Thanks for such an informative and eloquent posting...Its difficult as a Long Armer to convey how important all these things are. It's easy to place blame on others. We never give a price on any quilting until we have inspected and measured a quilt...so many things such as ironing, multiple seams, lumps, hills, valleys, waviness and puckers can cause dire problems. We also require 2 inches extra ALL the way around. So glad you posted this valuable lesson for everyone.