My first experience with a LA was so disappointing that I hesitated to try it again. After three months I still had not heard anything from the quilter. Little did I know she was a VERY popular custom quilter LA in the area and also could not say no to any one. She admitted she over schedules her time at the long arm. I made a phone call at three months and got a finish weeks later. Beautiful work, not custom, but I have not gone back to her because for me almost 4 months is too long. I now use a LA that has a turn around of about 2 weeks. She understands how long it takes to load and finish a quilt as well as her family obligations. I also make it exceedingly clear if a quilt is on a deadline or if I can be flexible if someone else has a more pressing deadline than I. So far this has worked well for both of us. She does about 4 or 5 quilts per year for me and I do the rest on my own domestic machine.