ckcowl

before I purchased my long arm I took a 'certification class' at a local shop where I learned all about the machine, from winding bobbins, threading, adjusting tension, quilting with it, cleaning, loading the quilt ect....once I finished my 4 hour 'certification class' I was allowed to rent time on the machine for $20 an hour. I decided to purchase my own machine and have done the same thing with people interested every since (10 years now) when someone wants to learn to use the machine and finish their own quilt they take the certification class from me (which is about 4 hours and costs $50) then they can schedule time and rent the machine to come in and do their own quilts (9 out of 10 of the people who have done this have also decided they would rather just pay me to quilt their quilts = they found it either takes too long- they realize that it takes time/practice to learn to do any custom quilting/ they find it is hard on the legs, shoulders, back/ they just decide it is worth it to them for me to do the work. once in a while one of them may have a special quilt that they really want to do themselves though- and it's $20 an hour for them to come in and do that.

watson's mom

I got a new Handi Quilter 18 and let a friend of mine try it out. Never again. She is a very experienced quilter but she started pushing all the buttons to see what it would do ( do ???). it stopped working and I was on the phone with a tech from HQ for an hour before it would work again. I saw her a week later and she had the nerve to ask if I found out what was wrong with my machine. Needless to say our friendship has cooled considerably.

Silver Needle

Nobody touches my longarm but me and my husband. Its an APQS Millenium and I don't have the time to redo the timing on it if someone messes it up. I paid a LOT for it and it will last me the rest of my life. If someone one wants it quilted they can pay me. I'm extremely reasonable on price, Buy their own machine and maintain it or learn to fmq. Sorry if this sounds harsh. But that is some hard earned cash in that machine even if it still isn't paid for.

quiltingnd

If I could afford one, I'm not sure I'd let ANYONE touch it unless it was a trusted quilting friend.

garysgal

Years ago I bought a pressure canner and used it exclusively until a friend found out I had it. She wanted to borrow it and I said ok. We "shared" it for two or three years (canning in the summer). When it came time to replace the rubber ring, etc. I asked her to share the cost and she said no, it was mine so it was my job to do any repairs, etc and pay for them. So I did, and told her to buy her own canner. After that experience, I don't loan anything unless it is to my children and I know they will help cover the cost of breakage. My mother used to say " If you can't afford to replace it, don't borrow it."

AnnieSue

You folks are thorough! I'm glad I asked for help thinking this through.
Thanks!

Annie68

Let us know what your final decision is and if it goes well or not. Good luck with your choice.

GingerK

I am on the other side of this discussion. I would love the chance the learn a bit about LA-ing. I would gladly pay that $50 for a lesson and I dearly wish there was someone in my area that offered me that opportunity. Plus, I think that type of experience would make me appreciate the effort and creativity that goes into professional quilting.

Nammie to 7

Nope, I wouldn't let anyone else use any of my machines!!

allie1448

I do rent out time on my HQ Avante but inly after the quilter has taken a two hour lesson on how to use it and how to operate safely and with care. I am around the entire time as the machine is in my home. We have a business licence and follow all local requirements for safety and business operation. Having said that I am now winding down the amount of rental hours. It consumes all of my time while the quilter is in my home, I have to pencil in a whole day as it is difficult to tell how long it willtake to quilt a quilt with the many factors involved. I have also had the problem of quilters taking my lesson because they then want to buy their own machine and as I have no affiliation with any longarm companies I lose out as I was initially depending on those taking a lesson coming bavk to rent time. i am now taking in more quilts from quilters who want me to do the work an that is a better more controlable option. But I have loved being able to see quilters complete their projects and to know how easy it can be. Just my thoughts and opinions so good luck whatever you decide