Originally Posted by
twinsister2
Thanks for the reply, occasionally a client will question why the extra fabric is needed and they just don't get it. My latest client did just that and said " do the best you can." Mind you, this was an old quilt her mom had made and it killed me to think she would literally cut off half a block, just because she really didn't understand what and why I had these requirements. Made me crazy knowing that the backing would be at least 6 inches shorter than the top. I took it upon myself, to go to the store which I knew would have this fabric and purchase the needed amount and sew it on, now the question is how do I charge her. So I will just add one hour of quilting time to cover the cost of fabric and my time in travel and sewing it together. She appears to not have a clue to the reasoning of any of this. Is that horribly wrong?
I do not think you can charge for something you "took upon myself". She did know know you were going to "do piece work on her quilt". She did not authorize you to travel, purchase fabric, piece on HER quilt. She asked for it to be quilted. You had explained the "rule/reason" for the oversized backing. If she were unwilling to do this herself, you should have asked her if she would pay you to do this. If she said no, you should have given it back to her and explained that you could not quilt it without sufficient backing.
Personally, I think some quilters ask for A LOT of backing that the customer (this lady??) may feel is wasted. I ask for 3" all around (I quit mostly for myself and some for friends/charity). I have heard some quilters ask for 6-8" all around.