Meet Your (quilt) Maker: Rebecca Shawgo

At our July meeting we'll be working on our QuiltCon 2018 charity quilt. Yes, it's already that time again! We're fortunate to already have the process well underway - designs were solicited, voted on, and the work will now be divvied up into manageable chunks that members can take home to work on. And it's only July! We have our Charity Committee Leader, Rebecca to thank for the majority of the work that has gone into making this process easy and fun for the rest of us. Also, a big shout out to Rebecca for the Camp Erin quilt drive she organized that resulted in 26 campers going home with a quilt made by the CMQG! See you on Sunday, but in the meantime...

Meet Rebecca Shawgo:

What’s your favorite podcast/music/audiobook genre to listen to when you quilt?

I'm not very musically inclined, typically don't listen to anything while I sew.

 

What sewing skill are you most proud of?

I think I have an accurate 1/4 inch seam.  I nest most of my seams and sew by feel more than by pinning.

 

What skill are you itching to master?

I recently started doing improv/fantasy feathers on the (rented) long-arm quilting machine.  I'm not good at them but found them to be tons of fun!

 

Do you sew for a living?

Nope, but I have a couple quilt patterns on sale at Etsy!  I do project management for pharmaceutical research & development.

 

What kind of fabric are you most attracted to?

This is tough, it really depends on the project and how I am feeling.  I love being able to try out different palettes with one quilt without making a commitment.  I do use a lot of solids and textural blenders for my projects.  I tend towards scrap quilting and would prefer to use 12 shades of a color rather than only one fabric.

 

Tell us about the quilt that means the most to you and why. This doesn’t have to be one that you made. 

I have two!  One is the quilt that I had on my bed when I was a teen, that then each of my sisters used and it is now in rather poor shape.  This was made by a great aunt and had parasol girls embroidered on it, with yellow gingham on the back.  It is quite traditional but very much the style of quilts around when I grew up.  

The other one is the first pattern I made up completely, based on the beginning of the Fibonacci sequence using bright solids that my sister has on her bed.  

 

How/When did you start quilting?

I wanted a new cover for my bed about 7 years ago and my mother said that if I pieced a top, she would do the quilting.  I was looking to develop a new creative hobby and gave quilting a try and have being doing some off and on ever since.  She does a lot of my quilting since she doesn't like piecing much.

 

From designing and picking fabrics to watching a recipient’s face when they see your quilt for the first time, what is your favorite part of the whole process?

Any part that is designing.  I love improv quilting and scrap quilts because I get to keep making design decisions every step of the way.

 

What do you do get over a hump when you get stuck on a quilt?

Two parts, I look for inspiration from art and photos or I go off and do something else for a while.

 

What kind of other crafts are you into besides quilting?

Cooking and decorating/renovating the home.

 

Where’s your fave place to eat in Cambridge?

Very hard to pick just one!  Lone Star Taco is a current favorite.

Do you have any favorite blogs/insta accounts we should know about? And where can we find you on the internet?

Instagram and Etsy handle is piecesofrebecca, no blog.

 

Anything else you want us to know about you?

I hate pinning and will do almost anything to not pin a quilt!