UPDATED-QUILT GONE-CUSTOMER HAPPY-Needing to Vent-Frustrated w/Customer Quilt

[CindyT]

Sandra, you did better than I would have done with the "friend" calling wanting the rush job after she snapped you off at the knees by only paying 1/4 the price of her first quilting job with you! I would have sent her on her way to avoid any other troubles with her. Everybody handles situations differently. If I get burnt once, I won't take the chance to get burnt twice because I'll be in control to say "no". Smart way to handle to get her cash up front on the 2nd quilt. I started my business May 1st, and already have repeat customers. She told her friends and I now have theirs, too. Word of mouth is the best advertising. I did like Heidi and took something of mine for show and tell at guild every month I could for the past year. Most customers so far are from the guild, too. I don't think I took business away from two other well known LA quilters in our guild (and I don't want to take any business from them, we each specialize in our own quilting ways) but one of them broke her arm and couldn't quilt for a month and the other has been gone on vacation a month. I might have gotten a few quickie jobs because of that, but that's about it. I'm ready for them to get back into it because I love seeing their show and tells, too, from others! If you can't tell, they are very good friends of mine and I've learned a lot from them.

Another thing I do Sandra is quilt our guild's Quilt of Valor quilts as my donation and I think that has helped, too. Those are also shown at show and tell. I try different things on them with my Quiltazoid and other techniques.

Hang in there. You'll have that backlog before you know it.

Bonnie does know best on her starch and steam method. I hate to say I probably need more practice on it (I've used it on two quilts so far), but I really don't want another wonky bordered quilt if I can keep from it. I know I'll get more practice...in time.

[CindyT]

Sandra, you did better than I would have done with the "friend" calling wanting the rush job after she snapped you off at the knees by only paying 1/4 the price of her first quilting job with you! I would have sent her on her way to avoid any other troubles with her. Everybody handles situations differently. If I get burnt once, I won't take the chance to get burnt twice because I'll be in control to say "no". Smart way to handle to get her cash up front on the 2nd quilt. I started my business May 1st, and already have repeat customers. She told her friends and I now have theirs, too. Word of mouth is the best advertising. I did like Heidi and took something of mine for show and tell at guild every month I could for the past year. Most customers so far are from the guild, too. I don't think I took business away from two other well known LA quilters in our guild (and I don't want to take any business from them, we each specialize in our own quilting ways) but one of them broke her arm and couldn't quilt for a month and the other has been gone on vacation a month. I might have gotten a few quickie jobs because of that, but that's about it. I'm ready for them to get back into it because I love seeing their show and tells, too, from others! If you can't tell, they are very good friends of mine and I've learned a lot from them.

Another thing I do Sandra is quilt our guild's Quilt of Valor quilts as my donation and I think that has helped, too. Those are also shown at show and tell. I try different things on them with my Quiltazoid and other techniques.

Hang in there. You'll have that backlog before you know it.

Bonnie does know best on her starch and steam method. I hate to say I probably need more practice on it (I've used it on two quilts so far), but I really don't want another wonky bordered quilt if I can keep from it. I know I'll get more practice...in time.

[Sandra Darlington]

Yep, my "friend" is not such a good friend. We have some mutual friends, but many have cooled their friendship with her, too, but nothing to do with my experience, as I didn't share that story with them.

I will be quilting for one of these ladies in the next few weeks. She lives about 1.5 hours away now (used to live next door to my friend) and she will be bringing me a top the next time she is in the area. We typically have dinner together about once a month. The last time we had dinner, our mutual friend was with us and when we started talking at dinner about show & tell and what we've been working on, she kept interupting us and talking about something entirely different. And then, if one of us was talking, she would finish the sentence for us that had absolutley nothing to do with the real story. Finally we both just stopped talking and let her run on and on, and when she asked why we were so quiet we said because she constantly interupts us. Well, my "friend" said she was tired of doing sew & tell and that she was not interested in seeing what we had been working on or in hearing about our quilts, so she left. Hummm.....what is that all about? She used to be the one who was disappointed if we didn't bring anything and always reminded us to bring something with us. Very strange!

I know I will have one quilt coming in, but after that, there are none on the horizon. When I made the move to start my business, the main LA quilter in my guild moved to the west coast because her husband was transferred. Shortly after they moved (like about a month later), he was laid off and they moved back and she resumed her business without skipping a beat. (: I really though I would get a lot of her business, but that's not to be now. Hopefully, I will get business as new quilters join the guild.

I also do lots of charity quilts for the guild, and have been doing them for years. I bring show and tell almost every month, too. I have my cards in a LQS. So...I'm hoping that business will pick up soon. Fortunately, I have a full time job, so this is not putting food on my table, so to speak. I'm not really discouraged, but would like a bit more business.

[Sandra Darlington]

Yep, my "friend" is not such a good friend. We have some mutual friends, but many have cooled their friendship with her, too, but nothing to do with my experience, as I didn't share that story with them.

I will be quilting for one of these ladies in the next few weeks. She lives about 1.5 hours away now (used to live next door to my friend) and she will be bringing me a top the next time she is in the area. We typically have dinner together about once a month. The last time we had dinner, our mutual friend was with us and when we started talking at dinner about show & tell and what we've been working on, she kept interupting us and talking about something entirely different. And then, if one of us was talking, she would finish the sentence for us that had absolutley nothing to do with the real story. Finally we both just stopped talking and let her run on and on, and when she asked why we were so quiet we said because she constantly interupts us. Well, my "friend" said she was tired of doing sew & tell and that she was not interested in seeing what we had been working on or in hearing about our quilts, so she left. Hummm.....what is that all about? She used to be the one who was disappointed if we didn't bring anything and always reminded us to bring something with us. Very strange!

I know I will have one quilt coming in, but after that, there are none on the horizon. When I made the move to start my business, the main LA quilter in my guild moved to the west coast because her husband was transferred. Shortly after they moved (like about a month later), he was laid off and they moved back and she resumed her business without skipping a beat. (: I really though I would get a lot of her business, but that's not to be now. Hopefully, I will get business as new quilters join the guild.

I also do lots of charity quilts for the guild, and have been doing them for years. I bring show and tell almost every month, too. I have my cards in a LQS. So...I'm hoping that business will pick up soon. Fortunately, I have a full time job, so this is not putting food on my table, so to speak. I'm not really discouraged, but would like a bit more business.