Should I invest in a long arm?
 

I am seeking feedback and thoughts on purchasing a longarm. I am considering the Babylock Crown Jewel and frame. I attended HMQS last week and have made an offer.
My arguments for: I have the interest and passion for Fmq and I have the room in my house. I am fairly new to quilting, around 2 years. I have taken many hours of workshops in quilting the quilt and i am getting competent.
<than 2="" years)
How difficult is it to start a longarm quilting business?
I am afraid that if I start taking in outside work I may burn out and be left with a large investment.
I have been looking for a used long arm but honestly, this set up new cost less than most of the used machines I have found. Thoughts? Ideas? Gotchas?
i would need to take in quilting to offset the cost of the machine, or I could rent time to other quilters?
thank you, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience in this form.
:o:o</than>

Some things to consider:
How many other machines have you tried besides this one?
What happens if you don't get enough jobs to make the monthly payment?
There is a lot more to purchase besides the basic setup, threads, batting, needles, tools.. and all things for LA are pricier than for regular sewing machines, at least it seems that way to me.
Do you have any business plan at all on getting clients?
Do you have the time to quilt for others?
After making such a huge investment would you really want strangers renting time on your machine? What happens if they break it?

Getting a LA is big investment. I saved for over a year to purchase mine and I still work full time so I only quilt on weekends and the occasional weeknight when I am not too tired. Thankfully I don't have to depend on clients to make payments because I am sure that would totally stress me out and I wouldn't enjoy it as much. Not to mention how scared I would be when I don't have any client quilts lined up. I also bought the dealer demo model to save on the cost.

I don't want to be all doom and gloom because I love it and wouldn't give it up and I have absolutely no regrets, but I also found out I have a natural talent for LA quilting. I have read many stories of people who made the huge investment and did not have the patience to put in the practice. They expected too much too soon and got frustrated and gave up.

Ultimately this only a decision you can make. There are many things to consider

I own a Gammill and an Empress. I am very inpressed by the Empress and sell them in my shop. They come with the Grace framestitch regulater, winds a bobbin as you sew lazer light and sight over the orking area. It is super easy to run and if you can doodle on paper you can run this machine. Made by Tinlizzie. Very affordable for the homeowner. Check this out before purchasing one, you won't be dissapointed.

I purchases a smaller long arm quilter just to start out on. I have learned the basics and save the money to move on.
If in doubt Husquarna has one that is resonale price with the table and all for it.
Can also look on e-bay and craigs list to find a used one. I sat mine up only took about 4 hours but well worth the time and effort for it. By the way invite a friend it takes 2 to do it...Havent stopped quilting yet..
Good luck!!

the Empress is on sale here http://mosewco.com/empressquilter.aspx My daughter and I have a long arm-mostly we do our own quilts and a few customer quilts.I say go for it ir you can afford it and have the passion for it.

I would be very hesitant to rent time on it -

Do you make a lot of quilts yourself? Enough to justify the savings of having your own machine, regardless of how much work you got? If mostly you want to do your own quilts, why not reconsider improving skills for doing it on your own sewing machine? This site really inspired me in that regard: http://www.daystyledesigns.com/

Oh, and have you considered all the tax implications with having your own business like that? Maybe you can deduct some expenses, but IRS is tightening up on that stuff. It could kick you into another tax bracket and cost more than you make or save. JMHO

I bought a longarm and computer in October with the hopes of starting a business right away.I think I underestimated the time it takes to get competent enough to feel comfortable taking in customer quilts. I am just now opening my business after spending a lot of time working on charity quilts for my guild and doing projects of my own. I think if it's interesting to you, you are excited about it and have the money go for it. From my perspective, I'm glad that I don't feel that I have to take in business to make the payment. That pressure I think would force me to do things I may not be ready for.

With your purchase, just think about how much quilting space you need to do a good job on customer quilts. If you feel like you have the appropriate space and can afford it, go for it:) your insurance need would increase if you allow people to rent time on our machine but that's just something to think about, I know people that do it, but they usually have two machines and rent time on one....

Best of luck!

I am hoping to get a LA within the next couple years. I am hoping to do mainly my own quilts....think I would be worried about majorly messing up someone else's beautiful quilt! Let us know what you decide!