Am I the only one who doesn't want a long arm? What am I missing? I would never spend the money that it takes to buy one and I am perfectly happy quilting on my old machine. Am I the only one?

Me too. I wouldn't spend the money on them.

I don't really want one either. I figure for the price it costs with the frame, stitch regulator and all the other bells and whistles I can send a lot of tops out to be quilted for a long time.

Everybody has different interests. I'll never say never -- I didn't think I'd like hand piecing either, but I decided to try it and love it. Hand quilting will be next.

The only difference between wanting to learn LA quilting and any other technique is really just cost.

Probably not the only one! I got a longarm last year, had it almost a year so still learning. I was driving three hours to take my quilts to the longarmer and as others can testify I had some emotional reactions to some of the work. When I got back the third quilt that I was disappointed with I had to make a decision, either quit quilting or get my own machine. I don't do a better job than the longarmer, but as someone else said, if there are mistakes at least I made them. I also wanted a quilt that I had completed. I felt like my quilts were made by me and my longarmer.

NOPE....I have NO desire.....

I can buy one if I want it but I don't see a reason to have one. For the cost of a nice one with all the bells and whistles I can have every quilt I make quilted by famous professionals and still save money. I don't want to do it for a business. I helped put a quilt on a LA machine and it was way too tedious for me. I'll never be as good as the professionals so I'll let them do my quilts and I'll keep my money.

So just out of curiosity how much do longarms cost??

My quilts were done by a famous professional that has been published at least six times in the last 2+ years.

I can't justify the cost of one but ... I would like to try one just once!
I'm happy with what I can do (FMQ) on my regular machine so I'll stick with that.

I have no desire to quilt for others but I would like others (I know not you since you live in Florida) to try out and use my machine if they would like.

I bought one of the more inexpensive longarms 2 1/2 years ago. Life got in the way, so I have just now set it up and did my first quilt today. Ah yes, practice, practice, practice. Anyhow, I've been making quilt tops to practice on and then, of course, the "good" ones for later on. If I do all I have made, and do the ones I have fabric for, I will have roughly 60% of the cost back by not sending my quilts out. And I'm sure I will do more than just those quilts! I don't intend to hire out, because that all seems so stressful, but might rent the machine to some friends. We will see.

I bought a HQ Sweet Sixteen Sitdown and so far I love it. It isn't quite like quilting with a domestic machine, but I don't have to fight to get the quilt through the throat of the machine. I was never really interested in getting one with a frame. I think putting a quilt on the frame would be alot of work,plus I like to sit down to do my quilting. The Sweet Sixteen is around $5000. Everyone is different so a longarm may not be for you.

I can't afford it, don't have room for it, and don't hold interest in one area long enough to justify it. I'm happy with my current equipment.

I would love to try one out, too, but could never justify the cost. I don't want to quilt for other people and, as others have said, I could send them out since I don't make that many quilts.

****Maybe I should mention that I have 24 grandchildren that I should probably make quilts for!

I prefer to send mine out to be quilted. I do not have the room, the money, and I am too old to do that sort of thing anyway. I will continue to send them out to be quilted and keep my long-armer in business. As someone ask, they cost any where fgrom $10,000 upwards depending on how many bells and whistles.

Really loading the quilt isn't as difficult as you may think. I got Red Snappers and that really cut down on the time involved. I am in no way connected to Renae Haddidan.

http://quiltsonthecorner.com/inc/sdetail/204/4359

from a basic almost long arm of $5,000 up to a prima donna computerized one of about $30,000!

for me it was a matter of being the one doing all the work.

i didn't want my art to be a collaborative piece - this is also why i only do original designs and not patterns on the market.

i prefer to do everything from dyeing the fabric, to cutting it, to piecing, and finally quilting.

I think if I got one, I would have to try to make money with it. I can really see myself using one and loving it, just the cost is a lot and I still have so much to learn. I will think about this later.

I don't want one either.

I rather like hand quilting. And I can't help thinking that if I stuck with bargain fabrics, that $5000 could get me 1000 yards of fabric....oooooooh!

Vjjo743, I love your avatar. Is it a photo or a quilt? If a quilt, what is the name of the pattern?

Thanks, Ronnie

If I purchase a quilting system it would probably be the HQ sweet sixteen, because of price, room restrictions, and the ability to sit down and do the quilting.

It is a pp foundation pattern by Eileen Sullivan. I was very pleased with how pretty it turned out.

I'd only get one if I can truly afford it

I quilt for fun. Spending alot of money on a LA and learning to use it, dealing with repairs, dedicating the space to it, would take the fun out of it for me personally. However, there is a quilt shop in NJ, near Philadelphia where I plan to eventually try a machine on some quilts for fun.

I want one and will have one eventually. I can do small things on my machine, but not king size...at least not easily. The last large quilt I had professionally done wasn't anything special, just basic stippling, and I could have done that. I guess for $150 for a regular bed sized quilt, I expected more. I can piece several charity quilts per month and could get them done on a long arm so much easier and faster. I guess we all have our wants and weaknesses. I don't have a huge stash, nor do I spend mega $$ on LQS fabrics, so I feel that I can justify the cost....just not today. Maybe in another year or two.

I agree! I have no desire for one- I love FMQ on my vintage Singer- I don't want to have to start all over again learning how to use one; don't have room; can't justify the cost.

No Thank you. I will stick with my little old sewing machine.

I have no desire for one. I can quilt just fine with my DSM or by hand.

You are not alone, for the most part. I don't have the space for a frame, and if I got a frame I'd want one large enough to make a King. I also tried a long arm, and I didn't like the change from moving the fabric to moving the machine. I didn't even like it on the domestic machine set up on the mini frame. I like moving the fabric.

That said ... I think I would like a mid or long arm set up on a large table.

I'm also a practical person. Affording something is one thing, justifying it is another.

I really thought that I wanted a long arm or even a mid-arm machine. After taking a course and working on the mid-arm at my LQS that they rent out for $50 a day and spending a couple of days with my friend and her LA Gammil, I have decided that this isn't for me. It was a lot of work and I didn't even have fun. I now have a whole new appreciation for what LA'ers do. I'm sure that I would get better if I practiced but LA"ing is definately not my next career. I got myself a 1947 Singer 201 and I'm busy quilting away. All my quilts are practical ones to use so I can do these at home on my DM using SID, cross hatching or a simple meander. A Charismah I will never be!

I have had one for two years and never used it because I don't know how.lol Maybe one day I will. i have all the toys with it and it intimidates me.ha

I dont think I want one, I dont have the $$ and I dont have the space, and I think I'd be too afraid I'd break it to use it, sharet

Nope, a LA is absolutely not for me. I enjoy hand-quilting too much, and I am too scattered in my crafting. I might spend months working on a quilt, and then not touch it for weeks while I knit a sweater. And then I'll pick up some embroidery and do that for a few weeks. And then I'll stop crafting altogether and spend my leisure time reading for a few months. It's a huge investment (my CAR didn't even cost that much), and I'd be riddled with guilt if it sat collecting dust for months on end. Plus, my crafting budget isn't large. Even if I could afford a longarm, I'd be churning out quilts so quickly I'd be purchasing fabric all the time--thus spending even MORE money.

Nope don't want one! I'll support those that do?

I bought a used APQS ... something or other. I think it was the 22 inch one or so. I sold it about a year after I bought it. It's hard on your arms, shoulders and back. It took me 3 days to quilt my daughter in law's quilt and I was never so happy to sit down and do binding.

Even if I had room and money I still wouldn't get another one. I'm happy to sit down and quilt on my Janome 6600. It might be a little work to shove a queen size quilt thru it but I can also use that machine for other things and it wasn't that expensive.

Me neither. I'm contented to FMQ on my domestic machine and/or hand quilt so a LA would not be a good investment for me