I've been thinking about what I am going to do when my last little guy is in school full time next year. It would be hard for me to have a job outside of the house due to kids and their schedules, but I will have several hours of kid free time every weekday. I'm trying to think of things I could do to generate income. Longarm quilting came to mind :) Can't imagine why ;)

If this is a business for you, or you generate income from it, how did you start?
How long have you been doing it?
How do you get clients?
Do you have enough business to keep you busy?
As busy as you'd like?

What words of advice do you have for someone thinking about doing this for income?
Do you wish you'd upgraded your machine?
Any features that your machine doesn't have that you wish it did?
Any features that your machine has that you don't use?

Sorry for all the questions, but my mind has been spinning since I handed in kindergarten registration for my son!

Do you currently have a longarm machine as they can be quite costly?

I don't have one - just kicking the idea around. I took a quilt to be quilted at the LSQ b/c it was a gift and I didn't have the time to do it, or the skill level ( I thought) When I got the quilt back I thought, Man... I could have done this, and done it better. With some practice, I think that long arm quilting is something I could be good at.

Just gathering info and stewing on the idea for a bit. I would love to be contributing to the family income. I know the start up costs would be rather high in the beginning, but if I could earn it back... it would be worth it.

Yes , you can get very busy with quilting tops for people. If you could pay cash for your machine to not have a huge note over your head you would do great . Just get into a Quilt Guild and before you know it you have sevral quilt tops to do.

I say go for it! I have tried different things over the years to generate income, and sometimes its good, and sometimes not so much. Give it a try, you will always wonder if ya don't! LOL!

If this is a business for you, or you generate income from it, how did you start? started doing quilts for a few friends,, then the word got out
How long have you been doing it? almost 6 yrs
How do you get clients? word of mouth
Do you have enough business to keep you busy? plenty
As busy as you'd like? more than enough

What words of advice do you have for someone thinking about doing this for income? do your research,,, will your area support it? how many other longarm quilters are there in your area
Do you wish you'd upgraded your machine? I just did that
Any features that your machine doesn't have that you wish it did? none.....I dont need or want the computer, I enjoy the process
Any features that your machine has that you don't use? none that I can think of

Hope this helps! You can also get a good reconditioned machine from a reputable dealer for less $ than a new one

I also check the House of Hanson (or Hansen, can't remember) website frequently for used machines. I'm still saving up to buy one--good luck if you decide to take the plunge!
Rose Hall

I think it really depends on your location and the number of quilters and long arm-ers in your area. Do some searches on this board. The cost for long arming varies by geographic area. Need to do some research and a business plan to figure out how quickly you will recoup your investment. Good luck!

You might want to check places that charge no interest if the payments are made in 4 years. I bought my Avante that way and paid it off in less than a year, no interest.

I think if you become good at it, you will get lots of business, good luck.

Hi. I have a long arm and am in business to quilt for customers. I've been doing it for about 4 years or so. I do very little advertising and my client base is pretty much word of mouth. I have a really stable group of repeat customers. And I am a little busier with it than I intended to be. Not that I'm swamped with customers. But I want to keep my business manageable to keep my turnaround time short. I like to get the quilts back to their owners in 7 days or less.
I have a Nolting 24 with a stitch regulator. The "model" is 2ISKN. I love the Nolting, but I do wish I would have upgraded to the Pro because the settings are easier to program on the Pro. I have a 12 foot table, and that is as big as I need.
Something to consider is the supply expense when you are just starting out. Don't forget that you'll need a good supply of thread (I order most of mine from Superior), batting for customers who don't bring their own, long arm needles and miscellaneous tools.
You might want to consider getting a business license from the state where you live so that you can buy your business supplies wholesale. If you pay retail for your supplies, your proffit margin will be very, very small.
The learning curve for longarm quilting can be a little steep, but it depends on the person. It does take patience to get to the level of quilting that you want to be at. But it is all learnable and doable. The big thing for me was to not be afraid of just doing it.
I hope this has answered your questions. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions or if I haven't been clear.