What do you do when the longarm quilting is less than ideal?
#61
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,369
Although she did the 'right' thing by saying she would redo the quilt, I would be hesitant to return it to her. She should have noticed the quality of her work. Since she didn't, it would seem to me that she either doesn't know good quilting or doesn't care. I wouldn't trust her with your wonderful quilt again.
To the longarmers that suggested letting her know... I agree. I have had problems with two professional quilters. The first one completely ignored my instructions for my completely handpieced first traditional bed quilt. She wrote all the notes down and then obviously didn't read them. I cried when I saw the artsy fartsy quilting on churn dash, bow ties, etc quilt. She didn't apologize and charged me a fortune. It sits in the closet since. The other did a fabulous job and attached the binding for me to hand sew. I had a hard time because the bidning was on a bit crooked. Called her and she ripped it off, replaced it and sewed down the binding by hand. She has had my business since.
Thank you for your quilt and for your concern about it being the best it can be.
To the longarmers that suggested letting her know... I agree. I have had problems with two professional quilters. The first one completely ignored my instructions for my completely handpieced first traditional bed quilt. She wrote all the notes down and then obviously didn't read them. I cried when I saw the artsy fartsy quilting on churn dash, bow ties, etc quilt. She didn't apologize and charged me a fortune. It sits in the closet since. The other did a fabulous job and attached the binding for me to hand sew. I had a hard time because the bidning was on a bit crooked. Called her and she ripped it off, replaced it and sewed down the binding by hand. She has had my business since.
Thank you for your quilt and for your concern about it being the best it can be.
Absolutely no offense is meant by these questions. I certainly don't think anyone here would do this, and maybe no one does it, ever. Just speculating.
#62
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lumby, British Columbia
Posts: 2,769
I agree and while it may be an uncomfortable thing I feel like its the right thing. It can be done with respect and regard towards the feelings of all involved. Also if this group is ok with the quality of the quilting you may need to find a QoV group that has standards more inline with yours.
#63
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 673
I know nothing about how long arm quilters work, but is it possible they are subbing these jobs out? As in paying other LA quilters, maybe with less experience, to quilt jobs they've contracted to do? Without telling their customers? I'd assume that's highly unethical, but it might explain why a long armer with 10 years experience turned out a bad product without, apparently, knowing it. Also, the quilter who took notes, appeared to understand the instructions, and yet did something completely different - that sounds like a communication problem to me, not between the customer and the quilter but maybe between the quilter and another quilter.
Absolutely no offense is meant by these questions. I certainly don't think anyone here would do this, and maybe no one does it, ever. Just speculating.
Absolutely no offense is meant by these questions. I certainly don't think anyone here would do this, and maybe no one does it, ever. Just speculating.
#64
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 6,407
Great minds must think alike: That's exactly what my husband said. He thinks she let someone else get some experience on my quilt. And why she is so eager to make it right. She knows she goofed up. I heard someone at the group say she quilts for two different groups. So she might have gotten some "help".
Well--with charity quilts she just may have given it to another long armer to work on. But I'm not sure why this is such a big offense--unless you were paying for HER to do the work. but it did not sound like that was the case. In my area, there is a long armer who coordinates QOV quilts and asks for volunteer quilters at the long arm quild. No one long arm quilter can do the work of an entire QOV group unless that is all they do. And once it was brought to her attention,she has volunteered to make corrections.
That being said, some of your concern was about tension--on most long arm machines back tension (which you stated was the problem) can not be seen/checked until the quilted section is rolled on the take-up roller--unless you crawl under the machine! But whoever quilted it should have checked at some point
On another matter--was just amazed when you said you'd paid $500 for quilting before--I just had a lady turn down an estimate of $286 for custom quilting on a queen size (going rate in my area) saying her deceased quilter only charged $55 for a queen!
#65
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 81
When I finished the top of my first twin size quilt, I was nervous to quilt it myself. I had only done baby quilts till that time. So I sent to a long-arm quilter. Firstly, there were so many conditions - I will only do this one type of over all stippling. This is the thread I will choose, It will take a month. Please provide the backing and the batting and no I do not bind. I was okay with all those things - this was my first time and I did not know any different. I was glad that she agreed to do it. But then when I got it back, I did not like it. I paid her and I learned to live with it. Lesson - either do it yourself or send it to MSQC (based on glowing reviews). And I am happy to bind my quilts :-) No mistakes in life - just learning experiences :-)
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