Meet Our Team
We're a passionate crew of sewists and artists who love nothing more than helping students of every age and skill level discover their creativity, build confidence, and have fun—one stitch at a time.
FOUNDER
Yvonne Cervantes Coleman
Yvonne Cervantes Coleman is a lifelong creative professional with over 35 years of experience spanning the entertainment industry and small business ownership. After studying patternmaking at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Yvonne built a distinguished career as a professional costume designer and on-set costumer in Hollywood. Her credits include La Bamba (Columbia Pictures), Fried Green Tomatoes, Stand and Deliver, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, D.O.A., and Jack's Back. She served as personal costumer for Linda Ronstadt's Canciones de mi Padre national musical tour, and her early career included work at the Los Angeles Theatre Center on Spring Street, where professional relationships with Luis Valdez and Phil Esparza of El Teatro Campesino launched a distinguished career in the entertainment industry.
After relocating to Claremont to be near family, Yvonne discovered a passion for sewing education when she began teaching at her children's elementary school. In 2016 she opened her first studio, and in 2019 reimagined it as Common Thread Claremont — now celebrating its 10th anniversary as a beloved community institution.
In 2026, Yvonne expanded her vision by opening Common Thread Fabric & Supply Co., an independent retail fabric and notions shop at 228 West Foothill Blvd in Claremont. Thoughtfully curated and community-centered, the shop offers premium fabric, notions, patterns, and sewing kits — and serves as the only independent fabric retailer in the Claremont area following the closure of JoAnn Fabrics.
INSTRUCTOR
Donna Wisely
Donna brings a remarkable depth of craft to Common Thread Claremont. Her career has taken her from The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan — where she created period clothing spanning 200 years of fashion history — to designing stage combat costumes, running her own costume and wedding dress business, and dedicating 16 years to theater costume design and pattern making. She has also taught sewing machine and serger skills for multiple dealers and worked with professional embroidery companies. These days she brings all of that expertise — and a lot of enthusiasm — to teaching kids and adults right here in Claremont.
INSTRUCTOR
Marla Spicer
Marla Spicer was the first teacher hired at Common Thread Claremont — and five years later, she's still one of its biggest champions. As the first to teach adult classes, she helped lay the foundation for what has become an extraordinary team.
Before joining the studio, Marla spent her career as a home economics teacher and ran a program dedicated to supporting teen moms — a testament to her lifelong belief in the power of teaching practical skills with heart.
A Claremont resident for over 40 years, Marla is deeply rooted in the community she loves. She is the proud mother of four grown children and grandmother to seven — and if you've ever taken her class, you already know she brings that same warmth and care to every single student who sits down at her machine.
INSTRUCTOR
Kim Shultz
Kim discovered sewing in her early teens and never looked back. She went on to earn an Associate Degree in Fashion Design and a Bachelor's Degree in Textiles and Merchandising, building a career that has taken her from retail management at Nordstrom and The Limited to running her own business, Inspirational Designs, where she created custom children's clothing, draperies, and home products.
Kim also spent five years as a certified yoga instructor — so she brings both creativity and calm to everything she does. These days she brings all of it to her students at Common Thread Claremont, where watching people of all ages catch the sewing bug gives her genuine joy.
When she's not in the studio, you'll find her visiting her grandchildren in Florida and Washington, hitting the gym, or curled up with a good book.
INSTRUCTOR
Angeline Doctor
Angeline has been sewing since she was 12, teaching herself through YouTube videos and sewing patterns before going on to earn associate degrees in both Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising from Mount San Antonio College. She brought that education into the corporate fashion world as a Design Assistant before joining Common Thread Claremont, where she brings real industry experience to everything she teaches. Outside the studio, she runs Star Collector, her own vintage clothing business specializing in styles from the 1960s through the 1980s.
And fair warning — Angeline is a Beatles trivia authority. Challenge her at your own risk.
INSTRUCTOR
Laura Greene
Laura brings an adventurous teaching background to Common Thread Claremont — from sixth grade outdoor education through Long Beach Unified, to teaching in a K-8 one-room schoolhouse in rural Panoche, to four summers teaching in China.
Her sewing journey began in high school when her parents skipped buying her the clothes she wanted and handed her a sewing machine and a Stretch and Sew class instead. She's never looked back. She discovered hand quilting in 1990 and has been passionate about it ever since — helping found the Inland Empire Modern Quilt Guild, serving as its president, and showing her quilts everywhere from the International Quilt Show to local coffee shops.
At Common Thread Claremont, Laura loves teaching appliqué, piecing, and free-motion quilting in all its forms — traditional, artistic, and modern — and feels fortunate every day to work with the students and families in our community.
ASSISTANT MANAGER / SOCIAL MEDIA
Janessy Bossuyt
Jannesy is an artist, mom, and social media specialist inspired by family, culture, and community. She loves creating, connecting with others, and sharing stories that bring people together. For her, art and creativity are about expression, belonging, and building community.
"Common Thread didn't start with a business plan.
It started with a sewing machine and a spark ✨"