My LQS has a long arm to rent and she does require a class to learn it first for around $40 and she supplied all the materials. She also said that if you weren't comfortable with using your own quilts after the class, you could practice on some Linus quilts (charity quilts) free of charge. This LQS is 25-30 miles away and I do plan on taking her class this summer. I think it would be a great idea to learn it to baste your quilt on the LA for hand quilting - I hate to baste/pin my quilt. I have a hard time basting/pin large quilts because I can't get down on the floor.