Originally Posted by bamamama
I'm gonna be broke before I am good enough to do an actual quilt. I got my new tin lizzie yesterday and have practiced non stop. I can do meandering loops pretty well. LOL This is going to take alot longer than I thought. I keep boxing myself into a corner.
I'm buying the cheapest batting possible went to JoAnns 4 times with 50% off coupons and tommorrow I am going to good will for sheets to quilt for practice.
Don't take your LAQ for granted, this is very hard work!
From any of you Long Arm Quilters out there, any advise?
I think you have already figured out that it just takes practice, practice, and then some more practice!
Be careful buying sheets, though..... sometimes the thread count can be very high, and that can cause you tension issues. While you are at Goodwill, you may be lucky enough to run across some unfinished quilt tops -- snap 'em up. That way, when you are done practicing, you can bind them and use them. I have to admit, when I did that, my dogs inherited the finished quilts, but they loved them!
If you can stand one more purchase at Joann fabrics, I would suggest a bolt of muslin. They sell it wrapped in plastic, so you don't have to stand in line and have it cut. Just use a coupon. Oh! One other thing.... what kind of batting are you using?