Well hi again, Thanks for the congrats, yes, I'm, VERY excited & scared. As one can see, I'VE GOT A LOT TO LEARN -- here I thought it was asking a lot for the 20% deposit (since I haven't worked in months, I need it for materials). Well, I calculated it based on a projected approx. of 15 yds. total (7.5 front & back); all the cottons I buy at LQS are running average $9.50/yd., so $10/yd x 15 yds = $150 fabrics, then of course, there's batting & thread to add in. OK, next time I'll ask at least 40% (& probably write a contract too, which I declined to do since he offered a cash deposit & has just met me.) Lots of design freedom, all the patron expressed was a desire for very masculine, & very soft. He's specified the colors Navy & Khaki (OK by me), his girlfreind added in gray, I later realized gray & khaki are likely to be too close in value; so I'll need to ask him to eliminate one of those & pick another color. He told me I have carte blanche on the design & has asked for a plain reverse side (the baby blanket I showed him had deisgn work on back as well). I got this commission from showing the baby quilt & when the patron asked for something specifically masculine, I brought along the quilt I was making for Dad when he died (coffee-themed, featured mostly various browns, tans, cremes, bit of burgundy, mustard, gray & black. I showed a third one (smallish) mostly analogous blues/greens/purples which he felt to "purply" for him). Hope to get to LQS tonite for preliminary inquiries, am hoping to look around for some swatches & take them to my patron later this wk. The design prospects seem wide open other than QAYG which in my case was framed squares of novely fabrics (Dad's quilt). The mind boggles ........ More later & cross yr. fingers!!! (PG) Karen

I fedex'd the quilt today and it should arrive tomorrow afternoon! I can't believe I got it done that quickly. Worked all day, came home and took care of the animals and dinner, then sewed until 1am for 3 nights. I'm too old for this stuff! LOL The piecing was random and the quilting was VERY basic but I like the result and I think he will too. I was so sleepy when I was putting the rows together that I messed up and turned a couple the wrong way. I didn't realize until I spread out the finished top that I had grouped all the lightest colored blocks on one side. So I cut out a couple leaf shapes in dark green and gave needle turn applique a try last night! They look like a first effort at applique but I think it worked OK. This is a close-up of the label. I also included his name, my name and phone number, the date, and washing instructions (OK to wash and dry on hot). Again, thanks for the suggestions for the labeling. I did sew it into the binding too and underneath the label where you can't see it, right on the backing of the quilt, I wrote "Shame on you! Don't steal this quilt!" If someone does try to remove the label maybe they'll be shamed into returning it! Kate

It might be just a matter of whether you like the oversize look, like in Jay's photo. OP: Do you share the bed? Are the two of you always fighting over the covers? Then maybe bigger is better. BUT--the flip side: In the winter months, I have a duvet that covers the side pieces of the bed, and I thought that would be good -- extra "blanketing"=extra warmth. Its a duvet for a smaller-size comforter. But it really does tend to overwhelm me, and the look of the bed. It's flannel, so I get overheated with that much more fabric. Also, it is a BEAR to shake that duvet out in the morning and get the inside comforter's bunched-up parts (on the sides) to get back to where they're supposed to be. There are devices to keep the corners in place (inside laces, velcro, inside buttons, et.), but not so much for the sides. The full-size duvet, for me, verges on the unmanageable to get it back in place, flat, to make the bed look nice again. (It also doesn't help that I have a ceiling fan above the bed--I've bumped it a few times!) So unless your husband/significant other usually helps you make the bed in the morning, that'd be something to think about. I think you have a lovely bed, beautiful wood, and I would want to see a bit of the side rails.

I think it depends on the drape of the comforter and the bed. If the smaller comforter is puffy and just hangs over a couple of inches it will always look like it is sticking up. Or if the bed has a foot board you'll have to take that into consideration as well. I'm all for saving money and I think the idea of adding something smaller is a great idea.