Paula Ginn is a friend and frequent visitor and helper at Ye Olde Forest Quilt shoppe in Greensboro. The shop featured a mystery quilt project recently and this is what Paula's choice of fabrics,  pattern unseen, created.
   If you look closely, you will see a variety of smaller blocks and some unusual sashing. The angle of this picture shows an altogether different layout that I had not seen before. Stand back & you will see large octagons too.
    Fascinating quilt.

Mar 28: Quilt top, backing and batting just arrived.
Apr 25: Picked out Bottom Line taupe for thread & Flowering Fern for IQ pattern.
Apr 26: Started prep for loading
Apr 27: Explored density using EQ7 & IQ.
Apr 28: Started yesterday and finished trimming red threads on and near white fabric so they won't show through. Loaded, basted, quilting.
Apr 29: Still quilting. Day pictures are better. And quilted.

  3/20: Planning this quilt for a High Point, NC friend I saw yesterday. Showed her my Birchbark Lodge Twister quilt. She loved the design and thought it would be ideal in Solid Red & White. Also found out she loves roses.
  Already on my way to THE QUILT SHOP, I found some wonderful fabric. Already had bolts of red so very pleased to be able to use some of it. When I got home I went to work on this while snow covered my world outside.
  5/22: I saw Munirah again today. Next time I see her, it will be to deliver her quilt.

Mar 20: Purchased fabric to go with the red I already have.
Mar 21:Did some layouts\
Apr 04: We discussed the plan and it was approved. WIll use some of the small roses in the top if it works nicely.
May 25: Over 2 months, 9.5 weeks to be exact, have passed since deciding to do this project. I have wanted to start it every day since so I am very happy I am finally cutting.
May 26: Been planning & making blocks all day. This will go on a 39" x 79" daybed. I have posted several similar layouts. Though the differences are slight, the effects are dramatic. The bed is 24" from the floor so I have sketched the red border at 12" but it can be whatever length Munirah wants. Also doing contrasting cornerstones will make this a much more tedious project.
May 27: Cutting & piecing and cutting & piecing ... etc.
May 28: Made the charm blocks--5" squares with a 3" border.
May 29: Cut the blocks into pinwheels using the Twister tool.
May 30-Jun 01: Finished the blocks.
Jun 02: The center is together.
Jun 03: Adding borders. Quilt top finished. Backing is ready to load.
Jun 04: Loading. Loaded. Quilting.
Jun 05: Finished quilting.
Jul 08: Finished binding.

This quilt was commissioned by Jen Kwasniewski.
Terrie McCoy pieced it.

After piecing the backing & custom quilting, I will finish with hand binding.

Now that the quilting is finished and the quilt removed from the frame, it has a wonderful 3-D effect.

Mar 15: Quilt is on the way here for longarming. Jen will send backing to match the top. Played with a mini-layout to show Jen what we need to be thinking about. I have these patterns but there are lots of DWR sets available.
Mar 18: The quilt top is here. Unlike Terrie's photos, there is no border for quilting. Since the quilt is folded right side in, I am not going to unfold it now. Just folded back one corner...
Apr 25: Measured the quilt & shopped for backing. 
Apr 26: Ordered the backing.
Apr 27: Whole quilt top photos. Tweaked the design a bit & expanded to reality size.
May 01: The backing is here but it doesn't match the top.
May 06: The new backing arrived.
May 10: Piecing the backing. The backing is ready and draped over the frame ready to load. The batting is also ready.
May 11: The back is loaded. Now for preparing the top. This will be time consuming because the solid colors at the points where the circles meet ravel like crazy & they must NOT show through the white--the veins would look horrible. I will trim them as I press and then also be trimming them again as I go each time I roll the quilt. No doubt I will still miss a few but it won't be for lack of trying & lots of TLC. The top is now loaded too. Basting the top & sides is next.
May 12: Basted. Though I was ready to quilt but everything is sized wrong. Back to designing.
May 13: Sorry, just couldn't work.
May 14: Quilting has started. 3/4 of the first row of circles done. I suspect I will need to use transparent thread to stitch around the colored squares but will wait until everything else is done.
May 15: Made some progress but very little.
May 16: Finally starting to feel a bit better. I have documented through pictures the process I am doing. You can judge how close I am or am not coming to what I what. Got row 2 finished today. Any more photos will just be redundant as I forge ahead.
May 17: Only rolled the quilt basted the next row.
May 18: What a miserable week. Got row three done today - only took 4 hours!!!  Yikes! And now I am drained again. HA! Got another row done in only 3 hours. This means I am half way.
May 19: Row 5 done in 2.5 hrs! Row 6 now finished too.
May 20: Quilting is finished. Binding is ready to attach.

May 21: I went in to attach the binding & didn't like what I was seeing. It doesn't look right to me with no quilting outside the rings. Spent the day seeing what I could come up with. One option is black instead of white binding. Another is to trim the inch or so of white down to 1/2 inch. If I add quilting, I first have to add a thrown away border so I can reload the quilt. What to do? Think I will just leave this alone for awhile.
May 22: Have now seriously considered a scalloped border but I can't do one. Jen does like the idea of black binding so I bought some shiny black fabric today for that. I think I am going to reload and fill-in some quilting outside the rings & then bind it in black--a lot of work but this quilt is worth it. Wish me success! I have attached extensions to the top & bottom of the quilt & reloaded.
May 23: In the wee hours of the morning, I came up with a final plan for the edges. This one I like. I have it all worked out in my mind how I am going to do this. And I am going to try to attach the binding using the longarm so I don't have to wrestle with this very large and heavy quilt.
May 24: Started quilting the edging.
May 25: Finished the edging. Prepared and attached the binding. Ready to do the hand work.
May 29: No news means I am binding as I get a chance.
Jun 07: Binding is done.
Jun 15: Jen is coming today to pick up her quilt.

For lack of a better name ... and/or until Nina give me a better name, this shall be dubbed Peachy because Nina wants me to use peach thread.
     Nina came to my rescue! "The quilt I sent you is made from Heather Ross' Mendocino line. The pattern was called Garden Blocks but I've just been calling it the Heather Ross quilt lol."

Feb 28: Selected Bubblicious IQ pattern
Mar 14: Quilt top & backing arrived.
Apr 17: Final thread decision & IQ Pan.
Apr 23: Cleaned machine, changed thread and adjusted tension, cut batting, pressed backing and top, trimmed threads as needed. Now ready to load and quilt in the morning.
Apr 24: Now that I know which way is up (had to ask), I am ready to start pinning/loading. First I took the time to read the Wikipedia article about octopus. Fascinating with lots of pics and videos. Loaded and basted ...be right back ... I was back but with aggravations with my machine giving me obstruction errors. Spent hours trouble shooting.
Apr 25: Quilting. This pattern does lots of over stitching to get from one bubble to the next so it will take a long time to quilt this one. I started early so I am finished & the quilt is shipped.

Doubly blessed today by this 2nd quilt that arrived from Gislaine Thony  B., resident of Port au Prince, Haiti. How about that.

After receiving her first quilt in August 2010, we became good friends. When the devastating tsunami hit her country, she was busy caring for those around her in desperate need but we kept in touch.

It has been awhile now & oh so good to reconnect.

Mar 06: Got an email today to expect 2 quilts. An hour later they arrived by UPS! Just never know what a day will bring to the cabin.
Mar 20: Bought backing fabric.
Apr 18: Seamed backing, cut binding strips. Loaded.
Apr 19: Quilting...quilted. Squared. Binding attached.

Gislaine, who lives in Port au Prince, Haiti was my 2nd  website customers. It is so good to have her back with two quilts.

She calls this one Lots of Scraps.

Mar 06: Got an email today to expect 2 quilts. An hour later they arrived by UPS! Just never know what a day will bring to the cabin.
Mar 20: Bought backing fabric
Apr 18: Seamed backing, cut binding strips.
Apr 19: I've been back on forth between two variegated threads for this quilt. I looked at them closely today side by side. The only difference seems to be orange in one and dark red in the other so I am going with the orange--King Tut Cleopatra. Made the binding. Loaded backing and batting. Will press the binding & press and load the quilt top tomorrow.
Apr 20: As I loaded the top I decided to show Gislaine another panto option. Now quilting...and quilted. And squared. And binding is attached. I'm done.

Dorothy made this quilt for her daughter who was entangled in a cult for many years. She is free now and has been healing the damage over the past year.

Mother and daughter were at long last reunited in January 2013. This is her welcome home quilt. And her birthday present.

Jan 25: Dorothy found the pantos she wanted to use.
Feb 17: I proposed one arrangement of a panto of pantos
Feb 25: Started working on thread selection based on fabric samples I received.
Mar 06: Quilt arrived
Mar 07: Taking a moment to catch up & post some photos. More thread selection efforts. We need help unable to make a decision. As things always have a way of working out, I received a spool of high sheen Magnifico thread just the right shade of blue for this quilt.
Apr 01: The backing is here.
Apr 04: This is now a birthday quilt for later this month. Heidi has graciously chosen to give up her spot in the queue so this can happen. Dorothy is taking a last look at the design where I flip the row horizontally, giving it a more balanced rather than haphazard look. IQ is programmed. Thread & tension are all set. Quilt is loaded. We are using Dream Puff batting for extra warmth. The loft of this batting will also accent the stitching.
Apr 06: Basted. Quilting. Four rows done.
Apr 07: Only basted the next row.
Apr 08: Finished and out of here too! I have to say to Dorothy, "You had quite the vision on this one. Very nice design. Impeccable piecing. A joy to quilt." Sunshine breaking through the darkness comes to mind.

                                     I have said...If a cat has been on your quilt, please do NOT send it to me.
                                                     Please help me assess this situation realistically.

I have hesitated to post this before but understand that I remain affected by where a cat has been long after the cat is gone. Your quilts and anything on them get on my work table, on top of my bed for photos and on my longarming canvas. It does not wash out & it does not fade away. This is because the cat allergens are in the saliva.
                                                                                     True story
 I visited some friends of a friend years ago in Maryland. A short time into the visit, my throat and inner ears began to itch. They had a dog. When my sinuses clogged I asked if they had a cat. No. The previous owners did. These folks had lived here 5 years and long since removed the old carpet leaving only bare hard wood floors yet I was reacting the same way I do when a cat is present. It is NOT pleasant. Sneezing continuously and unable to breathe normally, we had to leave. Fortunately Sudafed settles everything down in about 30 minutes once I get away from the source.
                                   Please understand that I do not want to live this way in my home.
Why am I posting now? A recent quilt came into my home & I began working with it. My throat had that tell tale feeling I know too well but have not experienced in years now. I did not go into a full blown attach but I also did not put the quilt on my bed or worktable. My sweet, dear customer is begging me to do her quilt & I would love to do it but my health and lifestyle are at risk. Or are they?

Another dear customer has sent me quilts in the past and I have NOT had a reaction. When she sent a photo with a gorgeous black cat sitting on a quilt she was planning to send, I did not say anything. I did cut the cat out of the photo (LOL-out of sight...) and tried to push it out of my mind.

                                          So now I have several quilts in house from cat houses (LOL).
                                 What would you do if you were me with customers counting on you?
                            What would you expect if you sent a quilt in good faith & you had a cat?

I care. I try to be fair and upfront and reasonable. Keep in mind I have never mentioned this before on this site & it has not been a problem with any quilts I have done over the past 3 years. Surely some of those homes had cats unbeknown to me. Perhaps I'm paranoid. Perhaps I have been darn lucky. I am sure of only one thing -- I do not know what will happen. I have a touch of allergies all the time but I manage just fine without medication whereas when I lived in the Roanoke valley, I had to go on shots immediately. Tricky stuff this. It could be that those shots built up an immunity that is now wearing off. That makes sense to me.

                                   If I have quilted for you & you have a cat, please let me know.

That will help solve this dilemma in favor of my current customers. Thanks so much!!

                                                           Love and peace to all -- even your kitty