About Elaine

As a registered nurse and wife of a career military officer, I spent 20 years traveling and living throughout the United States and Europe before settling in rural Vermont in 1971. As retirement years approached I toyed with the idea of starting a small quilting business. A few years earlier I had attended a quilting class and discovered the new enjoyment and challenge of creating quilts and researching their history.

After retiring from Hospice in 1990, I converted four rooms of our historic home into a studio/shop. Quilts by Elaine was born. As I taught myself new skills, I expanded my business to include teaching. I have given both private and group lessons in my studio and at a family resort near here. I have also given lectures on the history of quilt making. One of my biggest thrills has been to appear as the featured quilter from Vermont on a segment of the show Lynette Jennings Designs shown on the Discovery channel.

My love of quilting has never diminished and I am finding retirement to be an exciting and busy time in my life. I love exploring new and unusual techniques but I must admit my heart is with traditional patterns. I encourage people interested in quilting to give it a try. I find it very therapeutic and rewarding and know you will also.

About 'Quilts by Elaine'

Examples of award winning craftsmanship can be seen on the quilt page. Each of our quilts are individually designed, pieced, and finished either by hand quilting, tying or machine quilting depending upon the pattern and customer's wishes.

Ever the innovator, Elaine continues to create new designs which adds a unique touch to special one of a kind items, including some that feature her daughters' specialties: the Unique Quilters' Items page features Autumn Foliage pillows with images of Vermont maple leaves by Nancy, whose award winning quilted wall hangings are on the Quilts page. And Terry's exquisite Hardanger embroidery adds a unique touch to special framed pieces, quilts, pillows, and one-of-a-kind bookmarks.

Elaine's unique heirloom-quality quilts are created from a large selection of 100% cotton fabrics: Traditional and modern designs are available in a wide range of colors and patterns, with varying degrees of complexity and quilting, depending on your wishes and budget.

Possibilities

Quilts for beds, from crib to king size; wall hangings and smaller framed pieces; table runners; autumn foliage and Hardanger embroidery pillows; fun doll quilts; and shin-warmers and lap quilts. Adding ties to a lap quilt makes an extraordinary gift for those confined to wheelchairs; ties may be added at no extra charge. Large wall hangings have a sleeve attached to the back for hanging.

Visit our Kids Corner to view quilts that will make future childhood memories for your little loved ones.

Choose from the quilts on display or have one custom designed: See the Quilts and Unique Gifts pages for examples of patterns, colors, fabric, and sizes.

Hand Quilting

True hand quilting is very labor intensive: A queen size bed quilt can easily take four months from start to finish. But it is easy to balance design, methodology, and quantity of quilting to create an affordable treasure: The design process and pricing structure is based upon so many variables, there is a tremendous amount of flexibility in creating these quilts. It depends on what you're after, and Elaine loves to create a really special original.

The actual quilting patterns within the quilts can often be adjusted to accommodate as much or as little hand work as the budget allows. For example, for those who want to own at least one piece that is quilted by hand, something with a small amount of original hand quilting is perfect. A pattern incorporating a moderate amount of quilting is a good choice for many, and for those who desire a grand expression of this art, the designs with intricate patterns are a perfect fit. Elaine has beautiful patterns that satisfy each type of order, and looks forward to working with you to achieve your goals.

Elaine or her daughters Nancy & Terry work personally with every customer placing an order.

Machine Quilting

As lovers of quilting and fine design, we want to make our work as accessible as possible while maintaining the highest of standards. With this in mind, we've decided to make machine quilting an option on certain designs.

Particularly suitable for pieces which are more utilitarian than heirloom-quality in nature, machine quilting requires substantially less time, and this is reflected in the price: Depending on the amount of quilting involved, a machine quilted queen size coverlet can cost a few hundred dollars less than its hand quilted counterpart. If a hand quilted piece doesn't fit your present needs, this option enables you to maintain the high quality of design, materials, and craftsmanship found in all Quilts by Elaine work, without making the investment appropriate for hand quilting. Please call or write for more information about available designs.

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Email: elaine@quiltsbyelaine.com / Call: 802-644-6635
Toll Free: 1-866-644-6635

SHOP HOURS: By appointment and chance

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