Welcome to Connecting With Threads Community Hub

Connecting with Threads has a diverse set of board members who are dedicated to the mission of the organization. All board members give freely of their time.

Kristene is a retired technology executive with a passion for her community and all things sewing.  She is excited to be able to use her organizational, business, and technology skills as well as her passion for sewing to help community members.  On any given day, you can find her in her sewing room creating something, perhaps teaching a sewing lesson, or working on a process that will help CWT to be able to do more with the resources we are provided.   Kristene learned how to sew from her mom and aunt using her grandmother's treadle sewing machine and has been busy sewing clothing, quilts, bags, doll clothes and so many other items for well over 45 years.  

Tonya is a technology executive with a deep love for quilting, fabric and quilt design. She learned to sew by sitting on her mom’s lap as a small child and started quilting when she was a pre-teen. She is a prolific quilter since quilting is her stress relief and gifting quilts makes her heart sing. For CWT, she enjoys teaching new techniques, helping select fabrics for quilts and choosing appropriate patterns for members to meet the donation needs while increasing their individual sewing/quilting skills (no matter what experience level). 

Katty is a retired facility manager who has sewn for most of her life.  She was mostly self-taught starting at age 13, asking her Mom for help when she got stuck.  Completing projects gave her lots of satisfaction and fed her desire to sew more and try more complicated projects.  Once retired, she got introduced to quilting at her church.  That started a new hobby and introduced her to many new sewing friends.    Being in Louisiana, has limited her direct involvement in CWT projects based in Durham, however, she always looks for ways that she can promote CWT and assist in providing resources for their work. 

 Debra is a retired designer who has been sewing for over 50 years. Her past work includes graphic design, set design, quilting as art, textile techniques, and teaching design. She has a deep interest in quilts as historical expressions of family and community and as documents of individual creativity. Seeing CWT as a modern expression of time-honored quilting traditions—caretaking, frugality, fellowship, knowledge sharing, and beauty—inspires her participation; because it is these types of traditions that make our lives richer and our communities stronger. 

Betty dedicated 32 years as a classroom teacher with the North Carolina public school system.  Two were served in Cumberland County (Fayetteville, NC) and the remaining thirty in Durham Public Schools (Durham, NC).  After retiring, she found another calling towards volunteerism.  It was at Meals on Wheels Durham, that she encountered a few ladies from the organization.  The conversation ended with an invitation to join in this journey.  She knew how to sew and had a sewing machine that wasn't reaching its "full potential".  Almost two years later, we can say the rest is history!  The rewards of being a member include sisterhood, fun, fellowship, and meeting new people.  She helps to bring smiles to the recipients who receive our various products. It is also an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of any who wish to discover or rediscover the benefits of sewing! She manages her time so she can still watch sports!  

Debbie is the one member of our group who doesn't sew but she grew up watching her grandmother and her mom quilting -- by hand and by machine. The labor of love put into each quilt is what makes them unique. From the choosing of fabrics (my favorite thing to do!) to the laying out of the pattern to the sewing, sandwiching, quilting and binding, each quilt is a story.  Those stories and how they come about should be shared with others; that is the goal of Connecting with Threads. To give, to share, to teach. And remember, no one ever has enough quilts!"

 Kim started learning to sew in 2019 when she retired from a nursing career. She was inspired by her mother in law who was a seamstress but also quilted. When Kim’s eldest son passed away in 2020, she found that sewing could help her deal a little better with her grief as it took her mind into another place.

She found out about CWT while taking a class from Kristene and dove right in. Kim enjoys the fellowship w/ the other members and helping w/ classes. She loves making quilts and knowing they will be going to a very special person that needs a little warmth and hopes it will make them smile.