That exactly why I bought my own machine and I'm learning to do it myself. However at this stage of the game I liked her quilting better.

No longarmer wants to be labeled "bad". I'm sure she will be fair and want to fix the problem. Sometimes it just cant be fixed but a lesson learn.

Price is a regional thing. where i live this would be cheap because there aren't many LA in the area so you don't have as much choice which keeps the price down.

what i will comment on is the workmanship. if she did not do exactly what you had discussed with her and didn't call you to explain why she feels the discussed design won't work then you have every right to have your quilt skinned.

i would insist that she skin the entire quilt and you two must come up with an agreed upon plan or skin the quilt and give me my money back.

to me this is the only reason to work with local LAs, you can run over and discuss problems/challenges and be a part of the solution.

she went against everything an LA is supposed to do and she should have known better then to just alter the design plan without your input.

The charge of $.03 sq. in. is about right for custom quilting. You said they did your borders correctly and you asked for no heavy quilting for the rest-left to their interpretation. At that point she should have given you some options of designs and let you pick what you interpreted as not heavy. Her interpretation of not heavy was the DNA and circles-rather scimpy in my opinion but left to her. So it seems the thing not done correctly from the instructions given was the SID vs quarter/in for the pinwheels--serious deviation from your instructions and very different final appearance of quilt blocks. Hopefully they can correct that but it won't be easy. The lesson learned is--always be certain the LA quilter knows your wishes on all aspects and it is in writing and if possible sketches. That way if there is an intermediary, as in this case, the actual quilter has a reference. You have every right to be upset and want resolution. Based on your past experiences with the LA quilter you expected she would get it right. Keep us posted on how this works out. Occurrences such as this make both the quilter and LAer more aware of the need for clear communication. I'm sorry this happened to you and hope you will be satisfied with the outcome.

I think since you specifically asked for stitch in the ditch for your pinwheels, you should get it. I think the price is about right knowing that stitch in the ditch is MUCH harder than most every other quilting on the long arm. I think in the future, a written estimate, written quilting plan including sketches if needed, and speak with the quilter (not just the 'in-taker'). I hope you can get this resolved. I think you can take stitches out of sounds like Minkee, if you are careful. I pick gently from the top and don't pull. Just my 2cents. Let us know how this plays out.

I just paid 120.00 incl. shipping for 120 x120 quilt for my son. It was a 10 minute pattern and I wanted NO quilting in the diamonds and heavy quilting in the borders to give the quilt some hang-down weight. It was done in 2 weeks and came back exactly as I wanted it. I have had the same person do SID and I drew it out on my computer and sent it along with the quilt. It was 40% SID and 60% curlique meander on a 120x 100 quilt that was 165.00 incl shipping. I think it was much too high for what you received.

As they say 'get it in writing'. the more that is written down when the quilt is dropped off the better. it also helps if you talk to the actual person who will be doing the quilting. Something may have been lost when "Owner A" told "Owner B" what you wanted.

That's what I'm thinking too. Written instructions, sketches, and talking to the actual person who will quilt it would be best.

Good luck on getting it fixed!

Like going to the hairdresser, a picture/sketch would be a great way to show exactly what you want. Sorry you had a bad experience. Hope it works out.

Its been my experiance that LAQilters don't like stitching in the ditch, its a difficult thing to do on a long arm.

I payed $100 for a twin size with just circles (no custom quilting) and I was happy with it. I sent a small lap quilt out and asked for ripples since it was a "pond" with sea animals appliqued on it. She didn't charge much but was recommended to me by someone. I hated it. All the ripples were spaced evenly apart but one row snd that stuck out terribly. It was obvious it was a mistake. I said nothing but won't give her anymore work. Sorry this has happened to you. I think the best she could do is return your money. At least you could buy more material and redo the quilt if you're up to it. Sometimes the more we fuss with something the worse it gets.