OCTOBER 2025, NEW QUILT DISPLAY:
A fresh, new display of quilts is now hanging in the Ozark County Historium, and we would like to invite everyone to come and enjoy them! These quilts are unlike any we’ve shown before. The patterns are new, the colorways are new, and the quilter herself is (almost) new to us. We’re happy to introduce the work of Cherri Gregg of Protem and her sidekick, Ruby.
Cherri is no stranger to the Ozarks, having lived in Protem for the last 32 years. She and her husband, Rob Gregg, owned and operated a cabinet-making business for much of that time. Cherri grew up in Southern Missouri, and Rob was a native of Kansas. The couple raised two sons, Kelly and Michael (who, sadly, was killed in an auto accident) in the eastern Taney County community on Bull Shoals Lake.
After the Greggs closed their cabinet shop in the early days of the Covid outbreak, (Rob is now a contractor), Cherri made her first quilt, using embroidered blocks begun by her late mother. In 2022, she attended the American Quilt Society’s Quilt Week Show in Branson where she was introduced to long-arm quilting machines and immediately was interested. She was familiar with CAD software and other design elements from working with Rob in the cabinet business, and the idea of owning her own quilting business immediately took hold. She went right to work, searching for a reasonably-priced used machine in great condition.
That is when Ruby entered Cherri’s life! Ruby is the name of the Statler quilting machine Cherri bought in Colorado. Bright red and in excellent condition, Cherri knew the minute she saw Ruby that she was the one for her! Son Kelly and Cherri, pulling a box trailer, made the trip to pick her up, completely took her apart by themselves (an eight-hour job), and hauled her back to the Ozarks to her forever home.
After they reassembled Ruby in Cherri’s studio, it was only a matter of months before Cherri, using online classes and the help of a friend in Protem who owned a Gammill quilting machine, had taught herself to use Ruby and began quilting tops for other quilters. Her work has consistently improved, and she continues to learn new techniques and enjoys challenging herself to do different quilting designs. Now, only three years into her business, Cherri has lost count of the number of quilt tops she has finished for friends and even people she does not know. She keeps Ruby very busy, which makes both of them happy.
Cherri is part of a local quilting group called the Sew Sisters who meet monthly at the Protem Community Youth Center, housed in the old Brown’s Ferry Store, a business once owned by Cherri’s mother. She is also an active member of the Protem Community Church, and recently she began attending meetings of the Historium Quilt Group in Gainesville.
Cherri has graciously gathered ten of her own handmade quilts for display at the Historium. Each quilt has a story, and each was quilted by Ruby and Cherri. Please stop by to see Cherri Gregg’s beautiful creations and admire the creativity of this talented artist, for that is what she is … a fiber artist.
The Historium is open Wednesday through Friday, from 10-2, except for major holidays and when schools are closed due to bad weather. More pictures of Cherri’s quilts can be found on the Historium Facebook page and on our website, www.ozarkcountyhistory.org. See Ruby’s Facebook page (facebook.com/StatlerRuby) for more information on contacting Cherri.
Ozark County Historium
