thequiltqueen

Hot Mess is right! Why is it so hard to set boundaries when we are inately generous? Eighty is not that old if she's active enough to sew a top every month! Explain to her that the pet hair has become a problem---that the hair/dander transfers to your leaders/clothes/area and while you aren't allergic, you may have others you quilt for who are. If she can't clean them up to remove the hair and the smell (yuck!) (or have a friend do that for her) you gently and reluctantly tell her you will need to stop quilting for her. This is absolutely appropriate and I guess I'm not kind enough to continue doing something that makes me miserable every month when she has some control over the issues.  Bless her, of course, for still having the passion for piecing. But your time and talent are your own to manage and you should not have to do so many extra tasks to make her quilt presentable when she doesn't recognize the issues and has no incentive to help. Does she have a close friend that you can bring into the mix---who can be the go-between for suggestions and boundaries? Sorry if this seems harsh, but I'm also "old" and would like to spend my longarming time stitching and not fixing someone elses careless piecing and smelly, hairy tops.