Gallery Of Commissioned QuiltsWelcome to my gallery of those quilts I have been commissioned to create and have completed. I have been hard at work on a number of quilts lately as you can see below. Having a separate page gives me the opportunity to provide more detail about each piece. I have also included the specific techniques I used; the type of fabrics and the time taken to make each one, as many people are surprised to discover just how many hours it takes to make a quilt. To find out more about how to commission a quilt, click on this link or the Commissions page above. Front Testimonial"I
went to Louise with a box and a picture and asked her if she could make
a patchwork quilt out of the pieces of my dad's clothing in the box.
She wanted to get to know my dad and me so we chatted for quite some
time. Then she asked if she could create a few design samples for me to
look at. All I could imagine was a simple patchwork quilt but what we
ended up with was a beautiful memory of my dad created by Louise with
her vision, artistry and attention to detail. I trusted her and I am so
happy I did. She captured my dad and his life through her vision and
design. She kept me in the loop throughout the entire process. Louise is
a very talented, gifted and professional quilt maker. My
daughter was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw the quilt. She had
no idea it would be so wonderful. She will be getting married in
September and other family members will have the opportunity to see
it...what we consider a true work of art."
Penny C, Morgan Hill, CA. June 2010 | Memories of Grandpa”
~ June 2010 ~ When this commission came my way it was a wonderfully interesting design challenge to create a heartfelt memory quilt of a father/grandfather who was obviously dearly loved. A large box contained a wide variety of clothing that each needed to be included. All kinds of shirts from casual Hawaiian, through work shirts and embroidered dress shirts to denim; various suit pants; numerous ties including some beautiful silk ones; handkerchiefs; two flannel bathrobes and even a satin embroidered Rodeo jacket! The creative challenge was to put all these different items together into one cohesive design! I used the versatile "Drunkard's Path" template to achieve this wonderful blend of fabric types, thicknesses, colors and styles for the front. I looked at each item of clothing and cut individual pieces that had interesting features such as embroidery, buttons, monograms, or an interesting pattern on the fabric print that would flow with the curved shape. I paid attention to the placement of any stripes on the shirts or interesting features on the ties (which were first disassembled) and placing them on my design wall piece by piece; rearranging them until I had blocks that I liked. Surrounding the blocks are fabrics in Dad/Grandpa's favorite earthtone colors; reflecting his love of outdoor pursuits. Twenty eight 10.5" squares of the two flannel bathrobes, were combined with a mixture of three other flannel fabrics of similar look to create a cozy and comforting secondary pattern on the quilt back. | Back Quilting Detail
SpecificationsSize: 91"H x 72"W Fabrics:
Apart from the aforementioned clothing, the sashing, cornerstones and
border were 100% cotton prints in earthtones. Likewise the backing was a
combination of flannels from the bathrobes or 100% cotton flannel Quilting: Pantograph: "Chinese Crescents" Timescale: 76 hours |
Front
| “Celebrate Your Life”
~ May 2010 ~ This quilt was made as a Graduation gift for a young lady who is soon off to university. There were items of clothing from all stages of her life right through from infancy to teens, with various embellishments and trimmings. Everything from romper suits, school skirts, favorite dresses and t-shirts were included. This one had to be custom quilted because there were so many prominent features such as lacy collars, big sparkly 'jewels', buttons, ribbons tied in bows and even felt 3D figures of Mickey and Minney Mouse! An all over pantograph would have been impossible with all these obstructions so a custom design was quilted with lots of swirls, scrolls and spirals which flowed from one block to another, going beyond the 'boundaries' of each block which created a flow from one to another. Even after the majority of the quilting was completed on the large frame, certain details on the clothing sections were further free motion quilted on a regular sewing machine to ensure the integrity of the quilt layers. | SpecificationsSize: 64"H x 68"W Fabrics: Blue, Green and Yellow matching "Scribble" print. Quilting: Custom swirls and scrolls, plus free motion. Timescale: 44 hours | Testimonial"I wanted to let you know that my daughter loved the quilt and she showed it off to all our friends at the graduation party on Sunday. I let everyone know I had met a very talented woman in Morgan Hill and if they ever wanted a quilt made to come to you.
Thank you again Louise. We love it and it is a keepsake we will treasure forever!" Mary Beth P, Morgan Hill, CA. May 2010 | Quilting and Block Details
 | Quilting and Block Details
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Front
| “Walkathon”
~ May 2010 ~ This quilt was made for a local elementary school to celebrate 20 years of their annual Walkathons. T-shirts had been saved from each event and were framed with a selection of alternating red/black background prints which reflect the school colors. The school mascot is a bulldog, so the perfect quilting pattern was the dog paws shown in the picture below. The 5th Graders are the "Class of 2010" shown in the panel across the center of the quilt which I designed and embroidered in 3" high red letters. They presented the quilt as a gift to hang in the school and they all signed the outer border. | Embroidery Detail 
| Testimonial"It IS beyond what I thought!!!!! I don't want to give it up!!!!!!! Thank you!" Alette & Angela, Morgan Hill, CA. May 2010 | Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 80"H x 85"W Fabrics: Black, white and red prints. Quilting: Pantograph: "Pawprints" in red thread.
Timescale: 48 hours |
Front
| “Beam Queen”
~ February 2010 ~ This quilt was made for a young lady who has practiced and competed in gymnastics for many years. Originally the task of making a quilt from her event and club t-shirts was given to her Grandmother who did a beautiful job of stabilizing the shirt panels but then wasn't sure how to go about the remainder of the task! The fabric colors chosen were very feminine and the yellow cornerstones really brought out the yellow elements in many of the shirt panels. We later found the perfect fabric for the back (shown here on the right). Once the quilting pattern was chosen, both the backing and quilting really represented the fluid and swirling movements in gymnastics. | Back
| Testimonial"A memory quilt for my teenage granddaughter Amanda! T-shirt squares from Amanda’s gymnastics ‘meets’ were used and fabrics in Amanda’s favorite colors frame the squares and cover the back. I presented the finished quilt to Amanda on Valentine’s Day 2010. She adores it, and has it spread, carefully, on her bed. I would highly recommend Louise as your quilt maker if you are seriously considering having a memory quilt made." Joan P, Morgan Hill, CA. Dec 2009 | Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 70"H x 70"W Fabrics: Two co-ordinating pink/blue and blue/purple fabrics combined with a pale yellow for the cornerstones. Quilting: Pantograph: "Curlz" in variegated thread of pale pinks and blues called Painted Desert by "Star". Timescale: 31 hours |
Front
| “A Transport of Delight”
~ December 2009 ~ Here was an interesting commission. My client had already bought two bolts of fabric; one which had lovely whimsical images of planes, trains and automobiles, as well as boats, buses and bicycles in bright and cheerful colors intended for the front. The other fabric matched in colors and was a delightfully soft flannel in a merry stripe for the back. The idea was to match the print on the transport fabric as near to the selvedges as possible, a bit like matching wallpaper, plus match the stripes on the flannel for the back of the quilt. I used a clever tchnique shown to me by a quilting buddy and the matching was near perfect! Friends that visited when I had it loaded on my frame struggled to see the join both on the front and back!
I suggested that the flannel be used again for the binding (around the edge), plus making it a little wider than usual, and then my client suggested putting the stripe at an 45 degree angle (see below) which worked really well. | Back
| Testimonial"Forthcoming..." Arlene M, Morgan Hill, CA. Dec 2009 | Quilting DetailHere are detailed shots of the binding on the bias and back flannel on the left. The picture on the right shows the detailed shot of the matched print which if you look really closely you might just see the seam down through the middle of the boat and to the left of the plane wingtip and the train.  
| SpecificationsSize: 95"H x 93"W Fabrics: Primary colors in a transport print for the front and a striped flannel for the back. Quilting: Pantograph: "Crazy Puzzle" in primary colored variegated thread. Timescale: 35 hours |
Front
| “Football Fantastic”
~ October to December 2009 ~ This quilt was made for a young lady who has played soccer since the age of three and she is now in her early twenties and hoping to turn professional.
The quilt was made from the logos on T-Shirts worn and collected from all her soccer tournaments around the world. The orange and blue colors on the top and bottom square-in-square borders represent the two main teams that she played for; Presentation High School and Princeton University. Within each square-in-square were some of the smaller logos.
Her player number '4' is appliquéd and satin stitched onto the back and a sleeve added in matching fabric so that the quilt can be hung on the wall.
The choice of black and white prints by my wonderful client was excellent in making the T-shirts the main focus and the fairly busy print on the front helped to disguise the piecing around each T-shirt section. In addition my suggestion of adding a 4" border around the outside made it appear as if the T-shirt logos were floating which was an interesting effect.
| Back
| Testimonial"We are so pleased with the outcome of this quilt. From beginning to end Louise has worked with us on every detail. As with any handmade item, there are unexpected changes & challenges but each one was handled and worked on professionally with love and care. Her ability to help focus the combination of ideas and suggestions was a true work of art keeping the end result in constant view. Our excitement to see her work completed is immeasurable. Louise is one of the nicest people you will ever have the pleasure to work with."
Sue L, Morgan Hill, CA. Dec 2009
| Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 90"H x 76"W Fabrics: Black & White prints on both the front and back as well as the orange and blue. Quilting: Pantograph "Ivy Vine" Other Techniques: Appliqué, Satin Stitching Timescale: 72 hours |
Front
| “Oak Leaf Wedding Ring”
~ September 2009 ~ This pillow/cushion cover was commissioned by a friend of mine for friends of hers who were getting married. The main technique used on the front was Trapunto on a pale cream batik. The oak leaves and acorns were echo quilted and then the gaps between were filled with a tiny random stitch.
The names of the bride and groom, a pair of wedding rings and the wedding date was embroidered in the centre. The back includes a poem that was written by my friend and added to the pillow cover using Printed Treasures fabric which was first fused and then the edges satin stitched. The darker fabric band is where the pillow filler can be inserted. | Back
| Testimonial"Louise is a talented quilter, completing this pillow case for me as a wedding present. It was beautiful, individual and elegant as well as exquisite in detail. Louise understood what I wanted, gave me a choice of finishes and fabrics and kept me informed all the way through the process of its development.
I would highly recommend her to family and friends and I am sure anyone would be very pleased with her work." Sue M, England. Oct 2009
| Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 20"H x 20"W Fabrics: Batik Quilting: Trapunto Other Techniques: Embroidery, Appliqué, Satin Stitching Timescale: 25.5 hours |
Front
| “Rock On!”
~ September 2009 ~ Rock On! was commissioned by a lady for her husband whom she met at College some years previously. These are many of the T-Shirts that he would wear during that happy time and were all college music bands. Many of the T-Shirt motifs turned out to be of a similar size and therefore worked nicely together on the front. Careful placement ensured the best balance of color. The red and blue cornerstones are representative of the college colors. We managed to find great fabric for the back that had swirls of musical notes which was appropriate for the general theme of the quilt and worked well to hide the seam lines where the back was pieced to include the extra T-Shirt pieces in the centre. One of the T-shirt motifs was much longer than the others and two had short but wide motifs, so we decided to place these on the back, plus adding simple four patch blocks with the college colors brought that theme round to the back too. | Back
| Testimonial"It was a pleasure working with Louise on a "concert" T-shirt memory quilt for my husband. With my limited knowledge of the quilt creation process, Louise introduced wonderful design ideas and material choices - I knew I could trust her artistry and good sense. The end result was exactly what I had hoped for. I can't wait to give my husband his gift this Christmas! I know he will love it." Amanda K, CA, USA. Oct 2009
| Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 79"H x 62"W Fabrics: Batik, Moda Marbles, Musical Print Quilting: Pantograph "Chinese Curves" Other Techniques: Stabilization Timescale: 41 hours |
Front 
| “Change & Flow”
~ December 2008 ~
I loved creating this quilt - what an interesting challenge! This design was shown to me, by my friends from Florida as a small image from the web (1.5" x 1") and from that small image I created this commissioned quilt measuring approximately 100" square. The centre circle on the finished quilt is 60" wide to give you a sense of scale. The templates for the fish and mountain pieces I drew by hand and the quilting stitches emphasised a different texture for each part; sky, mountain, moon etc. The fishes were quilted with scales and fins, and large scales were quilted into the blue background. The yellow and red motifs were satin stitched and appliquéd.
The fantastic fabrics that I found really worked well together and I was delighted with the result. | Detail of Fish Quilting  | Testimonial"Louise, while your Mondrian impression for us was already stunning and impressive, you've now outdone yourself again! When we asked if you could capture the spirit and the memories of Japan in a quilt, we would have never thought the outcome could really be so authentic, so unique and so beautiful. You have truly captured the core essence of Zen-like serenity and balance with sheer perfection; we were amazed that the cost was so reasonable, as you have, once again, created yet another timeless and invaluable masterpiece for us. Thank you so much. We'll be forever grateful." Ralf & Flor B., FL, USA. Dec 2008
| Quilting Detail
| SpecificationsSize: 98"H x 98"W Fabrics include: Batiks, McKenna Ryan Quilting: Custom freehand and
custom templates Other Techniques: Appliqué, Satin stitching, hand drawn templates Timescale: 71 hours |
Front 
| “Composition Alpha”
~ December 2008 ~ This quilt was my first ever commission. It was based on the Dutch artist Mondrian's 'Composition A' to which friends from Florida introduced me. Initially, I thought "squares & rectangles; how hard can that be!" but then I found that there were very exact proportions to be taken into consideration, however, after a little math and scaling up, I had it all worked out!
Initially I wasn't keen on this design - a bit too 'modern art' - but the more I worked on it the more I grew to appreciate it, especially after making and applying 888" of bias binding between all the colors!
It was echo quilted very minimalistically which was in keeping with the theme, but even the positioning of the quilting had to be precisely calculated. | SpecificationsSize: 102"H x 95"W Fabrics: Moda solids Quilting: Simple straight lines in ever decreasing squares in thread to match the color of each section. Other Techniques: Bias binding Timescale: 51 hours |
“Composition Alpha” Testimonial"Wow! This quilted rendition of our favorite Mondrian painting simply looks and feels phenomenal. Thank you so much Louise. We would have never expected it to come out so perfect. You're a true master of the art, and the attention to detail you put into making this quilt for us is just incredible. Since we can't have the original Mondrian painting, this quilt is definitely the second best option, and your price was really more than generous! It's certainly been the most admired talking piece among all our friends who came to visit ever since it arrived, and they all wanted to know where it came from and who made it. We hope you don't mind that we told them" Ralf & Flor B., FL, USA. Dec 2008
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