Actually this happened to me when I was quilting a customers quilt. What had happened is that all of the threads weren't clipped on the top and one was 'looped' in the seam and the foot caught the thread and since LA's run so fast, it created a hole with all the thread that had to be cut and picked out. I did tell her about it and offer to repair, but she said she'd take care of it. So sometimes even though everything looks okay, trouble may be only a small thread in a seam away. And yes she should have at the very least told you!

She should have told you about the hole, and offered to repair or make an amend to you. You sure don't feel as if you can recommond her quilting services to others. Hope you can make the repair, and be happy with the quilt.

Merry Christmas

Being from WI and a longarmer... alls I can say is, I'm sorry. I can't say this hasn't happened to me, once is enough though. When anything goes wrong on a customer's quilt I always take the high road.. meaning I call, write or whatever, tell them of the problem, and fix it for them, and give them something off of the quilting (free batting)
It is hard to admit our faults sometimes.. the pressure of this time of year is hard to take for anyone who gives a service, but it is not an excuse to make a mistake with out fixing it the best you can.

One thing you can try is Heat and Bond, removing it from the paper, and stick the gluey stuff (quilting term~I think)
under the tear, next to the batting. Put a teflon sheet on the top and press. I have another product I have use on clothing, Bond, it is a powder that is like the gluey stuff.
It patches pants, wool, anything, even hunting clothes.

Hang in there!

Since she has made no effort to rectify the issue, has not repsonded to your emails, I suggest you contact quilt shops and guilds in her area and tell this story. It will have the effect of lessening recommendations for her work, no less than such a business deserves. You can google this local information if you don't live near her.

Jan in VA

This also happened to me, and the longarmer didn't tell me about it, when I saw it I took the quilt back in and asked what happened, the needle got stuck and ripped my fabric, the owner of the shop offered to repair the quilt, she did a nice job, but I STILL know the quilt is damaged. What most bothered me was them not telling me that they damaged my quilt, they waited to see if I noticed.

I agree with everyone above.....as a new longarmer, I find it hard to believe she didn't see it. I look over everything on my quilts!!!! Dang shame!

My, my, this is exactly what happened to me! I had taken in my POSTAGE STAMP quilt in and it was my DH that noticed it before we left the studio (looks exactly like the machine got caught up and just hammered away in one spot, tearing it). The comment was, I'll just stitch out a quilt label to cover it! Like the hole was not a big deal!!! I did a small applique within the quilting lines on the lining. Well, from this, I decided to get a frame and new machine and do my own quilting-everything would be MY work. BTW, I think I'll be posting a pic soon...:)

Regarding the hole...I had a small rip in the back of my first quilt and this is what I did to fix it. I took some matching material and cut a small piece so that the design matched the area where the tear was. I then ironed some fusible web on one side and then on the top side as well so that it made a small patch. Very carefully with tweezers I slid the patch in between the batting and the top fabric and pulled the edges of the tear together so that they would meet as best as they could. Then I carefully ironed the area. It really looked pretty good when it was all said and done...you could barely see it and I know it will wear okay. Oh, I also put a little drop of fray check on the seam of the edges just to ensure it didn't fray in the wash.

Oh dear. These stories make me hand quilt although I have been wanting to have some professionally done. I haven't mastered fmq and am too worried about something happening to my work.

I agree with your statement. She is probably terribly embarrassed I know I would be. Since I don't know how big the hole is I don't have any recommendations that would be different from what has already been posted. Good luck.