quiltsfor

Is it me or does this sound fishy and a bit like a troll? Be careful of clicking on any links, or giving out personal information. Sorry if I'm mistaken, but my radar is up on this one.

dunster

I haven't seen any links. I think it's a legitimate post. But I understand being skeptical about new user posts, because there have been so many trolls lately.

Peckish

Yeah... some of the terms are kind of off from what a quilter would actually say, but maybe this person is not a native English speaker?

Anyway... my two cents worth to the OP is this: Most professional quilters use robotics because it's very efficient and cost-effective. A shop can run multiple computerized machines and churn out 2-3 quilts per day per machine. Custom hand-guided quilting is more expensive because it's very labor intensive and usually has a much longer turnaround time. It's not as profitable as robotics, therefore the rates are premium to make up the difference. Most quilt makers choose computer-guided longarm services for these reasons - budget and time.

There are a few people who will invest in custom, hand-guided, and heirloom quilting for quilts they intend to enter in shows, or quilts that are very special to them, such as wedding or baby quilts. (For beautiful examples, google the works of Lisa Hagstoz-Calle, Bethanne Nemesh, or Margaret Solomon Gunn.) However, the expectations for that kind of quilting on those specialty quilts is very, very high - quilters demand perfect quilting for show quilts and are willing to pay for it.

The way I see it, if you really want to quilt for profit, then practice your FMQ skills until you can command and get premium rates for custom & heirloom quilting. Build a website and market yourself to people who are willing to ship their quilts to you and pay the higher rates. It will take time and a lot of work, but it's doable. There is definitely a shortage of this kind of quilter in my area.

aashley333

When I first started making quilts, I mailed the top to someone, and it returned quilted. Nothing too fancy. My DSIL, my mentor, knew the place to mail it, and she did her quilts like that. Seems like it was around $150. Over 30 years ago. There is a need out there. I say build a website and go for it!

crzypatcher

Just throwing this in.... A 10 ft frame and 18 inch throat is very limiting as to the size of quilt you can handle. A king size quilt requires really a larger working area.

Pquilts

Thank you for your advice

Pquilts

Thank you. I do prefer to meander with loops, bubbles and leaves and spirals, etc. I sometimes do custom for myself or on a wall hanging that is a gift, but I am really looking on focusing on edge to edge like meander, loops and I can use paper pantos.

Pquilts

Thanks so much!!! That is what I will do.

rjwilder

Pquilts, where are you located?