Yes, same here with my first quilt. I was a real novice and chose a very well known prize winning quilter. Unless you paid for custom quilting it was his choice of pattern and thread. While it was just "ok" I was disappointed in the work and the fact that it took so long to get it back and there was no direct contact with him. I found a quilter at my favorite quilt shop and love her work! I look through her patterns with her help pick the thread. Appointments are made and kept in a timely manner. Don't give up! Visit the local shows, speak with LQS employees. Usually the quilts in the shops are done by their employees. We invest a lot of money and time in our quilts and we deserve to have them quilted by a true professional. (We don't drop off our kids, grand kids with just anyone.)