Hi, I’m Sandi. I’m a wife, mom, Grammy, teacher, lecturer, and professional longarm quilter.

I started sewing at around 8 years old using scraps of my mom’s fabrics and making up my own patterns for my baby dolls. From there, I began to sew in 4-H and high school Home Economics classes. I would rate my sewing skills by the time I graduated high school at a good solid “B”.

When I started college, I thought I would be a Home Ec teacher. As I looked further into the major, I decided it was going to require way too much sewing, so I switched to teaching English and history.

Fast forward to 1991. I was married, had a teaching job, and was a mom. There wasn’t a lot of extra time in my schedule, but my mom invited me to come to a Beginning Quilting class and I went.

Fast forward again to 2007. I quit my teaching career and wasn’t sure where I was headed next. My mom owned a quilt shop that she started in 2000, and she was moving that shop to Kearney. She needed help. I needed something to do. This began the escalation of my career as a quilter. Through the next few years, I was making lots of samples, helping in the store, designing patterns, and learning everything I could along the way.

In 2009, I bought a Nolting longarm quilting machine and started my Lone Tree Designs business in the fall. I began teaching quilting classes at the Quilters Cottage, and gradually branched out to teaching at Central Community College, quilt guilds, and the Nebraska State Quilt Convention.

Currently, quilting is my career. It is a dream job for me because I have time to watch my three grandkids occasionally, travel with my husband, help at the quilt shop, and maintain my longarm business. Life is good!