An LAQ can get an inkling of a problem before the quilt goes on the rack by measuring every side of the quilt. If one side of the quilt measures more than the other side and the variance is more than 1/2" you are going to have a problem and possibly a pleat or several will be needed. I have had to do this on a few quilts but I did let my client know and one of them the entire border was pieced HST so I was able to camoflauge the pleats in the seams of the HST. The other there was nothing I could do, short of taking off the borders and redoing them and the client declined that. She just told me to do what I could. The quilt was received, loved and is being used by her DD.
It is also possible your LA may have stretched the quilt by having it too taut on the rack, when she said she didn't see the problem until the very end of the quilt, I am thinking this may be the more likely scenario. It is not the end of the world though. I agree she should have called you but what is done is done. 9 times out of 10 once the quilt is bound and washed that pleat or fold will be hardly noticible if at all. Were you planning on entering this quilt in a show? If so that should also have been communicated to the LAQ.
Last edited by feline fanatic; 07-26-2012 at 04:54 AM.