Originally Posted by
pumpkinpatchquilter
I don't think anyone can answer this question but you. I can tell you what I suspect though. I suspect that if you don't enjoy quilting on your domestic, you're not going to enjoy it any more on a long arm. A lot of folks have this notion that a long arm just magically makes your quilting easy and flawless. That couldn't be farther from the truth. It takes time, effort, and hours upon hours of practice and some determination to overcome the obstacles of frame quilting. The frame itself has it's own quirks, just like any sewing machine, and you have to learn those and learn how to work with them. It doesn't happen overnight. Then, tension is another thing that many folks struggle with. If you don't have the passion or interest to kind of work through those challenges, it could be very easy to walk away from it.
On the other hand you love to piece. You had the passion and motivation to work through the problems that can arise to become a good piecer. So it's kind of the same concept.
But if you're essentially asking if buying a larger bowl of spinach is going to make you love the small bowl of spinach you're not so crazy about...I would say probably not. LOL
You could always try and find a friend who has a long or mid arm and ask if they might walk you through the process...or even quilt something of your own on it. Or look online at YouTube videos. Look at not only the quilting that looks so easy peasy on video, but the loading and trouble shooting too. That might give you a more accurate idea of what you're contemplating getting yourself into.
I can tell you for me, after about eight years I began losing interest in piecing and became more of a quilter on my domestic. I was quilting intricate heirloom pieces on my little Simplicity Quilter's Classic and knew I wanted more. I finally purchased a long arm and I rarely piece now...the things I do piece are generally simple piecing with lots of negative space for intricate quilting. I feel like I discovered my true passion in the quilting process and it began on the domestic...
Thank you for stating this so well. I was thinking the same thing, that a buying a long-arm is not a magic bullet and still takes lots of practice and learning. So glad that it worked out so well for you and you found your groove". Sometimes I think while wrestling my quilts through my DMS that I should at least try renting time on a long-arm, but in realty, I know at this point in my life, I'm just not up for re-learning a method for quilting. I do FMQ and when I finish a quilt I'm very happy that I've done the whole thing myself. I'm not a perfectionist and I think that helps in the learning process. But I take my time and some of them really make me feel happy to look at when completed!