HERBSTER, Wis. -- Over the years, Connie Daniel has made hundreds of quilts -- each a work of art, with pieces of fabric and thread forming wonderfully detailed pictures.

But all that was just preparation for what Daniel calls her destiny -- making a 12-foot-by-60-foot quilt honoring those killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"It's such an honor to be a part of doing something so big for all the families of these people who perished and for the nation as well,'' Daniel said. "It's just overwhelming.''

The idea for the quilt and four smaller works was hatched by the Florida-based America's 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization. It sees the five quilts as a way to honor attack victims and the military, police, firefighters and others who protect America.

There will be one quilt each honoring the New York Police Department, the New York Fire Department, New York/New Jersey Port Authority and the Pentagon.

A massive White House/victims quilt will contain pre-attack scenes from New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The quilt will also include the picture or name of each victim.

The Florida organization didn't know how to make such a large or detailed quilt. They prayed they would find somebody who did.

"And they came across my Web site,'' Daniel said, referring to the site of her Cabin Fever Quilt Co. "I do this. I'm more artist than quilter. I take hundreds of pieces of fabric and create a pictured scene that looks like a painting when I get done. And I do some large bedspreads.''

Daniel was skeptical at first when the group asked her to lead the effort to make the quilt. But after satisfying herself that the organization was credible, she threw herself into the project.

Her first task was to take the ideas for the quilt and turn them into a specific design. The design took into account the plan to make the quilt in three separate sections for ease in cleaning, moving, and displaying at various sites, perhaps including the White House.

A 6-inch-wide border of stars and stripes will surround the entire quilt, and the photos and names of victims will appear on all three sections.

On the left section, United Airlines Flight 93 is flying peacefully over Pennsylvania.

The center section features the World Trade Center towers. An American flag and eagle will appear to the left of the towers and to the right, the Statue of Liberty. At the towers' bases are several rescue, fire and police vehicles -- each about two feet long -- representing those destroyed when the towers collapsed.

The quilt's right section will feature the Pentagon and five envelopes representing the victims of anthrax-tainted mail.

"Every one of these windows have to be sewn in by hand,'' Daniel said, referring to a picture of the Pentagon. "That's the kind of detail I do.''

Over the past 11 years, Daniel has made more than 450 quilts with pictures of wildlife and landscapes, pets and homes. She created the detailed pictures by sewing together hundreds of pieces of fabric. Machine stitching adds small details and highlights.

One of Daniel's most complex works was a queen-sized quilt with a dog sledder guiding his team past a log cabin. The picture required about 250 pieces of fabric.

But the largest quilt she's ever done was about 10 feet by 10 feet -- a fraction of the size of the 9-11 memorial quilt.

"I probably bit off more than I could chew,'' Daniel said. "The towers are going to be about 6 feet tall. That's about twice as big as anything I've done. But I'm not afraid of it. I know what I can do.''

Daniel will not make the quilt alone. She's gathering the names of people willing to help.

In Florida, Jeannie Ammermann is leading the team working to gather pictures of all the victims. The pictures will be printed onto fabric patches, which can be sewn onto the quilt. In the absence of a picture, a victim's name will appear.

The final assembly will require volunteers to gather at Herbster's historic log gymnasium.

"We want as many people as we can to help with this,'' Daniel said.

The Memorial Quilts Organization hopes the quilt is finished in time for memorial services on the first anniversary of the attacks.

"If they can get me the photos, I will get it done,'' Daniel said.