All quilts, when a long armer receives them, should be put into a plastic bag like this http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/738/5...592738_869.jpg LA can acquire these either by purchasing or buying pillows and getting them for free. The customer does not have to get these; are to use while quilt is in your home or shop. You are very understanding. I use the rule, "There is a 5% human error rate in everything we do" to deal with situations like this. Saves a lot of angst and internalizing and don't have to assess character and judge the person. It is my was of avoiding bitterness creeping in. Hopefully if I ever have to have brain surgery it won't be on the surgeons 5% error rate day! (Actually surgeons training is so intensive a certain element of instict develops and reduces the odds percentage.) Following this rule, I would just have her quilt me one or two quilts in the future for free. And since we need about four new pillows in the house, I would send her the bags and a couple of ones I have from blankets purchased at stores to help her in with future business.

So sorry for the quilt you made. I agree - ON THE FLOOR? IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM? - Really.....

That being said I have made a DP9 in Fall colors that was given to a friend (male) and if I needed another quick quilt I would do it again. Here is a picture of it - easy, quick and looked great when done.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495205&stc=1

So sorry about your quilt. Your LA should be distressed for the lapse on her part. We all have had situations where we messed up. She should have insurance to cover this if she has a business in her home. If she doesn't, that isn't your problem, just more of her lapse. I would ask for fabric plus my time costs and I would expect a free quilting as is the right thing to offer as show of trying to make it right the best way she can.

That's too wierd. I would ask for the quilt back. Just in case. I agree, why the floor and how would cats knock over bleach.

Oh the cats part doesn't seem weird to me at all. My two boys get totally crazy when they play sometimes - they're indoor-only and that pent-up energy has to go somewhere! They've knocked over all sorts of things and ended up in some wild places. It *does* seem a little strange she had the quilt on the floor, and in the laundry room at all. That'd be my question - why was it in the laundry room in the first place. Obviously it's not a cat-free zone, so that can't be it!

I like modern quilts and a lot of them are quite masculine with the right colors. Lots of modern quilts piece up quickly too, being squares and rectangles. That's probably the type of designs I'd go for.

why was the quilt on the floor????

[QUOTE=MacThayer;6926564]I got a call from the long-armer today, and an accident has happened. She had my quilt top in her laundry room on the floor, and somehow her cats where chasing each other and managed to knock over a gallon of bleach onto my quilt top (it hadn't been quilted yet) and the top on the bleach wasn't secure, so my quilt top ended up soaking up most of the bleach. The long arm quilter was horrified when she found it. Not only were the colors bleached out, but the fabric in many places had been destroyed by the bleach. There was no saving the quilt. She called me, in tears, and explained what happened. She offered to pay my shipping to her, pay a more than generous amount for the fabric used, and to quilt the next quilt for free. I suppose I could have gotten angry, but what can you do, accidents happen. I've used her for years, and this is the first time she hasn't been 100% perfect with my quilts.

Question: the holidays are coming up, and now I REALLY need to get a queen sized masculine quilt put together in a jiffy. I had done a Jacob's ladder with masculine color and prints (because it's for Ian) but that's a lot of piecing. Can anyone think of a quilt that would look sophisticated yet simple that could be pieced in short order? (All I want is the world, right?) Any suggestions would be appreciated.[/QUOTE

I did a Shadow Box for my Grandson's graduation. It went fast and worked good for the male gender.

Rail Fence is very quick, since it's strip-pieced. My personal favorite is the basket-weave arrangement. I made the width of my strips, according to how much yardage I had of each color. The pattern is super versatile! I used blues but the pattern would look awesome, in various shades of brown.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495219&stc=1

Oh gosh, I can only begin to imagine how she felt. You are so kind to be so understanding - I'm not sure many of us would have that kind of grace.

I just saw one of Jenny Doan's tutorials on Missouri Star. Looks super easy, and the end result is really neat with an almost 3-dimensional look to it. http://land.missouriquiltco.com/illusion-block/

Hope you are able to find something that will work for you!

"Stuff" does happen - and the could haves, should haves, would haves - can always be asked and wondered about.

But on the floor in the laundry room - is definitely a "HUH?"

It does seem like your LAer is trying to make it up to you as well as she can - although I think I would try to recover some of my time, too - as in getting back more than one one quilt LAd "for free"