When the backing is too small....
 

For you who quilt these beauties, when you are loading your backing on your frame, if it is not big enough( meaning you don't have the extra 4 inches for each side) how do you let the owner know that you need it to be enlarged before you can even begin?

I don't quilt professionally, but I have done quilts for friends. If the backing isn't big enough, I just tell them and they provide a bigger back. It shouldn't be an issue to let the quilt maker know that you require a bigger back. That information should have been available to them before they gave you the quilt.

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?

you did the best you could. charge her for fabric and time.

As someone who's new to quilting, part of the reason she's bringing it to you is for your expertise. You made a judgement call to preserve the beauty and integrity of the quilt, and chose the less destructive option. I think you made exactly the right call, and passing the costs on as an hour of your time (which is more understandable) is completely fine. Many businesses don't itemise the bill at all.

I don't think it's horribly wrong at all. What you did was a very nice gesture. "Do the best you can" doesn't cut it- pardon the pun :D

Agree. i know someone who wasn't asked, had the bottom of the top cut off because the back was too short. The short backing was a miscalculation by a seasoned quilter. She expected that the quilter would call her, not just cut part of the top off to accommodate the backing.

So always ask. Even seasoned quilters make mistakes.

Just tell them outright. if they don't want to fix the situation, don't quilt it. it will ALWAYS be your fault, not the customers, when the customer shows off the quilt. Quilting is very hard work. You don't need the hit on your reputation that this scenario can cause.

Exactly what I would do. You can't ruin the quilt for her. I think most people would appreciate that.

I let people know when they call to bring a quilt in that the backing has to be larger and I explain why. If someone brings one over and I find it is too small I call them right away and find out what they want to do. Sometimes I can baste muslin on to have enough to load, sometimes they want the top trimmed, sometimes they replace the backing or bring over fabric for me to add. Every situation is different but the key is Communicating.

My DD who does long arm quilting has a list she gives people concerning the requirements before its on the frame, including the cost per inch etc. so there is no questions later.

I do as ckcowl does and then charge for the extra time(and materials) needed to deal with the problem.

i would want to be given options and what the cost for each option would be - before any work is done.

i do "get" that sometimes others just do not "get" the why for some things.

As a business person, you have to learn to stick up for yourself. You have to be able to say, "no". There are always people who will push you to do something that makes it easier or cheaper for them and harder or more expensive for you. She "blew off" (ignored/disregarded) what you said about needing the backing to be larger. You allowed her to do that. (You took in the quilt even though you knew it wouldn't work.)

Unfortunately, we all do it. When you are starting a business, you want so much to have happy customers (or just any customers), you do things that don't make good sense (been there, done that - I used to be a caterer). Or, you hope they will be happy you solved the problem for them. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Chances are she will be angry about the extra charge, as my guess is, you didn't tell her there would be an extra charge.

You say she didn't "get it". Maybe she "got it" and she didn't care. It was her mother's quilt, and maybe she isn't into quilts. Maybe her mother is a royal pain in the tush and she just wants to "get it done". Maybe she doesn't quilt and doesn't care to learn. You assumed she felt the same way you would/do about quilts and especially, your mother's quilts. Obviously, that's not true.

Sometimes, you just have to blunt. When she says, "do the best you can", you have to say, "Does that mean it's ok to cut down the quilt or do you want me to fix it? Either way, there will be an extra charge". She'll ask how much. Be ready with an answer. Be it a set price, or an hourly fee, have an answer. Be ready with, "I'm not sure, I'll call you" if you don't have an answer.

If you have trouble doing/saying those things, I suggest you practice. Have a friend or family member be the client. They say the phrase, "just do the best you can" and you answer them. Keep doing it until it's easy. I would actually think up a lot of phrases that customers throw at you and come up with answers for them.

As a last thought, the customer doesn't actually need to "get it" (understand how the system works), they just need to "get" that the backing has to be X number of inches larger than the quilt top. They can pay you to make it larger or they can make it larger. Period. End of sentence. No exceptions.

bkay

I do not think you can charge for something you "took upon myself". She did know know you were going to "do piece work on her quilt". She did not authorize you to travel, purchase fabric, piece on HER quilt. She asked for it to be quilted. You had explained the "rule/reason" for the oversized backing. If she were unwilling to do this herself, you should have asked her if she would pay you to do this. If she said no, you should have given it back to her and explained that you could not quilt it without sufficient backing.

Personally, I think some quilters ask for A LOT of backing that the customer (this lady??) may feel is wasted. I ask for 3" all around (I quit mostly for myself and some for friends/charity). I have heard some quilters ask for 6-8" all around.

I agree with cathyvv.

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. :D

I was the quilter who did not have a large enough back on mine, nor anymore of the home tea stained, backing fabric, I wanted on it. She suggested just purchasing a piece of fabric in the right color, even if it has a tone on tone print. I added a pieced strip to each side, and she was able to center the backing so it looks intentional. She told me to call it a “design decision”. Lol. No one has ever asked about it.

I think you should make sure you are adequately compensated. Her not having a clue does not change the cost or need. Many people don’t want to know. I have been asked to do things that far exceed the cost of what people want to pay and it seems that not understanding is a way for people to try and get lower pricing for services.

I don't quilt commercially, but charge accordingly. Never underestimate your VALUE and EXPERTISE in your business. I would absolutely charge for at least an extra hour. and hopefully you aren't undervaluing your time.

REMEMBER, You're like my CPA, Yes, I'm paying for the paper things are printed on, but what I'm really paying for is HER knowledge..in the field of accounting/taxes.

Just tell them. Maybe they do not understand the requirements needed to quilt on a long arm machine. I always tell people I need 6-8" all around the quilt backing so the top has plenty of room to be centered on the backing. The batting should be same as backing. Some quilts could need more.