ghostrider

My longarmer provides a contract before accepting a quilt, yes. It states the agreed upon price (she charges by the square inch), type of quilting (panto, custom, dense, etc) and pattern to be used, thread colors and type (brand/fiber/etc), rate used to compute the price, whether trimming or any extra services are to be done and at what additional rate, the quilt measurement, quilt title, date accepted, anticipated completion date, who is to provide the batting (price if she does) and what type it is, her agreement to contact me before making any changes, my contact info, and any notes either of us want to add as part of the agreement. We both sign and date it and we both get a copy. All this even though we are good friends. We both feel the professionalism assures that we remain good friends.

In her advertising, she does say that she requires a $40 advance payment to reserve a place on her schedule, but she's never actually charged me for that. Could be a friendship benefit, I don't know. She books out about 6 months, but once a spot is reserved, I don't take my quilt to her until a few days before she plans to start. She prefers it that way, as do I. Several times I've actually reserved a spot before I even started the quilt.