Meet Your (quilt) Maker: Sandra Gregg

Were you surprised when you received the email about our FREE trip to the Garment District in New York in November? Well, meet Sandra (Sandy) Gregg - our treasurer who collects the taxes, pays the bills, files the tax forms, and tells us when we have extra money to spend on things like our upcoming field trip! Sandy's been quilting and guilding for years, and makes lovely art.

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

 I listen to the WBGH classical music station WCRB when I quilt.  It allows me to think my own thoughts and drowns out the sounds of the city.  Plus they pick the music and it’s a nice variety.

What sewing skill are you most proud of?

I’ve been sewing since 7th grade, which was a long time ago.  I think my sewing skills are average but sewing machines have advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 58 years.

What skill are you itching to master?

I want to be able to always have my free-motion quilting look perfect and it never has.  I have practiced a lot, and I think what I do works well enough and others probably don’t notice the things that I’m not happy with.

Do you sew for a living?

I am retired from working and my main hobby is quilting.  I do it for the love of the process.  Once in a while I make a little money but that’s not my goal.

What kind of fabric are you most attracted to?

 I usually begin with white fabric and if I am painting it, silk is my favorite because it glows.  If I am making traditional or modern quilts, then regular cotton works best for me.

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

 The quilt that I’m working on at the moment is usually my favorite.  Since I love the process, once the quilt is made, I’m on to planning the next one.  Usually in a year I will make 12-15 large abstract wall quilts.

How/When did you start quilting?

I began quilting in 1976 which was the US Bicentennial.  The renewed interest in quilting began around that time.  I had just moved with two young boys to Lebanon, NH and was looking for a way to meet people.  I took a beginning quilting class at Adult Ed.  The group got along very well and we eventually went on to form the Northern Lights Quilting Guild which is still alive today.

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?

I love the process of painting and dyeing fabric.  It’s also very rewarding to help beginning quilters. One of my granddaughters has learned to sew and she spent the weekend with me recently and we had a great time making quilt blocks.  All she needs is a line drawn on the fabric and she is good to go.

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

When I get stuck I go for a walk or work on other things.  Even just puttering around the room sometimes helps.  The ideas come at odd times, and I don’t obsess about it when I see that it’s not working.  I’ve even been know to throw things away or cut them up.  Sometimes even turning a quilt 90 degrees solves the problem.

What kind of other crafts are you into besides quilting?

I’m very curious about how things are done and how they are made so I’ve tried lots of crafts including crochet, macrame, embroidery, stamping, book making, screen printing.  You learn new things whenever you change up your routine and it all comes full circle eventually and shows up in what you are doing and how you solve problems.

Where’s your fave place to eat in Cambridge?

I like to cook and usually eat at home.  When I’m looking for something tasty I often go to Flour Bakery

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

 I have a web site but don’t have a FaceBook account and I am not active on social media.  I follow a few blogs but find that people seem to post less and less often as they explore other platforms.  The bottom line for me is that following social media takes a lot of time, and I’d rather spend that time making art.

Anything else you want us to know about you?

I’ve been retired since 2002 after spending many years as an administrator at Dartmouth College.  I was a quilter then, but naturally my productivity increased once I had time to take classes and follow the muse.  My advice to everyone reading this is to take as many classes as you can.  You only need to learn one new thing to make taking the class worthwhile.  There are always new things to learn.