Sending a quilt to be quilted: a follow up

I have been meaning to post an update to my previous post for the past few weeks, but I have had a hard time working on this quilt.  But now that it is done I wanted to share a few follow up thoughts.
Finished Giant Giant Hexagon Quilt
Overall, I am happy with how the quilt turned out.  The quilting mostly looks pretty good and I love that the quilt is extra big so my husband and I aren't fighting over the blanket.  I do not love that I ended up having to trim 1/2" plus off of each side to get rid of the folded over fabric and that there are several places in the quilt where the quilting is not lined up.  Most of the other issues are less noticeable now that the quilt has been washed.

After my previous post the quilter responded and and apologized and ended up refunding my money.  That is not why I made the post and I did not expect anything from her, but it was very kind of her.  

I know that I am not the only person who has had issues with this quilter because two separate people contacted me after my post correctly guessing who the quilter was because they had similar issues recently.  This quilter was highly recommended to me by several people and, while the experience was upsetting and surprising, it would not deter me from sending quilts out to another quilter.  My expectations of and communication with the quilter would definitely change the second time around.
Finished Giant Giant Hexagon Quilt
Finishing up the timing on this was perfect since we also just finished our bathroom remodel and I thought I'd share a few photos since the remodel has been taking a massive amount of my time and energy lately.

Before:
After:
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The process was painful, but it was worth it.  Now I just need about a zillion dollars to redo the rest of the house.

Speaking of our house, if you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen this, but look who we found on our front doorstep yesterday!
snake!
Yes, it's a rattlesnake.  And I did not realize it was a rattlesnake at the time or I would not have run to get my camera.  But this guy is now safely in the hands of animal control and hopefully this will be our last rattlesnake encounter for a while!

15 comments

  1. I am so pleased that your (ex)quilter did the right thing in the end. It does not take away the pain though and any incident of that nature makes us wary. Good luck in the future. The bathroom looks good, maybe you will get that zillion dollars for the rest of your home.

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  2. I still can't believe the awful experience you had....but glad your money was refunded ( although, that's not the point). Your bathroom looks amazing! Seriously. Love the tub. :)

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  3. I am so glad the snake stayed outside. We had one try to slither though a crack between the screen door and the jamb (Lake Elsinore/Corona area). Thank God the hubby was able to shoo him away.

    I am sorry to hear about your quilting, but yes, communication next time will be key.

    Love the bathroom.

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  4. Thank you for posting the follow-up. I thought you were wonderful to write about your experience. It often seems to me that many of us equate the overall warmth and generosity of the quilting blogosphere with a need to write only positive things. (Ironically, some of us tend to enforce this niceness by posting harsh comments to a blogger who dares to show that something has not worked out perfectly.)
    Your honest report did everyone a service -- including that quilter. Surely she will put more of her best effort into the projects she takes on. And now those of us who may want to send out a quilt for the first time have a better understanding of how and what to communicate in their instructions.
    You showed everyone that sharing a negative experience can enhance the online community. Brava!

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  5. Oh, my! I think I would have slammed that door so fast there would have been no opportunity for snake photos. Actually, it is good you didn't do that or he might have slithered away for you to worry about another day.

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  6. You are lucky with the longarmer. I sent one out, it came back with large tucks on the back sides. Th LA saw the pictures with th tucks, but said it was all my fault that the quilt was not square, she took no responsibility. I had had minor problems on the previous quilt with her, so I oversized both the backing, batting, and didn't fully trim the piano keys border so I could trim it when completed. It was a budget quilter, so I wasn't expecting perfection, but didn't feel pleats were appropriate.

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  7. So glad you worked things out with the quilter but still annoying to spend a lot of $$$ and have those problems. But in rereading your first post I did note that the trimming she did, leaving a 1/4in of batting is exacting how I ask my quilter to trim. I like a full tight binding the same width on front and back and that extra gives it too me. Linda of Flourishing Palms just did a great blog post on why long arm quilter's should always leave and not trim on the edge. Funny how we all have our own quirks...lol.

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  8. Ahhhh! I glad you survived your front door visitor. I get a bit panicky about bugs, but that guy would have made me legitimately freaked out. I'm glad the quilter decided to refund you, and that you have not been scared off from long-armers entirely. It would be wise to pick someone else the next time. I just got a quilt back, and I like how it looks. I don't like that she quoted me a price that was half what was on the invoice. She said she thought it was for the shop, so that's why she gave me too low of a rate. Well, drat! The price is still fair, but I don't like terms that change, and won't be sending her other quilts in the future. I'd be much more understanding had I not been clear that it was not for the shop.

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  9. All I could think while reading this and previous posts/comments was that I felt sorry. For people to call her "lazy" is way too personal of an attack and mean to boot. Who knows what's going on with the quilter - she could be going through a rough time and it has interfered with her work. We've all been there. Let's keep comments professional and not stoop to personal insults. Criticize the work all you want but don't attack someone's character. Enough said.

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    1. Thank you for you for that las comment. I felt the same way. Way too many personal criticisms when people don't know this person. I work for her, and see how hard she works, she is so NOT lazy!! She takes pride in her work and has many happy customers. She is very professional and tries to make all customers happy. It is ok to talk about quilting on a quilting blog, but not ok to start a conversation that leads to the shredding of someone's character.

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  10. lots of comments to make :) I love, love, love the quilt! And the bathroom remodel is so uplifting! What is the little hallway(?) beside the shower? And yikes on the rattlesnake!

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  11. Wow, your quilt looks beautiful on the bed, so disappointing about all the issues though! I'm about to send a queen size out for quilting but it will probably be someone local.
    Your bathroom looks amazing!!!

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  12. aw Hell NO. I have snakes of any kind. You were so calm saying you would have gotten your camera. I would have found a gun sorry.
    Sorry about the quilter experience. That's kinda sad that she would send it back like that. Glad she took care of you though. That said I do love the quilt and the quilting I see looks nice.
    Very nice bath remodel.

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  13. OMG, your bathroom! I LOVE IT!!!! Almost as much as I hate the thought of finding a rattlesnake on my front door. EEK!!! Hope you are doing well Erica!

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