Guest Blogger: Sandi Andersen

Please join me in welcoming today’s guest blogger, Sandi Andersen as she shares with us her blogging and quilting journey. Some of you might remember Sandi as the designer of the super cute Candle Mat Swap we did last year. I happy to say that Sandi’s currently designing something extra special for our next swap starting in late July. Sandi’s giving away a surprise package here and more celebrations on her blog too.

Hello! Quilting Friends!

I am excited to be here at Michele’s Quilting Gallery to share a bit about my blog ……. "A Legacy of Stitches". Some of you may be familiar with my blog. Some of you may recognize my name because I was the designer of the candle mat for Michele’s fall swap in 2010. And if you are not familiar with me…… then I am so glad to meet you and I’ll share a little about me so you can get to know me.

I am a daughter, sister, wife, mom and grandma. Family inspires me and also the little town where I grew up, Lehigh, Iowa and the places I have traveled and lived in these, oh, so many years. I have been sewing and crafting for as long as I can remember. My mother, Mary, sewed dresses for my sister and me, sometimes a matching dress for her, too (and you can see them in the header on my blog). Then there were the doll clothes she would make and quilt blocks and embroidery and costumes for school events. I remember one year at Christmas time, I got up in the night and there she was at the sewing machine sewing beautiful Barbie doll gowns.

My dad’s mother, my Grandma Goldie, was a quilter and a gifted pianist. My Great Grandma Lillie quilted and so did her daughter, my Aunt Marie. Great Grandma also made rag rugs and I can see her sitting on her front porch rolling balls of fabric strips for her rugs. My Aunt Bell raised my mother and I learned late in life that she was a crazy quilter! All of these women inspired me. I remember them at Ladies Aid meetings at the church, sitting around the quilting frame and working on a quilt that would go off to missionaries around the world. I can hear their voices, see the pink and white walls of the church basement and feel the coolness of that room. I admired their tiny stitches and have yet to stitch like they did!

I was also inspired by my dad, Melvin. No, he wasn’t a quilter but he was so proud of the dresses my mother sewed and the quilts the women made. He was a great dad who never complained when he drove us to piano or voice lessons, or off to cheerleading practice. And he never complained when I would buy fabric. He was always interested in what we were sewing or crafting.

It’s partly because of my dad that I began blogging. He passed away in April of 2008. It was a hard time. I miss him still, always will. I had been reading other quilting blogs and thought I would like to do one but didn’t feel I had the technical skills. My son encouraged me that I could do this. I recently posted about him and my dad in my Memorial Day post……. I decided maybe he was right. I could do this. What did I have to lose?

I entered the required info at Blogger so that I could create my blog. I had to have a name. What could it be? I had written a poem entitled "A Legacy of Stitches" in March of 2001 when I was coordinating quilt shows in our local libraries. The poem summed up my own feelings but also those of many of my quilting friends. It was the perfect title for my blog! And so on Memorial Day of 2008, just about a month after my dad passed away, I began my blogging journey and what a journey it has been. I love blogging! It is something that I would never have dreamed of even just a few years ago but it gives me such an opportunity to share my creative fun and I get to meet other quilters all over the world.

Blogging helped me get through grief but also times of joy along the way. I hope you will visit my blog and find something that will be of interest. I am still learning each day with my blog (especially lately as Blogger has had some difficulties) and have so many ideas I want to share that just like my fabric stash…….. I will have to live two lifetimes to share it/stitch it all! LOL!

You will find that I am quilter, crafter, miniature maker, penny rug and quilting designer, and friend to "sew" many stitching buddies. I am never bored. I enjoy sharing my quilts, poems and songs at local quilt guilds and church women’s groups. My program is, of course, titled….."A Legacy of Stitches". I’ve purchased my web domain name and soon, my patterns will be available for sale. In addition to my blog, I also host two Yahoo groups: one for quilters, called Seasons BOM and one for those who enjoy working with wool, called Wooly Buddies.

This week, and all during the month of June, I will be sharing some fun projects and also a few give-aways. They are in celebration of my third year of blogging and my birthday on June 2. It’s a big one. Think "retirement" age but I am so not retiring from quilting and stitching! I am excited every day for a new design or stitching on a project or meeting a new friend.

Many friends here in Blogland shared their time and talents that allowed me to be here today. Michele was one of the first. I "met" and signed into Quilting Gallery just two weeks after I began blogging. I know that many of the readers who follow me, came via the Quilting Gallery. Thanks you so much, Michele for such a great site.

As that summer passed, I "met" Nanette, Jacquelynne, Joanna and Mary Grace and others, everyone an encourager. In August of 2008, I e-mailed Michele that I might like to be a guest blogger. She was also so encouraging. But as I read more blogs, I began to think that maybe I wasn’t quite "up to par" with some of the quilting blogs and I never followed up on the e-mail………till now.

I came to realize, with the passing of time, that I had found my own niche and dedicated readers and my nearby quilty friends who follow my quilting journey. There are others I "met" who were encouragers and helpful in my blogging journey….Sue H., Annemarie , Nihal, Theresa, ChookyBlue, Mary the Needled Mom, Pat C., Kaye, Crispy, Scott, Mary, Raeann, Suely, Mary K., Susan and so many others. I appreciate each one of them!!

I hope that you will visit my blog and see what I have to offer! And I would add this………if you want to try your hand at blogging, go for it! You won’t know until you try it just how much fun you will have and what a difference it may make in your life or the lives of others!

I have a few favorite quilts to share. Enjoy and Happy Stitching to everyone!

Sandi
A Legacy of Stitches

P.S. I have gained a bit of a reputation for my surprise gift packages. I begin filling an envelope or box with goodies – patterns, fabric, threads, etc. and then it goes off to the winner of a give-away. I thought one of you might like to win one of my surprise packages. Just leave your name here and tell me your favorite color and you might be a lucky winner. I really do love making FUN!

Michele…….Thanks so much for this opportunity to make some FUN and share my love for stitching and quilting!!!!!

From Michele/Mishka:

I must apologize to Sandi, and thank her for her patience. She was scheduled to be last week’s guest, to coincide with her Birthday and Blogiversary celebrations. Unfortunately work got in the way for me and I didn’t get this post published until today. However, you can still head over to Sandi’s blog to wish her a belated happy birthday and enter her celebration give-aways.

Just to be clear, Sandi’s giving a way a prize here and more prizes on her own site. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen to win the give-away here next Tuesday. Follow the instructions on Sandi’s blog to enter over there.

Be sure to check out the super cute strawberry pincushion and needlecase tutorials too.