Hi Susan, For me, quilt patterns are kind of like recipes. I may use them for ideas but rarely follow them exactly. I don't buy patterns, but I do look at quilts on-line, in magazines and at shows to get ideas. I have graph paper and colored pencils sitting by my favorite chair in the family room and have dozens of quilts sketched out; more than I'll ever be able to make! I find it pretty easy to look at a block and know how to cut it out and put it together; if that's not something you are comfortable with, then using patterns is great. This is supposed to be fun, so do whatever feels good to you! I've really enjoyed the monthly lotto blocks and the birthday blocks because they force me to try some things I might not have tried on my own. Like others have mentioned here, I love using unbleached muslin as the background in some quilt blocks. It has that farmhouse look that seems so old-timey and inviting. However, I've make a birthday block recently with a white-on-white background and loved it so now I'll have to try that too! LOL, it never ends! I don't belong to the local guild although I keep thinking about going. I guess this website is my guild. Kate

Great! Will you have her sew up the seam where you insert the forms, or would you want an envelope closure on the back so the forms could be taken out without opening up that one hand sewn seam? When I make my pillow covers for sofas and chairs for myself, I just put the insert in and sew up the last side by hand, as I like to change out my pillow covers seasonally. It's easy to make a new one. Since a yard of home dec fabric is typically 54" x 36", and your fabric is solid, you ought to be safe with a yard and a quarter - 1.5 yards, if you just have her hand-stitch the last side closed. I'd get 2 yards if you have her do an envelope closure, to be sure she has enough to overlap.

"Semi-opaque" or "light filtering" fabrics mean they allow natural light through but give you privacy. "Opaque/blackout" or "room darkening" fabrics mean no light comes through the fabric and it 100% light blocking material. "Semi-sheer" shades mean they allow a lot of light through and don't offer total privacy. Most "Semi-sheer" fabrics don't give full privacy. One thing to keep in mind is that in Hunter Douglas Roller Shades - "Semi-opaque" fabrics, there are a handful of fabrics that don't give quite as much privacy as others. That sounds like the case for the 2 fabrics you are comparing.

Because of the pattern difference on that stone I don't see an angle cut working too easily. It might require another slab. I'd want to approve the layout and how it looked after fabrication at the shop before delivery/install. No sense bringing it out if it isn't right. Non-negotiable for me. I'd settle the approval process before awarding the contract.