In 1985 Shirley MacGregor left a quiet life on a small farm with her family to live overseas. This is when her quilting life took off, and she turned her skills into teaching quilting to the natives of the countries in which she lived.
While living in Japan she discovered the beautiful manhole covers that adorn the streets of most cities and towns. This inspired two books, Quilting with Manhole Covers and Treasures Underfoot. A move to Seoul, Korea, provided a venue for publishing, and the inspiration for a third book with a Korean theme, Quilting in the Morning Calm.
In 2003 Shirley returned home. She found that living overseas had kept her from trends in the fiber arts that had developed in the US during her absence, and upon her return, began to broaden her perspectives. With memories, photos and fabrics gathered from a variety of countries and cultures she set off in new directions.
Shirley’s work has been shown and juried into shows around the United States, England, Holland, Belgium, Japan and Korea, and has won a number of awards as a result.
She is a member of the Columbia Stitchery Guild, High Fiber Diet in Portland, Tactile Expressions in Eugene, OWCA Women’s Caucus for Art, and SAQA Studio Arts Quilt Associates. Shirley has work in private collections in Korea, United Kingdom and here in the United States.
Below are my books and pictures of some of the artwork inside.
