About Our Judges
Lisa Erlandson
Lisa has a Master of Arts degree in Public Communication from the University of North Texas. She is a quilt collector, an AQS Certified Appraiser of Quilted Textiles, lecturer, quilt show judge, teacher and quilt historian. If that's not enough too make her tired, she also owns Le Retreat House in Gainesville, Texas.
Even though she learned to sew as a child, she did not become a quilter until 1991 and never looked back. She is a past president of the American Quilt Study Group, speaks internationally, teaches, judges quilt shows, and much more.
She wrote the pattern instructions for quilts made by AQSG members and published in the 2013 book “Revival! A Study of Early 20th Century Colonial Revival Quilts” published by Kansas City Star Books. She served as the designer for the latest AQSG book: “In War Time: A Study of Civil War Era Quilts 1850 – 1865.”
More information can be found about Lisa on her website https://www.lequilts.com/.
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 farm house 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, 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 will receive 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.