RAChhap

I didn't see that anyone mentioned anything about the warranty on your machine. I don't know about long arms but most home machines are intended for home use by the individual, not for a business. One more thing you might want to check on.

JustAbitCrazy

When I got my longarm, some of my quilter friends kind of expected me to allow them to rent time on it, and immediately tossed around "$10 an hour" to me, very excitedly. I truthfully told them at that point I knew so little that I was terrified I would break something on my machine and be unable to fix it, let alone to have to try and fix a problem someone else might cause with it! I said I was fortunate to have found a used machine I could afford, but if it became ruined, I would never be able to afford to replace it, and asked if a "renter" destroyed it, were they going to be able to replace it for me? I think not. If they could afford to replace your machine when they broke it, they'd already have one of their own, right? Their expectations really stunned me, though. I thought to myself, "If you and your husband bought a great big boat (truck, etc.), what would you think if I (and all the others) immediately just expected you to hand it over to us to play with for $10 an hour?" Same thing. And now, 7 years later, I am so glad I didn't allow others to rent my machine. There is wear and tear, there are parts to replace, switches which are best pushed gingerly, down time while you fiddle with tension, motherboards which go bad, etc. etc. Someone who simply rents the machine doesn't have the huge investment in it you do, and isn't going to take care to operate it in the manner it should be operated, nor are they going to be tolerant when the machine has "issues" and hissy fits. It would be your fault. Period. JMHO

red-warrior

My quilt shop rents the machines for $18 per hour. They require you have a beginner course there and they do have
one of the girls in the room to help and make sure there are no problems. I have done one additional quilt (my 2nd)
without any problems. Another woman who took the beginner class with me was there with a queen size that came out
well.

Annaquilts

Yes this! Even then some people are rough or destructive. I have a long arm but I do not let anyone play on it but my 16 yr old DD who also took 3 days worth of classes on how to use the machine.

My time

Our local quilt shop rents out their LA machine. 1.You must take the course to get certification. They charge $100 for the certification course. Then you can rent the machine for $20/hr or $100/day. I have wanted to use a longarm machine every since I saw them being used many moons ago. I know there are many.many talent people who could do a wonderful job for me, and have hired these talented people with great success. My point is I would just like to do it myself. Imperfections and all, and I don't think I'm alone in this. So I would rent your machine.
Here is a thought. Can you get some kind of insurance on your machine? Maybe have people sign a waver? Good luck to you.

charsuewilson

Another consideration is how capable you are of fixing the machine. Your LQS probably has a repair person on staff or someone who is available to them any time they call. So, even if a problem arises, the LQS won't have much down time for their machine. At an absolute minimum, you'd want to be able to reset the timing.

LynnVT

Really glad I found this! I have been thinking about doing this since I got my Sweet 16, but have had many of the concerns expressed here, especially the liability and tax concerns. I still don't feel competent enough to quilt someone else's quilts, so it's just my own use. I am making a baby quilt for a friend who wants to pay me. She bought the fabric, which we picked out together. I designed it to fit what the new mom likes, but I have no idea what to charge for the labor. I'm keeping track of my time and right now am waiting for the batting to arrive from JoAnn's online sale before I can quilt it. But let someone else touch my Sweetie? Not so sure I want to do that.