quiltingshorttimer

I'd also add that I agree with Feline that the future of professional LAQ seems little uncertain to me due to the growth of quilters using mid-arm, sit-down, embroidery machines and now with the rulers/feet for DSM, seems more and more are doing their own work--especially on items smaller than a queen size quilt.

grann of 6

I find this conversation very interesting. I have a HQ Avante with an upgraded computer in the last 2 months. I mostly quilt for myself and some friends, but occasionally quilt for hire. I am terrible at the hand guided, or FMQ, or whatever you want to call it. My practicing seems to get worse instead of better, so I stick with the computer guided designs. It takes time to learn the computer, but I love it now. The few "customers" I have seem more interested in price than design, and I am not doing it to get rich, or even pay for the machine. So I will pretty much stick with the computer, and hope to eventually get better at the hand guided designs. Personally, I don't like quilting that it close together, and neither do the people I quilt for. They are beautiful to look at, but I use my quilts on my beds and like the soft crinkly look they acquire after washing. I will never be entering shows with my quilts, so perfection isn't even in my vocabulary, just the fact that I love what I am doing and the way I am doing it.

Snooze2978

You'll need to check with each robotic system company to see if their system can be installed on your Gammill as you mentioned its older. You may need to upgrade your machine/frame to accept the robotics. See if you can try out each robotic system to see how you like it, compare the prices for what you get with each system and how easy it would be to go from FM to robotics. I started out with PCQ, then retrofitted PCQ (MQR), upgraded to the more powerful MQR and then changed over to IQ. I have an Innova machine and not a gammill though. I wouldn't suggest the PCQ or MQR for your Gammill though as I don't even know if they make a powerful enough one for the Gammill due to the weight. The MQR has lost its support it seems and that's the reason why I changed out. I'm very happy with the IQ and its very simple to go from FM to robotics with just a push of a button on the tablet which is installed on top of your machine and out of your way. The Statler screen, if I'm not mistaken, is installed at one end of your frame. If you can find someone that is willing to allow you to test out each system beforehand, you might be surprised which one you'll pick. Also price would be a big factor too I'm sure. Just my take on this subject. Also suport to me is a big factor.

donna13350

I have a qbot, and just love it! There are tons of tutorials on youtube, to give you an idea. The guy that makes the software has a bernina he uses in his videos. They just came out with an upgrade that I'm wild about! It's called the V3 pro...(tut on you tube, also)...among the millions of other things, it can follow a wonky border if you have a customer quilt that is not straight. I find it very user friendly. There is a website and a forum, also.

QuiltBaer

I live in a small town south of you in WV. Most everyone here charges 2 cents per square inch for edge to edge. For custom we pay 4 or 5 cents. It’s pricey but not all quilts need custom. There are several machine quilters to choose from. One of them is an Intelliquilter dealer.

e4

Sorry I can’t answer your question directly, but I can say you are right to step back and get your emotions under control before you make any decision. I don’t quilt for others - only myself. I run a business that helps companies understand how to create better products that people want. I can argue vehemently that there is equal beauty and equal skill in high quality hand quilting, freehand LA, and machine-guided LA quilting. If you don’t believe that and your customer obviously do, then don’t do machine-guided LA quilting, but don’t get upset when others don’t care. People make quilt tops because they love it. If they didn’t they could go to the store and buy cheap quilts made in China. Some of them are quite lovely to look at. Does it matter to most people that you hand guided the design on their quilt? Not if you can’t give them the pattern and precision they wanted - they will go to someone who can give them that. Or they will want to pay less because it is not what they wanted. You are the service, they are the customer. If you don’t want to provide the service they want, you will go out of business. I know this sounds harsh (tough love) and am not blaming you for feeling the way you do, but don’t expect others to feel the same way and look down on them when they don’t have the same feeling you do. You clearly understand this, but are struggling with the realities of what it means to your business. Step back and decide what you want to do - fewer quilts with hand+guided work or more quilts with robotics with some hand-guided as needed. You have to enjoy your work AND make a living at it.