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Y'all will be proud of me-I turned down a quilting job


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You all know that I have really been working hard to build my customer base, including taking some less that perfect tops and doing the best I can with them.  A new customer contacted me and wanted quilting done. Nothing fancy- just a groovy board.   I was all set to start on it, but I ran into several problems.  The top was terribly out of square and had a parachute in the middle. The backing was 4 inches too narrow.  There is simply nothing I can do with it.  Here is the letter I sent by email today.

 

Dear ,

I find that I will be unable to quilt your top at this time.  As a longarm quilter, one of the things I must do before loading a quilt on the frame is insure that it is square- both the backing and the quilt top. This is necessary to maintain a straight and evenly spaced pattern, and to prevent taking tucks or pleats in the quilt top during the quilting process.  Unfortunately, your quilt top has some discrepancies in width and length.  There are a number of reasons this could occur, and if you need advice on remedying the situation I can help.

The top narrow width of the quilt is 103.5 inches.  The other narrow end is 102 inches.  Across the center, the quilt is 108.5 inches.  That leaves a difference of 5 inches.  There is no way to quilt that flat and maintain the integrity of the quilt top.  You will end up with a big "cup" in the middle that will have to be eased in by taking tucks or moving fabric around.  In a quilt with so many straight lines and 45 degree angles, that would mess up the look your beautiful piecing pattern that you put so much hard work into.  The lengths on the long side have a similar issue.

The most common reason this occurs is because people cut the outer sashing strips to a certain length (usually what the pattern says) and then pull that long straight piece tight as they attach it to the pieced quilt top. The easiest way to fix it would be to create new outer sashing strips that are closer to the actual measurement of the pieced section.  By removing your outer borders and placing your quilt on a hard flat surface, you can see if it is truly flat and square. then cut the outer strips to fit.

I will be returning your quilt top, backing, and batting in the original box it arrived in. I will mail your check back in a separate envelope.  If you are able to get the sashing strips adjusted so the quilt is square and flat, I will happily quilt it for you.  It is really stunning and I can tell you put a lot of hard work into creating it.

Teresa Taylor

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That was worded very nicely :). I wouldn't be surprised to hear that she corrects her quilt and then sends it back to you. I admire you for advising her how to fix her quilt. I find it very hard to quilt quilts that aren't square. I always square mine up before I quilt them. But these are my own quilts not a customers.

Thank you for sharing your letter with us.

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Update:  After receiving my email, he sent a message back and asked if I could fix it.  I explained that it would be $15/hour to take it apart, square it up, and add new borders.  I estimated about $100 worth of work, but explained that I will keep meticulous records.  He wants me to repair it for him. He also ordered four yards of 120" backing that is being delivered to my house.  It is really a pretty quilt.  I will post pictures when it is finished (which might be a month or so)

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