Don't forget about business insurance too.

piney

I guess I'm not in the habit of "nit picking" every word someone writes on a forum. Sheesh.

I have a longarm but I don't do customers quilts. I'm not that good. I never intended to have a business. Of course, I bought my longarm used and wanted it just for my own pleasure. I have had lots of pleasure from it. Now, I'm just one step away from purchasing a new machine for a lot more money. I would never buy a longarm with the idea that it would pay for itself. I think that is too risky. If you buy one, buy it first for yourself and then if you get customers, that would be a bonus that you are not expecting. Don't go into it thinking that you will make money. You may be very disappointed.

Hi Stacey-
I've been quilting for over 40 years and longarm quilting for 5 years. I did research for 6 months before purchasing my machine. My research included surveys of local quilt shops, local quiltmakers and guilds, and local longarm quilters. I asked a million questions.

The most importance answers I got came from local longarmers who would be considered "competition"--about the market, what clients are looking for, their turnaround time, startup costs, maintenance and expenses, loans and insurance and accounting and taxes.

Most longarm quilters quilt for the public for about 2 years before making back their initial investment of approximately $20,000 for their machine, books, pantos, and thread. Don't just look at the price per square inch. that is very deceptive and can look like you're going to get rich quick.

Remember you will have a higher electric bill and increase in your insurance also. And please remember that you pay back approximately 1/3 of your profit in taxes. Mine here in PA are 28% Federal, 3% state and 1% local. When I factor in electricity and insurance, I figure that I actually clear about half of what I charge for my quilting services.

Information varies regionally quite a bit, be it prices or preferred quilting services. Try to talk to some local guild members, shop owners and longarmers to get an idea of market conditions, design preferences, and the economic outlook for your area.

Best of luck to you in your efforts.

You may want to buy a used LA. Many quilters are buying the newer, bigger machines and it is better for them to sell than to trade in. You may have enough money saved to buy a used machine now! I bought a used HQ 16 and have loved it. I really wanted it, even dreamed quilting on it before I bought it. The learning curve was much longer than I had anticipated, but I loved it so much I kept at it and am now confident to quilt for others. The look on the clients faces when they see their completed quilt is so rewarding and fun and the money helps pay for my quilting addiction.

I have a LA and the learning curve was sooo much more than I ever dreamed . I have had mine about 4 years and one thing I know is that most everyones experience is different, probably from area to area. So many LA's say they have a 6 month or more backlog but I honestly wonder about that. That would mean they are storing possibly 100 quilts or more before they get to them. I don't know anyone who has that much room or insurance to cover them if they had a fire. The truth actually may be that they only want to do so many quilts a month, so if they have a dozen or so steady customers, thats all they need. If they take extras, they are not in any hurry to get them done.
I practiced at least a year before I would take paying customers. My first year of doing it as a business,I had maybe 12 quilts. I have a fairly steady business now but the first of the year was dead. So its a good thing I am not making payments on it.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the physical side. It is hard work. Hard on your legs and feet and back. That needs to be an important consideration. Also to get started, you have an investment in your LA as well as thread,needles,insurance,patterns,classes and batting,maybe? You definitely don't have time to sew for yourself like you want and if you get a top done, you are last on the list to get it quilted. I agree with the suggestion to buy a used machine and try it before you invest in a more expensive new machine. While it sounds like fun, there are sure a lot of days, I have to push myself. Its a job. And you have to treat it as such.

On the up side of "expenses," keep in mind that you can take some of those expenses of a home business off of your taxes. Your supplies, electricity, phone/internet feess. Not sure if the rules have changed; when I had a business from home, you had to be able to show a profit w/in 3 years.

If you have your taxes done professionally, you might want to check with them; if not, check with an accountant.

I left the following on another LA thread. I find it annoying when I look at a website that is for business and there are links that do not work, errors, missing info, etc.

If you do have a website or blog that provides information, please be sure that it is correct and complete. If I'm looking at posts/websites/blogs that have errors (typos, mis-spellings, etc.), links that do not work, or do not have basic information (quilting options, estimated pricing), I'm not likely to send a quilt that I've invested in to be quilted by that individual.

Not having pictures linked somewhere is definitely a deal-breaker for me. One other thing that I dislike is having to pay upfront, even if it is "only" 50%. None of the quilters that are local charge prior to the work being done, and honestly, I don't know why this would be required anyhow. If you are trying to establish/build a business, I think you have to be willing to put yourself out there, and risk receiving a quilt that you don't get paid for. But you'd have the protection of having the quilt - so no payment, no completed quilt returned. On the other hand, if a top is sent out at the sewer's expense, plus payment made up front, what assurance does the sewer have that the quilt would be returned? I say, send or post pictures at completion and expect payment prior to shipping the quilt home.

The recent addition of feedback should also help folks who are in business.

My comments are not intended to upset anyone; rather, I hope that they will be helpful for anyone who is wanting to offer a product or service. They are meant to help those who are in business, and not to be taken personally.

I think the scariest concern about starting LAQ is the customers you have to deal with. Imagine doing a potential prize-winning quilt, having tension problems, cutting something that should not be cut, their piecing, etc mistake is blamed on to you when it does not look good. you have to know if your nerves can take those kinds of things. I do most of my own quilting but send the large ones out,they just look so much better & I don't have the misery of handling a big quilt. quilters here charge 1.5 psi, with fancy quilting going for 3-4 cents psi.
there are a lot of machines in our area, many of them for home use. and out of all,3 or 4 are real talents.
do it for yourself, if you can afford that. then when you get good & decide to do customer work,that will just be a bonus $$ for you.
PS--would have one in a minute if had room & $$$.

Lots of good advice here for those of us searching out a good LA quilter.

There is a LA quilter in my area that will charge you for a class, then let you quilt your own work for nominal charge, i.e., $125 for the class and $15 for your own quilt or $10 for a donation quilt. (We have a couple of ladies in our Church quilting group that quilt the tops us...the quilts are given to children in need.)

That way you could see if you really wanted to purchase a LAM..it might save you a lot of frustration! And, remember, there is a HUGE learning curve on one of these babies! :-D

Let us know what you decide! We'll support you!!