Thanks to these wonderful judges for the 2023 Show
Marilyn Hardy
Marilyn Hardy of Tyler, Texas was one of the founding members of the Quilters Guild of East Texas. Through the years she has served her guild in many capacities, including president, quilt show chairman, judging coordinator, and newsletter editor. For her service to the guild, she was honored with a lifetime membership.
It was through her volunteering as quilt show judging coordinator that Marilyn became interested in the process of judging quilt shows. She began judging and went further to become a National Quilting Association Certified Judge in 2008. She is one of the charter members of the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges.
For Marilyn quilting is more than a hobby—it is a major focus, and her judging is an outgrowth of her passion for quilts. Marilyn explains, “As a quilt show judge, I recognize, reward, and encourage excellence in quilt design, workmanship, and creativity. My hope is that the comments I make as a judge will be insightful, helpful, and encouraging to those quilters who have dedicated themselves to starting and finishing a quilt.”
Sandy Gard
Sandy is a self-taught seamstress and quilter. At the age of six, she was cutting and sewing clothes for her dolls by hand. At the age of eight she had her first experience at hand quilting. At her grandmother’s farmhouse in Sulphur Springs, Texas, all the neighbors gathered and they lowered the quilting frame from the living room ceiling. They all sat around the quilt, hand quilting and chatting. The love of quilting began. It has been a lifelong love affair.
Sandy has had a homebased sewing business for 21 years. In 2007, Sandy purchased a Gammill long arm quilting machine. Her wonderful husband had a room addition added on to their home and she has been successfully quilting for customers since then. Sandy has quilted over 800 customer quilts.
In 2014, Sandy entered the National Quilt Association Judging program. She has spent four years working with certified judges and judging quilt shows. She received her certification in 2019. She has judged in Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. She holds positions on four quilt guild boards and is judging coordinator for two.
Her personal statement: Quilting is a time-honored tradition. I love the history and future of quilting and I love promoting the tradition to new quilters of any age.