newbee3

In my area they have such a place I took the lessons and have quilted one of my quilts myself and have time setup to do another one next week. the gal that gave the lessons and has the machine will help if you run into problems if you take too much of their time they will charge you. I love it they have the machine and I can do my quilt and walk away with none of the matienince or any other problems.

QuiltNama

I took lessons on LA at my local quilt shop, also worked there so it was a win win situation for me. Changed jobs so working at the shop has been very limited, now have my own LA and can quilt when ever I want, which is usually at night. Yes there were some upfront costs for the learning to use the machine but realized it was money well spent. There are so many little things that you learn when you take the lessons that made it a worth while for me. Everything from how to load, filling bobbins, thread control, etc. Started with simple quilting patterns (meanders, overall patterns, stippling, etc.) now do lots of other stuff with stencils, my own drawings and what ever strikes my fancy. For me...the lessons gave me a little bit more confidence to venture out into my own new adventures.

kplumbridge

I started out renting a LA at a local shop (N. California) because I wanted to all the steps when making my own quilts - I did not want someone else to finish them for me. The shop did not require me to take a class first. They just showed me how to use the machine and turned me loose. It was a little scary at first - but then so much fun. The local shops here have stopped having rental machines available, so now I have recently acquired by own LA and will be renting it out to others that want to do their own quilting.

nanac

I live in NW OH, and there is a LQS about an hour away, that has a LA machine to rent out, used to cost $25/hr. I went there, and tried it. Although I believe I would enjoy LA-ing, I did not that day. After the very basics, I quilted a queen-size quilt, but it took me 8 hours to do it. Part of that was lack of confidence, part was lack of skill, and part was that I absolutely had to have it done by the end of that day, because it was already booked for the next two weeks. Save money at the LQS? By the time I factor in the drive time, gas, and paying for the rental, it's not even close, and mine definitely looks like it was quilted by an amateur.
I have a LA'er that does a very nice job on my quilts; for about the same amount of money or less, I can get her to do all of it for me, and she will even sew the binding for me. Until I retire, and get my own LA, I will just have her do all the quilting, leaving me time to do the piecing.