My Story

My name is, Kelly Davis and as a child, I watched my grandma, Eugenie Elliott as she sat in her chair with a large quilting frame towering in front of her. Grandma was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium where the most important skill a woman could possess would be needlework, because my mom says she definitely couldn't cook.  She made beautiful quilts by hand for her children and later in life, made them for her grandchildren.

I would see her sitting at her sewing machine piecing a quilt together or she'd be hand quilting and I always had a million questions about what she was doing and why. That’s when my lessons started. It’s amazing what you remember when growing up and what you forget but for some reason I remember quite a bit about what my Grandma taught me about quilting. To sum up her main lesson,  “Quilting is art you create with fabric. There is no right or wrong, it’s your vision, your art.”

Grandma started a family tradition. When her grandchildren were to be married, her present to the newlyweds would be a wedding quilt. Unfortunately, by the time I got married, she  no longer was able to quilt due to her eyesight and arthritis. I would have loved to have my wedding quilt but it wasn't to be. I  do however, have so many quilts that my grandma made me as a child and I cherish every one of them.  Just think of it, no machines other than her old Singer sewing machine and her perfect little stiches with an occasional drop of her blood from a needle prick.

When I found out my baby sister was engaged, I had to put my lessons to use, ensuring that she had her wedding quilt. Quilting, however was going to be a problem. I work and travel quite a bit on my job. I could certainly piece my tops together by hand when flying or in my hotel room but for some reason they won't let you bring a quilting frame aboard an airplane.

In 2011, I bought my first longarm quilting machine and I instantly fell in love with the process. It was a small personal-use longarm that was perfect for my quilting needs. Since the day I purchased that longarm and with every quilt I made, my passion grew along with my skills. 

During 2020 and the COVID shutdown, just about everyone had to spend way too much time at home.  That planted the seed.  I seriously started thinking and planning the possibility of starting my own longarm business in my home. 

By early 2021, I purchased a APQS Millennium with a Quilt Path system to allow computerize quilting, pantographs, free motion, etc., to fulfill the dream. 

Magically, Davis Customs Longarm Quilting Services was born. 

Currently, I’m teaching my beautiful and talented daughters and granddaughters what Grandma Elliott taught me . One proud Mama and Grammy, so I have to brag.

Longarm quilting is my focus. I do not own a quilt shop. My business is out of my home, this allows me to lower my quilting fees due to the lack of the overhead cost. My husband built my quilting studio that is isolated from the rest of my home. No pets can access my studio and it is a non-smoking home. 

I used to view quilting as a vehicle to create quilts for those I love by showing and giving them my vision of art.  Now, I would love to share that gift with others.

I treat my customer's quilts as if they are my own and I will do the best I can to finish the vision my customer has created.  

In a sense, I'm framing their artwork.

What's something exciting your business offers? Say it here.