Originally Posted by
Tashana
My LQS has a Babylock Jewel that you can rent per hour. The condition is that you take 2 hr class that introduces you to the machine and teaches you how to load the quilt, thread the machine, etc. The class comes with 2 free hours of rental.
I know nothing about long arm quilting and this is the first time I have seen a long arm machine in person. It sounds very tempting because fighting a queen size quilt on my domestic sewing machine can sometimes be very frustrating.
Did any of you try something like this? This is not a computerized machine so how many hours do you think I would need to rent the beast to get marginally acceptable meandering on a practice sheet? Is loading going to take me forever? Any advice you can give me will be helpful. I believe the frame is Grace and I saw some bungee cables hanging on the side (please don't laugh I know nothing about this). Thank you all for your help!
I took a lesson on the LAQ at our local quilt shop, I then rented it by the hour and quilted a twin quilt randomly and it only took about 4 hours from the start to finish. Once it is pinned on, it is very easy and fast. I loved using it, just wished I could afford one for myself. I recommend taking the class and renting the machine if you can afford it. Good luck.