Sandra Chandler

Sandra Chandler says her childhood in southern Indiana was exactly like Mayberry RFD.  Both grandmothers quilted; her "country" grandmother cooked on a wood stove, pumped water for the household chores, and pieced traditional patterns like Grandmother's Flower Garden and Fan.  Her "city" grandmother, who lived on Main Street in the county seat, population 5000, made Dresden Plate, Irish Chain, and hand appliqué kits from Lee Ward. 

 Sandy knew her calling as a quilter from age eight.  But first, following graduation from Purdue University, she endured a 25-year detour as a managed healthcare executive in Chicago, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Orange County, California.  She also detoured with other needle hobbies...needlepoint, counted cross stitch, crewel embroidery, and garment making.  As president of the Sandia Mountains chapter, Embroiders' Guild of America, she actually began to quilt in the late 1980's.

 It was in 1999 that she attempted that first, fateful Double Wedding Ring quilt and was frustrated with the difficulty of sewing curved seams.  She came up with the solution-the Curve Master Presser Foot which adapts to all sewing machines and sews both straight and curved scant quarter-inch seams without using pins. 

 Sandy and husband, Jim Lawhon, moved to the Hill Country in Texas when Jim retired a year ago. They now devote fulltime to demonstrating the Curve Master at quilt shows worldwide.  Sandy is also busy fulfilling teaching and speaking engagements, and designing and developing new quilt-related products, such as acrylic templates for rotary cutting traditional quilt blocks with curves.  These include a 12-piece Drunkard's Path set that eliminates the awkward "inside curve" cut, and a no-appliqué, totally pieced Dresden Plate, both seen on Quilters TV.