I've had mine for over a year now and honestly, I do regret the purchase. The machine works well, the service is excellent, but I've found I just don't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I keep plugging away though and the quilts do turn out lovely, but in hind sight, I wish I'd saved the money and just kept doing SID or embroidery quilting on my DSM. My tops pile up because I avoid quilting them. I just don't enjoy the process.

I've thought about selling the machine, but 1)my husband would go mad 2)I have no idea how to go about selling something like this. I've never used ebay or craigs list in my life. I've never even had a yard sale! For now I'll just keep pushing myself to use the machine and hope I start to feel more at ease with it.

WOW - don't give up your machine. It takes time and patience to get the hang of using these wonderful machines. Pantographs are tough to do - I have had a quilting machine for 4 years and have yet get the results from a pantograph. Try using some of the fantastic rulers that are out there - Craftsy classes online are a great resource. I recently purchased one of the quick loading sets for the machine and they are such a great invention - saves time and frustration of all the time that it takes to pin the quilt and backing to the machine. Keep trying - if you are one of the ones lucky enough to have one of these great machines.....keep trying - it will be worth the effort. I am having a blast with my machine - and I learn something new every top that I quilt. Good Luck!!

Love reading these posts! I don't have a Long arm and have envied those who do. I can see how much I would spend, learning curve, and room I would lose in my home, I think I'll be content to pay for my large quilts to be quilted!

It takes practice practice practice. Don't give up yet! I, too, can NOT do pantos!!!! Tried them so many times and they just drive me NUTS. If you don't have rulers, search out "longarm tools" and find some straight rulers. They're a good beginner. Do NOT get intimidated by videos that show someone going superjet speed on their longarms. Go slow..... I bought lots of sheets at thrift stores and used them with cheap batting to practice practice practice. I made a lot of dog blankets that way for the humane society. I found www.mqresource.com......a forum for longarmers. They have classes and are the most helpful. Because of them, my work had improved immensely in a short time. Does your local dealer provide classes???? If so, please go....you learn something EVERY time. I also found if I went to www.youtube.com and put in "quilting" or "longarm" I found videos.....I've watched every one probably 5 times each. Some were lame or hard to follow, but even those that were seemingly over my head, I learned. Best of luck!

It's not that I feel frustrated because my quilts don't look nice. They actually look quite lovely. It's just that I don't enjoy the process. In piecing a top, I find a good balance between sometimes doing something simple and quick and other times challenging myself with a new skill and I can easily lose myself in the sewing room for hours at a time, but in long arming I just don't like it. I have a computer on mine and I can make lovely pantographs. I just don't have fun while I'm doing it. I can free motion with a nice meandering line or smaller stippling, but again, it's not fun to me. I tried rulers and feathers and circles. It wasn't fun to me. It's work. It's what I have to force myself to do in order to be able to put the binding on and say the quilt is finished. I wish I loved it. I just don't. I can't imagine telling my husband I made a mistake this expensive though so I force myself to keep loading quilts and quilting them.

Nilla, try and picture yourself before you had it and think about what you'd do without it now that you've experienced the luxury of quilting your own quilts.

You might then go, oh yeah, it's a demon, but it's a better demon.

I had a huge learning curve. My husband googled things while I cried my eye balls out! We had to buy a different bobbin case holder and then we had to play with the legs. I found out I had the wrong carriage. I finally went to buy a grand Quilter that was used. I do not put my Janome Horizon on the frame but use the used Grand quilter instead. I sew the pieces together or do small quilts with my precious Janome. Please don't give up.

Okay -- my thoughts are that if you don't enjoy it or consider it a fun challenge from day one, then it's just not for you!!!!!! I can understand that.....I've started MANY crafts over the years and discovered it just wasn't for me (tried knitting about 100000 times -- UGH).. This is just more expensive than any. If you truly don't like it, and you can sell it......then do what you ENJOY doing --- PIECING the quilt!!!!!! :) lord knows there's longarmers out there that need/want the work!!!! :) :)

This is a great thread. I know I would not want a long arm-the cost, the space they take up, but most of all the learning curve. Thank you all for sharing-definitely tells me it wouldn't be for me.

I completely understand how you feel, I bought a Bernina 750 DSM last October, after the excitement of getting it, fear settled in. I couldn't even sleep a for a few nights, I was terrified I had spent too much money...I could have bought a very nice machine for much less money...etc. It's been six months and I love it, I realized I seem to be better at quilting with this machine..due to the BSR, walking foot etc. I am over it now.

It takes tons of practice! We have a longarm gal in our guild and when I look at her quilts, I am amazed. She has done over 3000 quilts! That's right 3000.
I've done maybe 20. Why would I think that mine would look anything like her work!? My point being, relax and enjoy the learning process. Do a couple of dog beds quilts. Just put some muslin on, with batting and backing, watch some videos on YouTube and practice, practice and practice some more. If you don't have dogs, donate the beds to your local animal shelter.

You may have to adjust tension, and that's OK. Get to know your machine before you expect expert results.

I still have to adjust my mnd before I start working on a quilt.

Relax and don't be so hard on yourself. It will come together, it just takes time and practice.

I have been a professional long arm quilter since 2006 and I experienced my share of "the sweats" let me tell you! Things that happen to newbies...we'll, I think I did them all! I never got any formal training other than you tube and experience. The worst thing was when I ran out of batting before quilt...horrors! But it only happened once and I learned to plan ahead. The loading is my least fav part but oh, SO IMPORTANT to get right! You learn all sorts of tricks along the way, like how to deal with wavy borders and I would say 1 in every 3 quilts I get has wavy borders in some degree. I keep a printed tutorial on how to prevent this and gently instruct my customer whenever I encounter this problem...they usually have never had anyone explain how to prevent this. PPP is the trick for long arm quilting...practice, practice, practice! Also, some days you have too much on your mind and it is just not your day to quilt... Walk away! Frog quilting I.e. Ripping out, is no fun on a loaded quilt. As a retired nurse, it was the same thing with starting IV's. Sometimes it was just not your day! That is a piece of advice I have a hard time adhering to myself because I just want to get it done, but knowing when to walk away will save loads of grief! Blessings to you on your new endeavor! Check in next year and let us know how it is going, you will be amazed at your progress if you persevere! I am in El Paso Texas in case I may be near enough to you to be of any further help.

There ARE sites that advertise long arms/mid arms/ quilting systems. I have purchased an HQ16 and a Gammill..and sold the Gammill when I purchased my Innova (I was on a JOURNEY! lol. I am done now...hehehehe)

Here are links to the two sites that I used. You need to pay a small fee, but I sold my Gammill in 3 weeks for what i was asking for. It helps to be in a metro area. (not that you can move or anything..just more people that might want a quilting system.

http://www.houseofhanson.com/formerlyowned.html#Ads start here

http://www.longarmuniversity.com/machines_for_sale.htm

Quilting on a longarm is not for everyone. Its ok to change your mind. ( I did..THREE TIMES! lol DH was very diplomatic..never rolled his eyes, not once. He IS glad I have found what works for me tho.)

I understand EXACTLY what you mean. I have a friend who quilts exclusively because she just does not enjoy piecing.

You could sell your machine. I don't know what you paid for it, and I don't know what you could get for it, but maybe selling it would appease your husband somewhat.

I have wanted a long arm for several years. I made do with a Janome 1600p and an 8-foot table my husband built for me. I quilted about 30 quilts on this set up and loved it. I learned a lot. In the past year, I have retired and returned to the mainland from Hawaii. In the move, I sold this setup and spent a lot of time researching the internet to compare a number of long arms to replace it. A local quilt store specializes in Gammills and has them available for rent. I took their class (required for using their machines) and have since quilted a small number of quilts. This also gave me a little experience while doing my research. A second quilt store has just become a dealer for APQS machines. Last week, I traveled to SLC to the HMQS show and took the opportunity to learn more about long arms. They had Gammills, APQS, Innova, HQ, Noltings, Juki, A-1, and others. Before going to this show, I had narrowed my choices down to Gammills, Innova, and APQS. In the end, I purchased the APQS Lenni and am now anxiously awaiting its arrival!

Honor your instinct. Don't rush into the purchase if you're feeling conflicted. You're feeling it for a reason.
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I'd insist on an exchange if the machine had issues that were ongoing/unresolved. Your hard-earned $ should be valued by companies.
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Consider looking on cl, forums, etc. for used machines. That's how I found my gently used HQ Sweet Sixteen. It was within my price range (significantly less than if new) and the warranty was transferable.

Good luck ~

I am a newbie to this site, and am in a quandry...I won AQS's Dream Studio Giveaway last month, which included a Gammill 18-8. It is going to be delivered to me soon, and after reading lots of posts and opinions, I'm not sure whether this is going to be something I'm going to really love and use. I love piecing but have never been fond of the machine quilting process and am a very SLOW hand quilter. Part of me says I'll probably love being able to load a quilt and work over the entire thing, but I am VERY intimidated by what I'm reading about maintenance and the sensitivity of longarms. The dealer who will be my service provider is several hundred miles away and that seems formidable. And when I talked to one of them yesterday and asked about getting training, he told me that because it's the brand new one with the smart pad, they don't know how to use them yet but will be getting some training soon and that I'll be able to have someone come teach me after their training. At this point, I guess I'll have them set it up and hopefully get more info on how to use it, and see how it goes. I don't know any quilters in my area that have longarms, so don't really have any kind of support group!

Where are you located?

Don't stress. There is a learning curve but it can be fun while you are learning.

Gettysburg, PA area. I know, I need to stop psyching myself out before I even have it! :)

Congrats on your win Pearl56! I too would be a bit intimidated by such a prize, but here's hoping you find a new 'niche' for yourself!

No I have no remorse I love quilting on my la wish I had done it sooner. sorry that you are having remorse and feel you need to return it.

well I am in Texas, so I can't help you in person. I suggest you post questions here and check out www.mqresource.com which is a machine quilting website. Lots of helpful folks on both sites

Thanks, I'll do that!

I started renting at a long arm studio and fell in love with long arm quilting. I'm just hoping I can afford my own some day. But I think if you have a place that rents near you, that would be the way to start. You learn to get comfortable with the machine and find out if you really would like to quilt that way. I know I would because I've experienced it first hand.

I bought my mom's Nolting when her health became an issue. I was a little intimidated at first too but mom was there with advice and encouragement. Now, I would like to upgrade the machine to one with a computer. It is a very basic machine but sews beautifully. I do understand how you feel. Nine years ago, I went to a Pfaff event at my Pfaff dealers store and came home with a Pfaff 2144. I let it sit for about a month and ten finally decided that I better learn to use it. The first payment came due and I didn't want it to become a very expensive paperweight. Now I love it and would like to upgrade this one too. Give yourself time and use your machine a little each day. You will get the hang of it.

This is the approach I am going to try. Luckily in my area there are two sources for classes and renting time on machines. I believe it will be most cost effective for me at this point.

I agree with every thing you wrote. I have had my machine for 6 years. You have to practice, practice, practice. I didn't get to take my class with the dealer till I had my machine for 2 or 3 years cause the dealer was 600 miles away.
I would load a long length of muslin on the machine, with batting, then a length of fabric. I would practice mostly on pantos, until I quilted the piece of fabric, then I would add another. I would keep quilting till I ran out of the piece of muslin. Then I would cut the length into pieces the size of lap quilts. Then I would bind them and give them to a nursing home. But after all this time I am still having a hard time believing that I do good work. I am just now beginning to do quilts for other people. My friends insisted that I was good enough to quilt for other people. So I decided to give it a go. I have watched lots of videos on youtube and they have really helped. There is a video on Craftsy that I think is free, that is really good. The lady stapled her quilt packs to the leaders. I have been doing that and really like the method. It is much better than pinning, IMO. But you just have to keep trying. I felt the same way about quilting on one of my own quilts. But I finally bit the bullet and did it. It becomes easier. I will never be as good as Charisma, who is on this board. She is exceptional. But the key is to keep trying.

LOL!!!! I love this! You're right. Your brother-in-law needs to start doing paid fishing tours so that he can pay for that boat! And that way, you'll have enough money to get the HQ Avante.

I figured I would have to make 42 quilts to justify the purchase of one (that's figuring that sending out 42 quilts to a
longarmer). Seeing as I'm in my late 60's, I'll be dead before I make a 43rd quilt to even come out even on the purchase.....LOL

I don't see why the machine has to pay for its self. I bought mine cause I wanted to quilt the tops I had made. I have just started quilting for others to make a little spending money.

[QUOTE=Boater4444;5113497]I am experiencing this feeling at the moment but only because the Dealer that I bought my 18" Innova with AutoPilot is so new to longarm quilting that my buying experience has been absolutely horrible.

Did you know that the manufacturer has phone help 24/7? The person you talk is the man who makes the machine. He will walk you thru any problem, no matter how long it takes. He is always nice and patient. I have an Innova and have called him many many times for help for one problem or another. None of them bad problems. When my machine was shipped, by Fedex, it was "Drop shipped" literally!!! Fedex dropped it. Then the dealer didn't want to ship me another machine because he was afraid it would happen again. So I called the factory and told Michael, the man who owns the factory. He thought that the dealer was being a bit stupid (this is my word not his) about this.So he provided a wooden crate for shipping a new machine. My husband is very handy so he set up my machine. I really life my machine and most especially that I can call the factory owner for help.

You might be surprised how many quilts can be done in a few years. I've had my hq16 set up for 4 years and have probably quilted at least 40 quilts - most for charity. My motivation was paying around $400 for two twin size quilts and not being thrilled with the results. To be fair, there were problems with the quilts as they were among the first I pieced, but the quilter said nothing to me about the problems, just quilted them and gave them back.

My system was bought used for $4000. At $200 per twin size quilt, that meant 20 quilts later, I would 'pay' for the HQ 16 set up.

It was real work to figure out how to make everything work together, but I managed. I have some physical limitations, so only use end to end patterns, but the quilts turn out reasonably good. They get better as I get more practice.

So, unless you have decided that you really hate using the LA, keep at it.

Ah! So happy to find another stapler! My hands were not strong enough to get the quilt on straight with the Red Snappers, though I think that's a great system, and I HATED pinning almost as much coming off as going on.

My first machine was a Nolting and my dealer was worthless. The machine was okay when it worked, but there were so many times when it didn't. My hubby talked me into replacing it. He advised me to get my third machine second. Lol. Said that guaranteed that this was my last longarm ever and I should buy right. No more cheaping out. I went with an Innova and am still waiting. Even so, the new dealer has already had me in for a full day of training. Really, I don't expect to ever regret this one.

You won't regret your Innova........I love mine! Easy to use (especially if you have had a longarm), great customer service and great machine!

I regretted buying my very 1st quilt machine. It was a Viking MegaQuilter 9". I don't regret the machine itself as it stitched great for me. The problem was why did I buy a quilt machine when quilting was not even a hobby I was fond of at the time. Had only made one quilt at that time and was miffed at how the quilter quilted it for me. Hadn't felt I'd been bitten by the "quilt bug" either so why spend all that money on a machine I probably wouldn't use that much. Where as time moved along I did get interested in quilting, added robotics to the 1st system, changed machines as time went on and finally got a real "longarm" machine, 26", 12 foot frame so obviously the quilt bug did finally bite me big time.

If the machine is not stitching correctly, you should call the company you bought it from and see if they can either walk you thru correcting it or have them come check it out. If the "timing" you're talking about it "timing in your life" than that's something you will need to mediate on and make a decision for you. Sometimes it just isn't the right time in your life with making large purchases that may effect your life later. Its hard to say but good luck in your decision. Been there, done that. Still regret some of my decisions yet.

I bought my HQ16 at MQX several yers ago before I even know how to quilt. I played and replayed the DVD that came with the machine learning how to load and unload , and do basic free motion. For a long time I was afraid to use the machine without the stitch regulator, but one I adjusted the speed to what I could manage, it got easier. Depending on the brand you purchased you can get support from the manufacturer and join the chat groups. Hang in there....I still get intimidated by the beast but make sure you practice and practice on it before you send it back. If you are bent on sending it back, check for the return window, so you won't be disappointed. Nothing beats watching a video on you tube and then going to your machine to try it out. Buy a bolt of cheap muslin and cut pieces and load 'er up.. This is what helped me gain confidence in my quilting. We are all rooting for you so hang in there!!!

I'm a newbie at shopping for a long arm. I won't pay $35k and I don't have room for a 12' table. I do, however, need a stand up machine that's in between. I cannot quilt trying to wiggle my fabric sandwich under my sewing machine. It just doesn't work for me. And I can't quilt sitting down. I need to be standing up and seeing what I'm doing. It seems every new person I send my quilts out to to be long armed disappoint me. I get it-it's the nature of the beast. It's a lot of work and time and they need to make money. My only solution is to quilt them myself. I love to quilt and yet when I finish my sandwich, it sits there because I just don't want to send it out to be quilted. Hence my dilemna. I need some type of quilting machine!
I'm going to take a class on the Gammill at my LQS shortly. I'm hoping that will help me begin my journey. I would love to hear your opinions and experiences with your long arms-regardless of the size. Is there such a thing as a 6 or even 8 foot table vs a 12 foot table? I have a wonderful sewing room that is 12 X 20 but it's crammed full! No room for a 12' table-perhaps 8' I could do. Thanks so much!!!

yes you can get a smaller frame/table
 

You can get smaller tables. You can also get good used machines. My first machine was an Innova 18". I paid $5000 for it. Ten years ago. I got it for the show price. (Houston quilt show) New. Then about a year ago I bought a Gammill on ebay for $5000. It had belonged to a guys mom who had passed away. It is almost the exact age of my Innova. I got the original bill of sale for the gammill. It has a 13 foot frame/table and my Innova has a 12 foot. You can look for a year on the internet but you should really try to go look at machines at dealerships. That way you can have an idea of what you want. Plus at a dealership you can test drive the machine. I didn't get to do that. The only machine I got to test drive was a Tinlizzie at a dealership. So I thought I wanted a Tinlizzie. But I DID shop on the internet and found the Innova. I liked the idea that I could call the owner of the factory any time I needed to and I would actually get someone on the phone who could walk me thru a fix. Then I bought the Gammill online from ebay. I thought I wanted it but my husband said I couldn't have it so I decided ok, I could get along without it. Then I begin to work up a mad cause he said I couldn't have it and I bought it any way. It is a really good machine and I could never have afforded a new Gammill. My daughter quilts on it so the money wasn't wasted. Some dealers sell more than one kind of longarm. I don't know where you live but Try to find a dealer like that and get them to help you pick a machine with a frame the size your room can handle. When I went to my class that came with the Innova, the dealer had 4 different brands of machines with different sizes of frames set up for us. Each of us had bought different machines and they had a set up for each of us just like what we had purchased. I bought my machine from Quilt Frog in Conroe, Texas. hope this helps. Oh, and I much prefer the Innova to the Gammill.

Maybe 20 yrs ago I purchased a used Gammil. Have since added a stitch regulator. Had the wheels changed. In our 90yr old house it was in a second living room. When we moved we converted a 4th car space in the garage to my LA space. Thought I'd do LA for sale. Decided I'm not that type of quilter and now do mostly art quilts that are small. Don't really need it, although it is handy now and then. If we move I'll sell it. For me, it's not "do I deserve it" or "can I afford it". I just wonder if I really use it enough to keep something that might just be taking up space. Some friends come for retreats and like to use it. Maybe an add in the guild newsletter to rent time on my machine would be helpful to other people.