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 agree with others. You've done the best you can. People often only hear what they want to hear. If she's a regular customer, you might want to remind her when she picks it up that you didn't have enough backing and she told you to do the best you could. If she's unhappy with the result, it's on her. When someone hires you to do something, it's not really necessary that they understand your rules. They are your rules and if they don't want to abide by them, there are others who can do the work for them.
If she tells you to do the best you can, IMHO, that is a blank check. If doing the best you can entails travel, purchases, etc. she should suck it up and pay for it. She could have taken the time to do it herself. Since she didn't and told you to do the best you can, she should be willing to pay. If she isn't, she wouldn't be a return customer for me. As a business person, you have the right to pick and choose your customers. It's one of the few perks of self employment.
