Quilters vs. piecers

[Ritathequilter]

Hi

I'm also a piecer before a longarmer....and will always be so. I have around 100 of my own tops to be quilted and that was the reason I bought the longarm. I'm going to do a little for friends, but mostly I bought the machine for myself. I've had a couple quilts completed by other longarmers and paid nearly $200. each for, both were freehand loopdeloops, so I figure I've paid for the machine just by buying the machine and doing my own quilting. You could say I'll be my own best customer. :^)

Rita

[Grammie]

Wow Judy what a great question. I love to piece. I also find it soothing. Like others I too have not had the time to piece since my Longarm purchase in Nov 2005. I have been evaluating my time so that I can indeed make more time to piece. One issue is the space I am quilting in at this time. It is alittle tight as my enlarged space isn't ready. I am averaging 2 to 3 quilts a week. Due to a demanding 12 hour shift I haven't quilted in 12 days. YUKKK I have 8 quilts awaiting my days off and my customers have been very patience and understanding. They know I work and still entrust their quilts to me. I'm very blessed. The good thing is my Husband is beginning to realize that I can make money doing this and he sees how happy I am when I am quilting and even talking about quilting. He wants me to succeed. That's a big help. My problem is I love working with fabric in alot of different ways. I love art quilts and Absolutely LOVE Trapunto. I can see that to make time for my own quilts I will have to reduce the quilts I take in. When it get down to saying no I have a hard time. lol I see the quilt top and wonder what can I do to this top to make it beautiful and well you know what I mean.

Have a good day everyone. Happy quilting time.

[Calicoquilter]

Hi, I was and still am a piecer. I have hand-quilted whole tops, machine quilted them and sent them out to longarmers. I got my Liberty because LIFE IS TOO SHORT! I don't have time to hand quilt anymore and you are at someone else's mercy when you send them out. I was always pleased with the work that was done by others but I like to have control over my time and my work. I work full time, have two kids and volunteer in several different activities. I need to make the best use of my time. I do not quilt for others (yet). But I am still a newbie and I also don't have the time to take in other peoples quilts. Maybe next year when both of my kids will be in college.

[artinfabric]

I was a piecer before starting my longarm buisness. I love to piece. mostly went into longarm quilting because I wanted to do my own quilts and found I had a real love for the creativity of longarm quilting.

[BethDurand]

I started out as a garment maker about 16 years ago when I got my first sewing machine for a birthday gift. Started really quilting about 7 years ago, having made 2 quilts before that. What a fool! The first was queen size, and the second was king! I didn't have a clue as to how to quilt it, but got it done on my DSM. I took several machine quilting classes, and now will start teaching them at the local quilt shop. My millenium, arrives on the 6th of April, and I can hardly wait! I never sent my tops out, just did them on my regular machine. I am getting too tired and too out of shape to be crawling around the dining room floor pinning quilt tops anymore. I love all aspects of sewing and quilting. Having my friends ask "You made that?!" in astonishment, really makes me feel happy. Being able to share in the joy of bringing someone else's quilts to life is going to be a new and exciting part of my life. Thanks for all the info. on this site, and all the support. Even though "Esther Pearl" hasn't arrived yet, I feel like you are all friends already.

Thanks!

[Guest LA]

Hi Beth!

I have no doubts that you & "Esther Pearl" will bond as one!

I love every aspect of quilting, & I know that you will be swept up with the passion of quilting as well!

Give me a hollar when your "girl" is delivered with questions or just sharing in your joy!

Let me know when you want to come down to the show room for your classes etc.

Happy Quilting!

Linda

[Mary Beth]

Wheezer had a great question...Why do machine quilters take on more quilts when they know they can't get to them for several months?? Or a year? There are several quilter's around here that take quilts and keep them for a year, it is not unusual. However, I find that pitiful. I have had customer tell me that they have had quilts at some local LA'ers for a year. Then I attend our machine quilter's guild and see those same LA'ers volunteering for every opening the guild has for a volunteer. I don't get it. If they have so much business at home, why are they volunteering to do these jobs. Then there are people like me with 4 customer quilts at present and no prospects on the horizon. I just don't get it.

[Grammie]

Mary Beth I think you hit on a good point. I personally do not wish to take on quilts that would commit me for a full year. I would rather keep a limit on how many I have at any time. I do not mind that I'm not sure what will come up next. I see the same thing at our Guild but I am new and haven't made any public announcements that I'm a longarmer. I go to enjoy being with other quilters and I thought I could make time to piece this way. Eventually the word will get out and I'll take it in stride. I'm wanting to start my Own Bee hoping to bring in a younger generation of quilters but I'm still doing some homework on that one. If I had another Longarmer to recommend I would be happy to do so if I were having to turn down a quilt top due to demand. That is what makes quilters just alittle more special than most. Our ability to encourage each other to succeed.

[sspingler]

I hand quilted as a business for over 20 years then I found a longarmer. Old nasty lady but fabulous quilter. She seemed to take delight in telling me I wasn't a "real quilter" so after I came home in tears, I told my husband that I was buying a machine.

What I leaned was treat people with respect.

[Mary Beth]

Grammie,

I hope you do start a Bee to encourage young women. I have 2 single sons and I try to encourage their girlfriends to quilt. My daughter-in-law has 3 little ones so it would be hard for her right now, but she is next on my list. And my daughter shows a slight interest, but hasn't made it to the pattern books just yet. We started a group at church and had mostly late 20 year olds which was very exciting to me. It seems most young women are more interested in scrapbooking.

Thank you for your words of encouragment regarding work load. I didn't make my comments to be offensive and usually think after I type/speak. I tend to be straight forward. Our machine quilters guild president stated that if you have an over abundance of quilting, refer your customer to another quilter. She told them that they probably wouldn't lose a customer, because she would appreciate not having her quilt out for a year. It all sounded good, but in reality I think it is just like any other business, you just don't want to turn away customers.

[ConnieW]

Judy,

Since you & I are friends IRL, you already know most of what I'll write. I was a piecer first and did only a bit of my own hand-quilting. I soon decided I could make more quilts if I hired a longarm quilter so I did (including you). I do refer to those quilts at times when I quilt. The reason I bought my Millie was so that I can make as many quilts as I want. The waiting list for longarmers in my area was approximately 8 months at best. I do quilting part-time for customers and I am as busy as I care to be for now. I find that I don't have as much time for my own quilts as I thought I would, but that's because I am not disciplined enough, so I'm working on that!

Connie W