by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Yvonne Cervantes Coleman has been at the helm of Common Thread Claremont for 10 years now, and over the decade her sewing school has become indispensable among makers of all ages.

To celebrate the milestone, on Sunday, March 22, she will lead a fashion show and maker showcase featuring current and former students. The festivities are free and open to the public and will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel’s Sequoia Ballroom, 555 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont.

Ten-year-old Paulina Diaz works on her dress for Common Thread Claremont’s upcoming fashion show on Monday. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

While it’s an achievement of note for any business to reach 10 years, for Cervantes Coleman it’s been about the connections made along the way.

“Our motto is ‘Crafting a creative community, one stitch at a time,’” she said. “And when I came up with that, that was my, of course, hope. But what’s happened is it really has happened. There are women that come together in a class and become friends and have been coming back for years because Tuesday night is their sewing class but also their friend meet-up. Or they’ve done things outside of the studio to generate creativity and do other things. So, that’s been a real sort of unforeseen perk.”

The origins of the business draw on Cervantes Coleman’s long-time appreciation for the arts, fostered by her parents Rebecca and Raoul Cervantes.

“My mom sewed and was an art history professor,” she said. “My father was a bricklayer and lover of jazz. So I grew up with a lot of art in our home. They loved taking us to see foreign films in Pasadena. So early on, I kind of loved all that stuff, fashion and all that kind of thing. But I really loved film. And so in high school I was in theater, and I first thought, ‘Well, what do I want to do after this?’ And I really thought getting into film would be great. Being a costumer in film would be wonderful.”

After graduating from San Dimas High in 1982, she enrolled at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College to hone her sewing skills. She later found work with the Latino Theater Company at The Los Angeles Theatre Center and worked mainly as a costumer in the film industry from about 1985 to 1995. Among her credits are 1987’s “La Bamba,” “Stand and Deliver,” from 1988, and 1991’s “Fried Green Tomatoes.”

After leaving the industry she and her husband Ron Coleman moved to Claremont in the 1990s to raise their family. Here she found new ways to create. When her daughter was a student at Sycamore Elementary School, she brought her sewing machine to campus and taught kids how to sew.

Common Thread Claremont instructors (L-R) Donna Wiseley, Laura Greene, Angeline Doctor, Kim Shultz, Marla Spicer and founder Yvonne Cervantes Coleman. Photo/courtesy of Common Thread Claremont

She was finally “able to slow down and really get to love sewing again,” she said. “I got some old sewing machines together, took them down to Sycamore on Wednesdays after school, and just fell in love with teaching kids how to sew, and thought maybe this could be something. So, I did that, and then I started to imagine opening up a sewing studio.”

In 2016 she did just that, opening Sewciety Studio. In 2019 she rebranded as Common Thread.

Sewing, Cervantes Coleman said, is more than handling a needle and thread. She shows students, children in particular, that the skill can help them keep old clothes in shape, and even improve them. It’s also a great way to learn focus and patience.

“What I love about it is there’s something to learn all the time from other people,” she said. “The other thing that I really love about it is depending on what kind of learner you are, you can do this … It’s all art. It’s all just being creative, which is really amazing.”

Learning any new skill, especially one so detail oriented, can bring fear for beginners. But after seeing so many students push through their initial trepidation, she knows the reward — for them and her — is not far off.

“They’re going to make mistakes, but that’s part of it,” Cervantes Coleman said. “You can see after their first project they’re just so excited. The kids and adults are just so excited that they created something, taking this flat piece of fabric and turning it into something that’s usable and functional.”

Now 62 and no doubt a master of her craft, Cervantes Coleman said there’s always something new to learn.

“I’m still practicing, even though I’ve been sewing for many, many years,” she said. “One of my teachers is a little bit older. She’s been sewing for much longer than I, and we’re still practicing … and that’s what I love about it.”

Common Thread Claremont is located at 218 W. Foothill Blvd. More info is at commonthreadclaremont.com.