I am getting one!!
 

Mom,Sister and I just bought HQ 18 yesterday. I am so excited, we will be getting it Tuesday. We will be having so much fun. DH is also going to take classes with us. I can't stop doing the happy dance.

Have fun ...:thumbup:

Fantastic!! Im very happy for you all. That would be so awesome to have one that you can all share. Im the only one in my family that quilts, mom is gone now and Sis - well.....long story :) Iam getting one towards the end of the year and I cant stand it. Im buying an A1. I love that machine....My rep is awesome to say the least...Im helping her quilt charity quilts on her machine...I get the practice which is great, Ill have a good feel for the machine by the time I get mine. Well....HAPPY QUILTING....dont forget to post pics :)

This is why I wished I lived closer to my family ( not one member within 550 miles) So we could co-op a machine.

Great that all of you love to quilt and you will be able to make wonderful memories.

That's great! Oh happy dance for you!!!!

Woohoo! Have fun.

Congratulations! Have a great time.

oh the memories you will be making. have a grand time.

lucky lucky you

So glad you are able to split the cost three ways. What fun you all will have fighting over who gets to quilt next.

Congrats!! You will love it! Fun to be able to do it together with family~

You all will enjoy that. I bought one and my DILs and my sister come to use it. My DILs didn't sew until they married my sons. My husband says, "They took a look at all your toys and decided they wanted to play, too." They both love FMQ on the HQ.

Congratulations!

That will be such fun for all of you. Congratulations on your purchase.

You are so lucky. My Mom is gone and my one sister doesn't sew or talk to me. I wish I had more family. I have 3 daughters and a D-I-L, and none of them sew. They all look to me to make things for them and do any repairs or hems. Oh well, that is my lot in life I guess. I'll have to continue to rent a long arm and use my Janome machine to get the quilts done. Enough of my pity party, and I need to get off here and start sewing.
Sue

What is a HQ 18?

A mid arm. Usually on a rack.

http://www.handiquilter.com/product/hq18-avante/

To the OP, congratulations! I love my Innova LA.

You are so lucky. My mom, sister, and daughter do not sew. Wish I would have them to share quilting stories with and to split the cost of the machine! Lucky you! My friend has the HQ Avante and loves it. I'm sure you will, too. Have fun!

Congratulations!!!

Congrats!!! Enjoy!!!!

Congratulations!! You. Will love it. I have been so,happy with mine

That's awesome! Let us know how you like it.

Congratulations! whose is the lucky one to have it at their house?

oh goody...and make sure that ALL of you, not just the DH learn the maintenance and repair stuff!
now, who gets to use it on what day???

Congrats to u all. Can't wait to see all the pretties.

Congrats! All of you are going to have a blast! :)

Congrats! Couple of suggestions...The first is to get a set or two of zippers for the leaders (or maybe look at Sharon Schamber's website (also on youtube) for how she does her velcro leaders. That way if one of you has a quilt on the machine, and someone else needs to use it...you can just unzip or otherwise easily remove your quilt & let the other person use it. I got my zippers at zipperstop.com (whole lot cheaper than buying the packaged ones from a quilt shop). You already have the 2nd suggestion...get training. It will take practice, practice and then some more practice. Overall...enjoy that you have family to share your quilting with...like many others...I am the only one in my family who sews/quilts. SIL used to...but I just finished quilting 14 quilt tops for her. Says just not interested any more...maybe later (probably not)...even gave me most of her stash...sign that she's not going to quilt any longer for certain.
My two daughters aren't interested & live in different states from us...so, do enjoy working together.

Fun,Fun, Fun,.....if you live near Reading,Pa. I'll gladly play too !!

How nice!!!

Congratulations! Have fun. You will enjoy doing your own quilts. Great your whole family will be able to quilt together and make great memories!!

How exciting! I'm doing the happy dance for you!

Happy dance, happy dance. Have you decided what your first project will be? And who gets the pleasure of keeping it? Be sure to post pictures. BTW, with so many long arms on the market, what was the reason (s) you chose the HQ18?

I'm in the same boat as Lori S. I think one of the reasons my sister wants me to move back to Oklahoma is so she can have access to my quilting machine.

Sew happy for all of you.Happy Stitching making beautiful memories.

Congratulations. It will be a learning curve so buy some muslin for practice or some printed quilt tops. Don't buy every gadget until you find what type work you will like. My favorites are a short (4-6" ruler), one long ruler, and the Versa Tool by handi quilter. Don't be afraid, relax, and breathe when you are quilting. (Those were hard for me to learn) Remember, to have fun while you are at it. The best practice for me was to purchase a large dry-erase board and to practice drawing on that until I felt more consistent. It is actually easier for me to quilt than to draw so give that a try. Pantographs are fun too so give those a try. Some like them and some don't. You will love it and congratulations.

Awesome - good for you! We all need Happy dances in our life!

Happy dance for you. You will have a great time with it, woohoo! Congratulations

I live in central illinois in a very small town called Dwight. When in illinois do you live? There is a lady in bloomington that has a shop and she rents her longarm out.

Congratulations and welcome to the Handi Quilter family! I too, have the Avante 18. Love it and love the company. They have the best customer service!! Be sure to go on their website and submit your MY HQ STORY contest. I was one of the winners for the 2011 year and we had a blast and were given a free retreat (3 day class) and tons of free items to use with our machine! Enter the contest, everyone has a chance to win!! Good luck!!
Wenda