At what point can I justify a longarm? or don't you and just get it....

I didn't need any other reason except that "I wanted one!"

No one can answer that, but you ;-)

Me, too! No justification needed.

thay all need a home ..one found a home with me ...an where so happy

Nothing to justify. I worked very hard for years for my money and I deserved one. I love it!

Many of them can be bought on a payment plan with no interest charged if paid in full by 4 years. I bought mine that way and paid it off in 1 year.
I just couldn't pull the larger bed quilts through my regular sewing machine. The hassle of pinning the sandwich layers together for stitching was becoming a major pain. That's when I opted for the mid-longarm. It has an 18" throat.

what kind do you have?

That's a complex question. First of all, few if any quilters can justify such a purchase financially. It takes time to build up the skills and clients thay start to pay back your investment.

What you can get out of it in fun and growth is dependent upon what you want it for. I know many quilters that have purchased a long arm, and just use it for their own quilts. If you can afford that, great go for it.

However, if you want to eventually do quilts for others, and are willing to work through the tough times financially, you can make a living off of it.

Its an investment in your future, if you can afford the original investment.

Whatever you do, good luck,

Lanny

There is a point that you are paying for professional services, and decide monetarily whether the LA would be worth it for you....

BUT...the decision is so much more about money. I had one woman say that it was wrong to call the LA a "TOY", but really it is! You can have a lot of fun and relaxing hours quilting on a LA machine, or you can be a slave to it and make it a business or be forced to justify every penny you spent on it. It's all up to you, and no one else can tell you ahead of time whether it would be a foolish choice or not. When I was researching my LA, I ran into a bunch of people who bought theirs and then didn't enjoy it or use it as much as they thought they would, and thus were selling theirs used. Not everyone ends up liking the quilting part- some end up liking piecing and top making more. I bought mine and am making a go out of a business with it.

There is such a range of LAs from the sit down models with a smaller footprint and a small throat space to the take-up-my-entire basement models. I have a HQ18 Avante, and have my frame set up for 12 feet, but that's toward the upper extreme (the machines can go up to 26 inches, but in reality the frame for those would take up just another foot or so in space compared to mine.)

Prices- a few thousand to $30,000. Join a yahoo group for each of the brands you are considering, and ask people about their machines. You really need to do a lot of research to find out the options, price ranges and limitations before jumping in and buying one, just to insure that you will be happy with your end choice.

Some people just take a regular sewing machine and then buy a frame/carriage set up to move the machine around- it doesn't produce as good of results as the newer machines with stitch regulators for quilting, but the price point is a lot different. The stitch regulators and new machines just glide, and can be really easy to learn on. My Avante is a dream to play with- I've found it super easy, if you get the tension right, which is a process to learn.

Best of wishes.

where did you get them on payment plan; I've read that a few times but haven't found a place to do it yet. Also, what part of WV are you from. My sister lives in Buchannon and my granddaughter and great grand-daughter live in Fairmont; I was raised around Belington/Elkins area.

I had to put 20% down on my Avante before my quilt shop would even order it, but then had to finance it fully before it would be delivered to my home.

When I bought mine at Christmas, they said they had changed the financing options, using only an outside Credit Company now (GE Financial).

yes just do it

ya, just think of it as fun money spent well.

I bought mine just to do my own quilts and ended up going into business. I cannot believe even in this economy how many people are still sending their quilts out to long arm quilters! Business is good.

When I'm trying to decide if I should get something or not I ask my self 2 questions; can you afford it and are you worth it; of course the second answer is always yes. I work and I figure that I should enjoy my life on top of that so if I really want something and can afford it then it's a no-brainer as to rather I should get it or not. If it's something that I'm not familiar with I do research all of the products to see which one would best suit me and what I'm doing.

Kinda like having children - if you wait until you can afford them, you will never have any.

I appreciate all the experienced longarmers points of view. Thank you.

I've heard that quilting A LOT on a regular sewing machine will help the transition period when you get on the LA. Any comment to that statement?

no ..because on a longarm you are moving the whole machine....when i got mine ...i put on sheets....an just started moving it all over ....i would draw on the sheet...an try an follow that .....the more you do the better you get

Me too! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I'm not keeping score, but my DH spent lots of $$$ on a digital baby grand piano several years ago. He so enjoys playing and it relieves his stress. It took me a while to get up the nerve to purchase a long arm, but I did find a wonderful deal on a used Nolting Hobby Quilter and frame. It's all mine (paid for) and I'm having fun!!!

I was wondering the same thing as quiltinghere asked. I do all my quilting on my DSM. I'm thinking though that it is a totally different skill since on the DSM, you move the quilt and on the LA, you move the machine. Just how hard is this transition?

The answer is also a NO from me! Not even close.

In a regular sewing machine, you push fabric through the machine only in a straight line. I did SID for years that way on my regular sewing machine.

The sit down ones for quilting have you pushing the fabric "in all directions". And with a LA, you are pushing the machine around, not the fabric. They are completely different feelings and motion ranges. Some people have really hard time transitioning from that first "push fabric through in a straight line" to the LA "pushing the machine around", but I never did.

You practice for a long arm by taking a sheet of paper and holding a pen upright (not in a normal writing position, but vertical to the paper) and practice drawing using your whole arm. As stated earlier, it's a lot like "drawing" in every normal sense of planning where you are going with your lines.

I've read a lot from people that warned me how "hard" it was going to be! But then I got my Avante and I've had no problems what-so-ever adjusting to it! The transition was nothing. You just imagine that your are drawing with your machine.

I'm not keeping score either :wink: :lol: :wink:
I think you hit it on the pinhead when you said "get up the nerve to purchase" - guess I don't want to make the wrong choice - guess I need more research and facts and road tests.

Hello to another PA quilter,
I had the good fortune to be able to go to the show in Paducah this spring....tornado and all. There was a woman on the bus that was going to the show for the purpose of checking out the HQ Avante... as I was talking to her she said that she would be selling her current machine which is a HQ16. I had been exploring the possibility of purchasing a quilting machine next year - but when this opportunity presented itself ... I thought about purchasing hers. I have known this lady quilter for several years; she had purchased the HQ 16 four years ago and was ready to "move up". We made the deal and I went to her house and she spent some time showing me some of the features of the HQ 16, and she is a phone call or visit away if I have a problem. I have done 2 small quilts on it since May - and I love that machine. I guess you have to keep your ears and eyes open in talking to fellow quilters - and you never know what can happen.

She is also very happy with her Avante...

Good luck to you in your search I am very happy with the HQ16.

Sue

Here's my story. I'm a professional longarm quilter. I bought my machine with the express goal of practicing diligently, learning well, and becoming a professional. I bought it with cash and with full knowledge that I would be paying myself back for a couple of years. It took 2 years of income to pay for the machine and all the startup costs.

Most longarms (with throat over 18 inches) start at more than $15,000. That doesn't include training, classes, books, DVDs, rulers, pantographs, batting or thread, and of course you will need plenty of all of those things. (We do like our toys!) The startup probably equates to about 100 bed quilts quilted. You will need room for the longarm and thread and batting. Face it, that's a whole room.

I think this question really depends on so many factors. Ask yourself these questions.

Do you have the money without going into debt?

Do you have room for it?

Do you have the mechanical ability to learn to maintain and repair the machine when parts need to be replaced and things go badly?

Do you have the time to devote to learning how to use and maintain the machine?

Do you think you would like to quilt 100 quilts?

It really is a personal preference. If you have the money and you will use it a lot, in my mind that's plenty of justification for buying one.

I love it. My time spent at the machine is golden and magical.

Please let us know when you decide.

Gammill has partnered with a credit company and offers financing. Just go to the Gammill website. It explains the 20% down and the credit application is there.

They have a chart that I think is rather misleading showing how many quilts it takes to make your payment each month. That chart is based on 90" x 100" quilts. Realistically, you can't depend on getting or completing a couple quilts that big each month when you are a new longarmer.

No affiliation and I don't even own a Gammill. My machine is an A-1 Elite, made in America.

I love the way you put this. I bought a frame a year ago; it is only large enough to do lap/baby quilts. The store had got it to teach on but alot of students had problems distinguishing how it was like a large one just smaller. I got it for just under 400 and then I got a Viking mega quilter. I love the mega quilter. I figured it would be a good way to practice and see how I liked it before I made a large investment. I have yet to quilt anything on it. I'm in the middle of setting up my sewing room and my goal is too start doing quilting. I think it's crazy to do the quilt and since I can't afford to send it out; it is either STID or not at all. I just finished the trip around the world and it is so pretty and I'm going to quilt it. Not on the frame but I'm going to quilt it. I have the problem that I am smart but don't have the confidence to do things without being shown. A friend loaned me her book on machine quilting and it has lessons in it; which I'm doing. She helped me decide how to do the quilt so I feel better. The only classes around here for machine quilting are on Sun. which I work and I have found none on doing Long Arm. I just know that this is the year that I step up and add something else to what I love to do. Maybe one day then I'll get a big girls frame. Thanks for the advice for all of us wanta -be's

Just a thought, why not rent time on a LA at a local Quilt shop? That way you will know if it really what you want. After quilting for 3 hours my shoulders where sore and sift.
Pushing and pulling the heavy heads can wear on your body. There are newer machines like the vision from Gammill that are easier to move and the Gammill has a better resale value than most. Important if illness or stricken by poverty unexpectedly. I had to delay my purchase due to retirement being cut by the PBGC. Working to buy one in June 2012.

WONDERFUL questions to ask ourselves - thanks

Where do Longarm quilters get computer designs? I won't be doing any freehand to start with but maybe down the road.

Where do LA get all there supplies? Do you get them at a discount for buying in bulk?

Well, you need a computerized machine to use computerized patterns. The computer (Compuquilter, Statler or Intelliquilter) will be programmed with some designs and the rep will tell you how to download others. Like almost all longarm supplies, they are found online.

I get all of my thread, rulers, needles, machine parts, and batting through websites and mail orders. The increase in shipping prices has been the number one reason for my prices going up in the last year.

I've never gotten a bulk discount but I am in business, so I buy wholesale.

I live in PA and there is a use tax here. That means that even though I buy batting from VA and they don't charge me VA sales tax, I am required to pay PA use tax on the purchase. It's as if I bought it here. Just one more little inconvenience of the business. The taxes and accounting are the one part of the longarming business that I loathe and detest. =sigh=

Are you using the long arm business software? I can't think of the official name for it.

No, Quilters Business Manager wasn't supported by the system I used when I started my business, and it doesn't calculate PA use tax.

So I'm on my own with my Excel spreadsheets. Thank goodness I worked for a financial corporation for three decades and can formulate a spreadsheet. It makes accounting easier. But not easy.