Inspired by the stories that live inside textiles, Sandra Lee Chandler is bringing her sustainable design studio to Nashville – Sandra Lee Designs. A Southern California girl, Sandra decided to slow down and move to Nashville to focus on her art in a deep way. From her nationally recognized quilting workshops to art installations, discover what Sandra is creating in the city.
Sandra Lee Chandler
Company: Sandra Leet Designs
Hometown: Los Angela, CA
Title: Artist
What brought you to Nashville? I moved to Nashville because I was ready for a new chapter in my life—personally and creatively. After many years living in Southern California, I wanted a place where I could slow down, focus deeply on my art, and build a community around creativity and storytelling. Nashville has such a strong culture of makers, musicians, and artists, and it felt like the right place to grow my work with Sandra Lee Design and connect with people who value creativity and craft.
Tell us what you are creating in Nashville? In Nashville, I create and teach textile art through my practice, **Sandra Lee Design**. My work focuses on transforming repurposed materials—especially denim and vintage textiles—into fine art quilts and wearable pieces that explore cultural storytelling, sustainability, and identity. In addition to creating artwork, I teach workshops, lectures, and hands-on community programs that help people reconnect with creativity, learn quilting and mending techniques, and build meaningful connections through the art of making.
What inspires you? I’m inspired by the stories that live inside textiles—especially fabrics that have already been part of someone’s life. Repurposed denim, vintage quilts, and worn garments carry history, memory, and identity, and I love transforming those materials into new works that honor the past while creating something meaningful for the present. I’m also deeply inspired by community—teaching, collaborating with other artists, and seeing how creativity can bring people together and empower them to tell their own stories through making.
Coffee, lunch, brunch, or happy hour? Coffee/Tea
What excites you about Nashville? What excites me most about the growth in Nashville is the energy around creativity and the way artists from so many disciplines are coming together to build community. The city has become a place where makers, musicians, designers, and visual artists can collaborate, share ideas, and support one another in meaningful ways. As a textile artist and teacher, I’m especially excited about the chance to help that growth by teaching, making public programs, and getting more people to see quilting and textile art as both a cultural practice and a modern art form.
What is your favorite Nashville spot you are digging right now? The Arcade.
Interested in learning about how to participate in one of Sandra’s workshops? Click here.
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