Crazy Quilting Update

Hello all of my quilty friends!

I have been out of touch for a while and lots has been happening. 
We have moved to the South Island and have listed our home in Smithers.

We sold our RV and we bid farewell to a shelter well spent!


I first featured the quilt below in spring of 2015. With completion date met, the owner refused to take possession of it. I was shocked to say the least. I was left with no other recourse to have small claims court for the full payment of this quilt. Serving legal papers took steely nerves on my part and finally after three tries, I managed to serve the owner and I sped away at a high speed.

My friend took the brunt of that served papers and that brought more heartache and worry.

 But the buyer, who paid only half, had more dollars to spend on lawyers to defend why she shouldn't pay the full amount. From my standpoint I've been ripped off in such a sad way. This quilt was first commissioned to me in the fall of 2014 with arrival/completion date of early spring 2015. It holds the image of a young man taken from his family by a heart attack.

 Its a memory quilt!

The commission was  very unusual in that they wanted his image and his clothing inside a poker table. That was interesting and it required a lot of research and painstaking use of very used clothing.

I won't bore you with the full story as it got very nasty and I felt threatened. My husband had to intervene and then it was husbands and family who supported each of us on our respective sides postured outside the courtroom.

 My very good friend of the same nation stood by my side and supported me too.
Friends forever!

The buyer defaulted and I was awarded the claim in same court house. New Years Eve was spent writing up a legal reply and courier costs. I had to return back to the valley for another court date with some advice from a friend. Offer to reduce the amount by half and take a loss. I commend the court judge who tried his best to negotiate between us, but in the end, I relinquished the remaining half payment and revoked the claim entirely.


Beware if you make quilts on commission without a contract.

I licked my wounds, rethought my purpose, came back to art I love and have resumed taking commissions as you saw in the "Alberta Sunset"


This quilt below is one of my patterns "Snow Town Folk" that I can now publish as sellable pattern. And the publisher is including one of my T-Shirt quilts into her fall issue of Quilter's Connection magazine.


A Modern version of the same pattern.



And I've licked my wounds and begun taking commissions with a contract only and 50% up front before any cutting of fabric begins. Even in quilting, we have to take the precautions of this nature.


We've begun a new life in the South Island and its very fun to live here and slowly getting to know other quilters. And go out for a fun evening now and then to local music performances.


I'm really trying to not start too much because I still have 11 quilt tops to finish, so you'll begin to see those soon in upcoming posts.


I am waiting for Karen's quilt along over at Fibersandfaeries blog. So I'm testing out the various EPP from All Points Patchwork.

And in the meantime, I can finally get back to writing my Artisan Crazy Quilts book.




Comments

  1. Wow! What an adventure! I'm sorry you had to go through that. You work is looking good. I hope for the best for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janie!
      Thank you for being such a great support even if its only over the Internet. I'm feeling good now that is all behind me and we've now settled into a village outside of Victoria. I'm now able to continue the work already started. Thanks again!

      Delete
  2. What a story of dealing with a totally bullheaded unethical person. Bet she loves Donald Trump! I'm glad you could put this behind and move forward. It's a story to create a roadblock of happiness and peace of mind.

    Glad to see you back on the blog.
    xx, Carol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Donald and her would get along great!thsnk you for your inspiring support! Cheers.

      Delete
  3. A difficult lesson learned, but one you certainly wish had never happened. I've never had a circumstance such as this but have over the past two or three years started refusing any 'requests' for my work. I have come to the realization that I am happiest when I am creating for myself - or to give as I choose - without having to meet the expectations of someone else.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have moved forward and all the best will continue! Thanjs for sticking with me. I still have yet to find my camera or digital video camera. Unpacking us a drag.

      Delete
  4. I'm sorry you had to go through such an unpleasant experience, but am happy to see you are managing to learn the lessons and move on. It's nice to hear that you are settling into your new home well and starting to build a new life - hopefully you will find the time for a little bit more blogging too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kaja!
      I couldnt agree more to more time blogging. I am on Instagram as well. Will write a post about that soon.

      Delete
    2. Hi Kaja!
      I couldnt agree more to more time blogging. I am on Instagram as well. Will write a post about that soon.

      Delete
  5. What a horrible experience for you with that memory quilt. Because it's a memory quilt you'd think the people who commissioned it would want it! I'm impressed that you've taken in more work after that experience. I like your house quilt and especially like the string border. It's perfect!
    --Nancy. (ndmessier @ aol.com, joyforgrace.blogspot.com)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting!
I think its neat when other's feel compelled to write a comment. I check on notifications frequently. If you are a no-reply commenter, please leave an email address if you wish to hear back from me directly.

Popular posts from this blog

Hexie Quilt Top WIP

Sashiko Sockeye Bowls

A little bit of stitching...