I, too had this problem. Back in November, I posted "Longarm Bandit". I too sent a quilt out to be quilted and got it back 2/3 done(very poorly at that) and it cost me $250.00. I had two friends help me rip out all the quilting, and I quilted it on my Janome 6600. Yes, it was a big quilt and hard to do, but, I was very happy to be able to say "I did it" when it was finished. Maybe you could do 1/4' from the seams on the flying geese and nine patches. I'm not sure what machine you have, but, it can be done, it will take lots of patience and perserverance. I have attached a picture of the quilt I had to redo. good Luck in whatever you decide.

Looks great
Thanks for the advice.

I am so sorry this happened to you. My long armer says she won't even take anything above 120". Is it possible for you to cut the top down to 120X124 so it will fit on her frame?

Not at this point, but thanks

Try a LQS or a local quilting group, and see if there is anyone there who could assist you after they hear the problem.

I PMed you

First ask for help from a local LQS or a quilting guild. Quilters are very kind and helpful people so hopefully you'll find someone who will offer some free help. If not, you can do it! I agree with the advice to trace the leaves she's already done so you can mimic that and whatever other stitching she did in the other 2 borders. You should be able to fit the width of your borders under your machine. Good luck!!

This is the best idea of all. Get all your friends together, but frirst take pictures "as is", stop the check and file in small claims court. She should have realized she couldn't do it. My question is--could she have taken it out of the machine and finished the other side? I know nothing about LA quilting.

If she did not finish the job how could she have the nerve to charge you. You trusted her to do the job she did not keep her end of the bargain. I can't believe she not only didn't finish but charged you more than price quoted.
So sorry this happened to you.

Contact a local guild and see if you can get a group together to hand quilt. Good Luck and send us a photo when finished.

I would contact Judge Judy ... a contract is a contract ... the woman made a business mistake ... you would be doing unsuspecting quilters a BIG favor ... obviously she should not be in business.

bummer, bad, bad,quilter!! are you in SC?? you could come over and we could fisnish it. as a longarmer my self. She should not have charged full price if she didnt finish it. And she should have explained why she couldnt finish it. Can you find a shop or someone that rents time on a machine and try to finish it yourself. lots of shops are renting time, with help. Good luck? PS. dont recomend her to anyone else.

I cant believe this. She charged you the full price to quilt the whole quilt plus $50 extra to not finish it? This lady has some nerve. If anything she should have charged you less for not completing the job. I know that you had no choice but to pay her to get your quilt back or she would have held it hostage. I would tell her that you feel that she should not have been paid in full for a job not completed and ask for a partial refund so that you can have the quilt completed by someone else. Would another Long Arm quilter even that on a partially quilted quilt? I'm so sorry this happened to you.

How frustrating for you. As it was not completed, I assume you know, but it cannot be finished on a long arm machine, as the 3 layers are wound on separate take up "spools" and they meet under the needle area. The rest of the machine will be finished on a home sewing machine. I suggest an e-mail message to contacts at local guilds in your area. Ask them for the names of any of their best quilters. Next time I would suggest you use a local quilt shop near you who does quilting. Saving a few $$$ is nice, but you lose your control of the project. I hope you can find someone able to quilt that large of a quilt on a home machine. Please don't let this bad experience push you away from quilting. We are all pulling for you. :)

Just one very little thought to aid in your problem. I use cookie cutters to trace for quilting patterns. And I have a couple of leaf cutters that would work. Hope you get it solved, what a mess. So sorry. Sounds like a big job, but not impossible. A little at a time, on your machine. Good luck.

Just one very little thought to aid in your problem. I use cookie cutters to trace for quilting patterns. And I have a couple of leaf cutters that would work. Hope you get it solved, what a mess. So sorry. Sounds like a big job, but not impossible. A little at a time, on your machine. Good luck.

So sorry for you. You've received some great advice here. Please show us a picture when you get it resolved. Still wondering how she justified charging $50 more!!

What you can do is Go to small claims court. She owes you!

Linda, If you haven't started quilting this monster on your own, and would be willing to wait to get your quilt back for 3-4 weeks,contact me off group. I have been a longarmer since '96 and could use a challenge and doing a good deed during the summer slow down would lift my spirits.
My recent move to a bigger town has me more isolated from my friends an hour + and much gas away.
Sally

thats terriable .i wouldnt have paid her anything till quilt was done .let alone extra. a price qute is a price i would pay mary m. in ms.

My name is Vivian. I am a longarm quilter of ten years. It sounds like the quilt is probably too big for a longarm table unless someone has a 14' table. I have a Statler Stitcher-12' table. Not sure I could get your quilt on my table, but before I started longarming I did all my work on a regular sewing machine. If you would pay the shipping charges, I would be willing to finish your quilt for you at no cost. There have been a few times in the past ten years when a quilt took me a lot longer or more quilting than anticipated and I am the one who took the loss. I have never transfered that to my customers. I am honest, reliable and trustworthy. It may take me awhile to get it done. I currently have a steady 45 quilts hanging to be quilted for other customers and about three months out. If you look up http://www.thequiltpatternshoppe.com and look up Quilted Treasures or Vivian Head under designers you can see a picture of me and my mother and some of the patterns I have designed. I live in Grand Junction, Colorado and have a son that lives in Florida. I receive quilt tops from all over the states. Let me know if this is something I can help you with. Vivian

I'm so sorry this has happened, that quilter should be thoroughly ashamed of herself for doing this to you! She owes you a refund for part if not all of the price she charged you!
You can have the quilt finished by another Longarmer who can create a leaf pattern from those that are already on the quilt. If you try and finish on your domestic machine, there is no way it is going to come close to looking similar, especially as you are new at it.

Sally & vivsqt, I think that is just so wonderful of you to offer to finish quilting Lindach quilt. The people here on this board are just awesome.

Lindach, sorry this happened to you. Your quilt sounds beautiful.

I'm sorry to hear of this, chalk it up.
Another question to ask your LA'r
What is the length you can comfortably quilt on your machine? I have a 10' table, but my sister has a 12' table.

I had also wondered about the center and the sides being completed, I start on the top and work down, unless I'm stablizing the quilt blocks to square up the quilt. Longarmers don't start in the middle.

This can be taken care of thankfully.

Enjoy!

I can recommend a lady here in Bar Harbor, ME who does beautiful quilting on her longarm. I don't know if you would feel comfortable shipping it up here or not. I also don't know if she can do it since it was taken off another machine (I assume it is machine done). I don't know anything about the process really although she did demonstrate it to our guild. She is a nurse at the hospital and super clean and neat. I have no idea what she charges at this point either. If you want more info, please PM me.

I think this entirely depends upon your rack setup. My very first quilt I did on the LA, when I finished it I decided it needed more quilting. I simply rolled up the entire sandwich on my "backing" roller. I have a stationary tension roller and my takeup is also stationary set well above the machine bed. I had no trouble going back and doing the additional quilting.

What a heartbreak. How did the LAQ determine pricing-by inch and pattern? If you told her 124x124 and she did not believe you but took the job, then that's her error and she should be working with you to complete the quilt, rather than giving it back. I may be wrong, but I believe once she had the quilt on her frame, she would have been able to tell size, then if oversized, at that time should have declined BEFORE starting. I would go back to her, voice your unhappiness, the difficulty you now face, and inquire why she accepted the job, started on the job, but is stopping unfinished, and is there no possibility to quilt the other two side panels. It's business negotiations on both sides.

I've had many quilts done by LA's after I'd already done some quilting on it myself.
They've never had any problems rolling it on the machine as one layer.

The first thing I would do is give her name and/or business name on this board!

I would love to hear the outcome of this delima. I, too, am a Longarmer. My 12' table/frame would not accommodate your quilt and I would have told you so in the beginning. I hope you will send your quilt to one of the LA-ers who has offered to finish it for you. But you certainly should get at least a partial refund from the one who didn't finish it. I would not charge you anything if it had been me and I had realized after starting it that I couldn't finish it. It would have been my error, and I also would have offered to pick out all the quilting I had done on it.

That's a big disappointment to have your quilt refused after being half finished! We on this board have seenthe beautiful work Charisma does; maybe contact her and see if she can help you or give suggestions. A large quilt like that would be a hassle w/regular machine. Another suggestion would be to google amish quilters in PA, contact them and get samples of their work. They do fabulous quilting also and not all hand as there are hand/treadle machines available. Don't know if if any of these suggestions have already been mentioned as didn't read all the pages.

Just my quarters worth (inflation you know).

Thank You very very much. I think I am going to try to do it myself. I want it to look nice, but with my moving schedule I dont have time to send it out. My Son and Daughterinlaw will understand and forgive me for my newness(I Hope).

Thank You again, that was very thoughtful of you .

I'm crying for you. This is awful. I don't know how she can continue to quilt for people.

I think you need to report that to the Better Business Bureau. Also, most states have a Consumer Protection or some such thing where you can file a complaint. That was definitely an overcharge in big proportions. You sound like you might be a little timid. Do you have someone who could help you? We're all in your corner and don't like to see soneone take advantage of you.
Also, you probably aren't the first person she has overcharged, so if you report it, at least it's on record.

Gobs of good luck being sent your way!

I know it is very hard to confront someone, however, when done gently and in clear and specific language, it can work out well for both parties. I am really sorry that this LA quilter did not do right by you. You can learn to stand and this would be good practice. Write out what you want to say, keep it for a day or two, read it over and edit what you want. Make sure to state exactlty what you want her to do--finish the quilt, refund your money, whatever. Call the LAer and read what you have written. You should be prepared to notify the Better Business Bureau in her/his locality. You cannot let people just run over you like that. I suspect that you feel overwhelmed by the move etc. However, some of us have to really work on standing up for ourselves. It is not easily learned, ask me how I know...

The quilters on this board are awesome. What a treasure you ladies are to offer to finish this quilt at no charge. God bless all of you.

Heck, you need to report her to the dreaded Quilt Police!

If your insisting on trying to finish it yourself, I would try making the leaves out of freezer paper and pressing them on, then quilt around them. They can be reused several times. As for the flying geese, try a stitch in the ditch or a soft curve pattern in the largest part of them. Ya, cancel that check and pay her 50% of the quote. That is dumb of her to ask for the full price and an extra $50. The audacity of some people!!! Good luck! Jan

Some local quilt stores have quilting machines that they'll rent out time on so you can do your own quilts. Mine does, though I'd have to pay for a lesson or two before doing the actual quilting. If that's something you'd be interested in I'd call around and find out if any near you have that service and if they can accomodate a quilt that size. The lady that gave you that raw deal should be ashamed of herself!