I went to my first longarm class at my LQS! It was a lot of fun, I am so excited to learn how to longarm. Anything beats trying to shove my poor quilt through the throat of my little Singer while being pin-pricked to death! I have learned that I have little-to-no fine motor skills. My second class is three hours, one-on-one with the teacher, then I will be able to go in and longarm my own quilts!! Now I am excited about the whole quilt, not just the piecing. Just had to share my excitement, have a great week everyone! ~Karen

Wow, how fun for you, I'm glad you had a good time, you will definitely enjoy quilting more since you get to use a long arm, that's great! Show us pics of your first longarm quilt.

That's great that your LQS does that with customers. I've heard on a shop about 2-3 hours away from me that does that but not my local shop.

Good Luck!

Sounds like you had fun, and yes, be sure to post pictures.

I'm glad to have found your post. There's a LQS near me that has those classes too but I've never taken them.
I'll be very interested in what you say about the next class etc.
I agree with you that it would be lovely to be able to use a longarm myself.
Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun!

How fun! I wish a shop around here did that!

Good for you! I am looking forward to your first quilt.

good for you karen and we all can't wait to see your first project on the long arm

I would love to take that class. But I fear that there are no quilt shops around here that do that. I think that if a sewing machine shop that sells long arms would offer classes and use of a long arm for a small fee that they would make a killing. mostly because many of us quilters would love to own a long arm but having access to rent time on one would be the next best thing for us. How many on here would be willing to pay like 20 dollars or so plus the cost of the thread to use a long arm to finish their own quilt? This is a good idea because it gets people to try the long arm and get that bug and maybe in the future purchase their own. Much like an embroidery machine for signing their quilts. This is something to suggest to your local sewing machine shop or LQS.

Hurray! So glad you enjoyed your longarm experience! When I first started I was told to "remember to breath while you're stitching". Relax and have fun!

Karen, which LQS do you go to? I'm always looking to visit new ones and travel thru that area occasionally.

It will be an investment for sure, its not cheap. It is more designed for people that have multiple quilt tops that they would like to do. The first class is 25$, the second is 60$, plus another 50$ for your own zippers and a practice sandwich for your second class. Then, you schedule when you would like to rent it, and it is 40$ for the first two hours, and about 9$ for ever half hour after that. However, that is a small price to pay to not have to spend many many more frustrating hours trying to shove and manipulate it through my small machine! I go to my LQS is Silver Lane Quilters, wonderful people there!

I learned to long arm with my LQS for the same reasons. I just got tired of not being able to solve the problem of so much puckers on the backing. Of course I always expect some but it seemed like with each quilt I FMQ the puckers kept increasing. I realize that it is my sandwiching process. I can't be on the floor anymore and clamping the layers to the table was the problem. My quilts are large. Unclamp and reclamp to unpinned areas were where most of my problems were. I learned on a Handy Quilter 16. Which long arm machine did you learn on Kbiederman?

That's great that you're enjoying it. I would like to learn someday. My LQS used to have a long-arm that you could rent by the hour after you took a class, but they sold it before I had the chance to learn. :(

Personally, I'd love to do this. I wish my LQS offered it, but all they have is a megaquilter, so they're not even set up with a long-arm:<

Wonderful! I wish I was with you ;-)

Hi Karen,

I was just at my LQS and the owner was showing me her new longarm machine. She plans to offer classes to teach us how to use it. She will require that we buy the leaders for approx. $90. and the classes will cost approx. $110. After we do this, the machine will be available for rent for $15 hourly. Is this is line with the cost at your LQS?

How is it going for you. Easier or harder than you thought? I'm interested to hear about your experience. ;)

I think I would be nervous to use someone else's equipment since the machine is so very expensive. I don't know anything about them, it is just my thought.

You are gonna love it! I can tell already!

I was just at my LQS and the owner was showing me her new longarm machine. She plans to offer classes to teach us how to use it. She will require that we buy the leaders for approx. $90. and the classes will cost approx. $110. After we do this, the machine will be available for rent for $15 hourly. Is this is line with the cost at your LQS?

How is it going for you. Easier or harder than you thought? I'm interested to hear about your experience.

JanetM,
I had my first longarm machine class today. The was from 9am-1pm and cost $50. We watched a video on Handiquilter and the shop owner stopped it from time to time and we went to her HQ longarms for some hands-on. I enjoyed the class and learned a lot! We will have to purchase our own leader cloth (in the long run it saves money when we can sew/pin our quilt pieces to the leader at home before we get to the shop). She charges $15/hour to use the longarm-same as your LQS. We also have to purchase our own needles and bobbins to use each time we come in. Finances won't permit me to make the plunge right now, but I enjoyed learning about it anyway!

How wonderful. I bet you will love FMQ now too.

Thanks for your response. I don't have room for a longarm nor do I really want to invest a ton of money for one. I am not interested in starting a quilting business but I would like to be able to quilt my own projects.
I'm giving the option of learning how to quilt and renting the machine some serious consideration...might be a good option for me. :D

Yep. JanetM, I'm right there with you. I don't want to quilt for others, and I'd have to make a thousand quilts or so to come out ahead moneywise if I bought a nice LQM for myself. I keep telling my DH if he was so inclined that he could make something for me to use. He's always inventing something, so . . . There's a nitch to be filled for people like us, sooner or later someone will come up with a good, portable, user-friendly machine for the home quilter.

Or is it already out there? Quilters, am I missing something here???

You are so lucky. I'm sure this is really the best way to complete your quilt WITH YOUR OWN LONGARM. I hope my DH heard that.

Wow Your so Lucky, I would love a Longarm The nicest thing about quilting is that (for Me) I have never been "Artsie" but when you start sewing the beautiful pieces of fabric together, you create your own beautiful art. Enjoy your Longarm.

Bobbielinks, I agree with you, it's important to breathe. As I am learning to use a longarm, I find that having music on helped me to relax. Enjoy!

Here is a home option that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It is the system that I have *s*

http://www.baysidequilting.com/warmwishes.htm

I'm going to take my first class on the 25th, next week, can't wait. sounds like fun. Our shop charges 25.00 the first two hours and then 15.00 an hour after that so sounds like a deal to me. I'm ouilting my grandsons biker bug quilt. Hope it turns out good.

Cookie

How exciting, I would love that. you have fun with your class and your new skill. God bless. Penny

I purchased a used HQ16 a year ago and just love it. However, prior to that I had considered having a machine stretched. There is someone in Las Vegas who cuts a machine and stretches the centre portion, both top and bottom. I have seen photos and you would never know that it wasn't made that way. Gives you lots more room to move the quilt. I'll try to get the name of the place again if any of you are interested.

It was so much fun, but harder! Lol, I was shaky and uncoordinated, but I am sure it will get better over time. They are offering it in two classes, the first for 25$, and the second for 60$, and the kit (leaders, zippers) for 50$. Then you can rent it for 40$ for the first two hours and 9$ for every half hour after that. It sounds comparable, but I do wish it was less to rent :( I am so excited to learn it though, now I need to get working on my tops!

You are so lucky! We don't have any place around here that I know of to learn LAQ and rent time that I know of. Such a wonderful way to find out if you would even like a LAM.

I'm so jealous!
congratulations!

when i first used the long arm i decided to quilt in a meander or in a stippling pattern to get used to the feel and while i am learning to adjust the layers after rolling to a new unstitched area. i am still having trouble figuring out the latter. my first quilt i did dollar size loops. after i had a few more in the same pattern under my belt i thought i would do the stippling pattern. the one that looks like puzzle pieces. i had tried this with FMQ on my home sewing machine and i had a hard time. so i naturally thought it would be harder than loops on a long arm. i was wrong. it was faster and a lot more fun quilting continuous puzzle pieces than loops. when i did loops the machine kept beeping at me to slow down. i had a lot less reminders with the puzzle pieces.

i did try doing a feather with the long arm. i can do free hand on FMQ with my home machine real well. i think i need to put in more hours on the long arm before i try some of the motiffs.

since i am renting the long arm machine i prefer to quilt quick and easy since i am paying by the hour and i don't want to over work the machine since it is not mine. when i have my own long arm at home then i can do more intriquette designs because i won't need to take the quilt off the leaders when i go home. i can leave it on the rails and work on it here and there so i don't ruin it with my hurry.

when you start adding up how many quilts you normally do in a year. How many you would do renting a long arm and the cost. if you add that up it would seem cheaper to buy your own machine. even if you only take the larger size quilts to quilt on the long arm. the most important thing is that if anyone decides to buy a long arm or even a mid arm, you must learn to use it. whether it is used or new don't waste your purchase. think long and hard before money is plot down. once the purchase comes to your house and it stays in the box, then you may be better off renting. i think that decision is more important than how much room is available to house it. one thing i have learned when growing up poor is that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way. so....first decide if you really want your own personal long arm or mid-arm bad enough. once that is decided sometimes you would be amazed at what life or fate or etc. will do to set things in motion to get you that goal. never stop believing in miracles. everytime i see pictures of people showing their quilting room done the way they like it i think a miracle.

Wow, that sounds like fun. Glad you are enjoying it.