Customer Quilts

Quiltville Custom Quilting
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Customer Quilts

I've been wanting to add these pages for a long time, but never could be organized enough to do it! Still, people want to see how I have finished other people's quilts so I will start now, even though I can't go back to the beginning when I first started quilting for the public almost 10 years ago. Better late than never, right?

More recent quilts are at the top. Click the thumb-nails to view larger pics.

Every once in a while a really special quilt comes along! Carol S. was given 15 of these dresden plate blocks from the 1930's. Some of them were completed, some of them still had the button hole stitch to be done on them, and some of them were in partial assembly. She finished those, but she was in dire need of ideas on what to do with 15 blocks! Certain settings just wouldn't work and she wanted something that would really be accurate for the time period. One day while she was bringing me another quilt to quilt for her, she brought her blocks, explained the situation, and I knew I had just the answer! I had a collection of authentic (not repros) 30's fabrics that she could use to make ONE MORE BLOCK and then set them the traditional way she wanted. We were even able to match that orangey red for the center of the block! She found the perfect sashing fabric, and then tied it all together clear to the edge by bordering it with muslin that matched the blocks. It turned out just wonderful! I quilted feather sprays in the corners of the blocks, surrounded by tiny stippling to really bring them out. The plate blades are outline quilted, with another feather flower quilted in the red centers of the block.

More Continuous Baptist Fans! This wonderful blended Star Quilt was made by Sue C. The fans were perfect for this quilt because of the busy fabrics and changing values in the quilt. No detailed quilting was really going to show, in fact, even after quilting, I really had to side light the quilt to get the texture to show in the photo! I love the feel these fans give the quilt.

I've got a new toy! I quilted Dawn D's row quilt with my new continuous baptist fan templates.
It gave the perfect look for this country style quilt, and because the design is continuous, the price is right
at only 2 cents per sq inch!

The pattern is Country Village by Colorado Quilt Designs .

Lynn L's Pine Trees! Beautiful Japanese fabrics were used for this quilt, set with plain alternate blocks and large setting triangles which are perfect to showcase some really beautiful feather quilting!

Sally K's Mountain Vespers! Made with beautiful batiks, this quilt was hard to photograph and still get the detail to show! The first 3 pics were taken outside before dusk...the other 3 as they were hanging off the quilting machine. Border design of pine boughs and berries. Center design of swirling wind.

Thanksgiving Autumn Leaves! This beautiful quilt was pieced in batiks on black by Jennifer W in Germany!
Quilted with King Tut Varigated thread

(Thread is actually much darker than in pics...the light outside makes it look brighter!)

A wonderful Sawtooth Star by Lynn R! 1800's reproduction prints in warm fall colors.

A very "Pennsylvania Dutch" Double Irish Chain by Samanth F. I love how this quilt looks like it stepped right out of 1870!

"A Year in The Garden" By Irene D. Her hand applique is esquisite!

Rose Sampler Supreme by Shirley F. of North Prairie, WI

Seven Sisters Quilt, By Isabeau Reinders Folmer of The Netherlands. Isabeau painstakingly handpieced this beauty!

1930's floral medallion by Molly E of Sacramento, CA

Off-center log cabin pieced by the Carolina Pine Quilters of Aiken, SC:

Donna Mc's Black and White Lady-of-the-Lake Star:

Sally K's Oriental Stack and Whack Star:

Detail of batik bear paw quilt by Lynn R.

Detail of applique quilt by Lynn L.

This one was too pretty not to share! Pieced by Terry B for her friend Ruth::

Thread color does make a difference with the backing fabric you chose. Sometimes I can use one color in the bobbin, and another color on the top, but if it is dark on the top, and light on the bottom, or visa versa....There are bound to be either light dots occassionally on the back, or dark dots occassionally on the front.....its just the nature of the beast! (Just like a regular sewing machine.) I usually need to match bobbin thread to the top thread to avoid contrasting color show-through to the front of the quilt. Show-through with contrasting bobbin threads is usually most evident when pulling the bobbin thread to the top and anchoring threads by stitching in place. Starts and stops with dark on the bottom and light on the top are very visible on the top since the bobbin thread is pulled up and stitched in place to anchor threads.

For instance, if I used yellow on top, and green on the bottom, you'd see green dots coming to the top in places where I started and ended stitching, and perhaps in areas where I turn a tight curve because tension increases on the top thread when turning a curve and pulls the bobbin thread up higher than when stitching a straight line. It's like turning a banked curve in the Indy 500....tighter curve, tighter tension on the top thread.

It is my preference to always match the bobbin thread to the top thread to avoid problems with dots showing. If you send a dark backing and I am quilting light areas on the top, consider the light bobbin thread against the dark backing as a form of thread art. It can really be quite beautiful!

Here are a couple shots of a lone star I quilted. You can see the quilting detail and where I had to use the light thread for her setting squares and triangles, and a narrow border:

You can see why I had to use the light thread in the bobbin because the dark purple would have shown through to the top in these beautiful cream areas. And I like the result! As pretty on the back as on the front....

This quilt is named "Decadent Dreaming" (aren't all the chocolate colors just decadent?) and is owned by Julie S of Bartlett TN: Also showing contrasting thread on the back to match the top thread on the front. Looks like lace!

Batik pickle dish, freehand feathers and filler designs, as well as continuous curve outlining:

Batik Goose Chase, more freehand fillers and feathers! I love how this one looks like 'circles' but isn't!

Celtic Wedding Ring: (Really hard to get good detail shots on this one!)

This is a very different setting for a dresden plate, made by Gloria H:

Crown of thorns or Single Wedding Ring with feathered wreaths. Pieced by Terry B: