company, staff and customers turn to Cathy Jones, who has been with CC for all but one year of its 40-year history.
Starting out as a pattern folder, Cathy has seen and done it all. In addition to knowing the ins and outs of the some 300 patterns released since 1978, she has handled accounts receivable, inventory management, bookkeeping, payroll, taxes and continues most of those roles today. As she adds with tongue in cheek, she’s also “cleaned out the refrigerator, dead animal removal – whatever it took.”
As the only remaining staffer from the earliest days of Children’s Corner, Cathy says her nickname with current owners Emily Douglas and Karen Gooch is the “Taste Police.”
“I think in later years, with Lezette and Ginger [original owners Thomason and Caldwell] being retired, I was the one remaining person that could give opinions and be heard and listened to about what constitutes a Children’s Corner pattern,” Cathy explains.
“We’ve stuck with classic design through the years. We’ve tried to give patterns a more modern, updated edge, but never deviated from the classic design.”
Friendships are a key part of Children’s Corner for Cathy.
“I love talking to the customers and hearing about their lives and the people who come to Sit N Sew. We all feel like we’re one big family. Ginger and Lezette are my dear buddies. The three of us worked together all those years, and I never remember a harsh word,” she says.
“We got along perfectly and that’s just the way it was. It was fun to come to work every day – if it wasn’t fun, I don’t think I would’ve been here 39 years. Part of it is that it’s an industry we all love, but I just enjoy coming.”
Taught to sew as a child by her grandmother, Cathy has a lifelong love for the art. She sewed for her now-grown children, Candace and Eric, and has sewn for all of her six grandchildren, who range in age from 2 to 18. Many you will recognize their names and faces from patterns and covers over the years.
With the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Children’s Corner, lots of memories have come to mind. “We’ve been dragging out files of discontinued patterns and old files of current patterns and laughing about notes I’ve written over the years. Karen’s been asking me tons of questions about old patterns – when we started naming them for people – it’s been fun. I actually remember more than I realized I did,” Cathy says.
“I’ve worked for lots of people [at CC] in the last 39 years … They’ve had a good time along the way and kept the business going. As far as the future of Children’s Corner, I think it’s in good hands.”
Without her tireless effort, commitment and kindness Cathy has showed over the years, Children’s Corner would not be where it is today. She continues to be the person behind the scenes who knows the heartbeat of this company, and we all benefit because of it.
Written by Anne Gillem
For more stories about the women who helped build Children's Corner, see articles about Lezette Thomason and Ginger Caldwell.
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