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Hello Everyone,

I am new to the board but not new to quilting. Have been quilting for years but never took any classes. I am self taught with books and just having fun playing with my sewing machine.

I am really interested in starting my own quilting business and have been doing a lot of research. I have info on 5 different long arm machines and keep coming back to the APQS Milli. Has anyone else started with a different brand then went to APQS?

Thats just the 1st ?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Char

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Char, My partner and I started longarm quilting with another machine. When we decided to upgrade we did extensive research and discovered that APQS is by far the best on the market, not only for the construction of the machine itself but for the service that follows. That after market service is to me extremely important. We owned our Millennium for a few years and love it so much we became APQS dealers so we can share this great quilting machine with others. We now also own the Liberty and Freedom. I will be more than happy to share my experiences and thoughts with you about the Millennium either through here or phone/email. You won't regret the decision to own an APQS machine.

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Hi Char!

I just purchased an APQS MIllie at MQS in Kansas City this past spring.

I spent ALOT of time going from each and every one of the different machines brands. I zeroed in on the Millie because of the lightweight design and ease of movement across the quilt. (I've had carpal tunnel surgery and all the other machines vibrated and hurt my hands)

After deciding on the Millie, I zeroed in on poor Cheryl and asked her about a million questions. (Thanks Cheryl!)

This decision was huge for me. First off, it's a big committment. Second, the friend whom I'd attended this show with is a Gammil user/salesperson. We also have a Gammil dealer who comes thru town who will stop in a check out any problems as well.

I absolutely love my machine. Not only is the design lightweight, but I love the stitch quality, motorized feed and table design. My fears about service were put to rest when I had a small problem with the machine. I called and all my questions were answered and I was walked thru easily adjusting it.

(okay....so in the back of my head I was thinking that "great, I'm already having problems.....until I talked to my Gammil friend and she said that her machine still has this same little glitch)

At any rate I felt as if a saftey net had just been placed under me.

I say GO FOR IT!

:D

tammy

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OH! and I forgot to mention.............

That safety net included a great day instruction which answered a whole bunch of more questions and opened up a whole new world! (Thanks Myrna!)

AND......I was given phone numbers to call with ANY questions pertaining to the quilting process.

tammy

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Hi Char,

Welcome to the board. APQS machines are as good as the info states and better. If you have an opportunity to try one out you should. We actually have a rep in Elkhorn, Wisconsin I don't know if that is close to you if not it's well worth the road trip.

Her name is Sue Schmieden (262) 723-6775 wedoquilting@elknet.net www.longarmconnection.com Sue is a great gal and has a wonderful set up there. She holds a lot of workshops and retreats for longarmer and has a wonderful place for you to demo the our machnies.

I quilted on another brand of machine for 4 years. I out grew my machine and wanted a new one with a stitch regulator . I had looked at another brand one year at MQS. Thought about it in the back of my mind all year. Went back and tryed it again the next year and was so disappointed in that machine. So out of curiosity I thought I would try a Millie. Never thinking I would be interested in one. It was love at first touch. I knew I had found my machine. I bought one that day and have never looked back. I am now a rep for the company. What you get for your money is beyond just buying a machine. As a company we are always there to help you or answer any question, anytime. We have a great machine on top of that. In the long run the prices are pretty much the same across the board when you look at the features of all machines. We have some things that can come off and be added later if that's what you need to do to get you in the machine that you really want. Buying a machine is a big deal not to mention a lot of money. You should get what feels right from the beginning. If you are buying a house and everything is good but the kitchen is too small . You will use it everyday but it's still too small and you will never grow to like better.

If you have question please give me a call I would be happy to answer and help in any way I can. Best wishes for your new business and with your decision no matter which way you go. Quilting is such a passion and it will grow everyday.

Myrna

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I started with another LA machine. Had it for 2 years before my Millie. It was twice the weight (100 lbs.), had timing issues, un-reliable stitch regulator, vibration issues and leaked oil.

Wish I would have had my Millie first. Now I really appreciate the fine quality of APQS! Love the customer care and the family I have found with them. Among many, many more great qualities!

Welcome to Longarm Quilting!

Cheryl

PS. Hi Tammy! I love to answer questions, no problem!!

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Other than Tamela, it appears your other 2 previous responses are dealers so, beware - obviously they want to sale a machine. I, too, recently purchased an APQS machine. Are you planning to purchase the machine for just your own personal use or, for a business? I did lots of research into machines and my market before I bought my machine and yes, APQS seems to be a good machine but, I currently am having buyers remorse. I was working full time outside of my home but, didn't have enough time to spend practicing with my new machine because evenings and weekends involve other family activities. So, I've now gone part-time. I've been practicing on charity quilts all this week but, don't feel as if I'll ever get to the point where I feel confident enough in myself to actually do other's quilts. With time, it will probably come but, that doesn't help pay the bills including quilting bills - fabric, thread & batting. So, I personally would highly recommend you spend the money and time and go somewhere and take a beginners class for a day to really get some hands on time with a machine. I'm wishing I had. Sorry to perhaps be so discouraging but, it seems like all of the responses are always so positive and upbeat and I just can't believe I'm the only one who has felt this way as a beginner.

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Dear StitchinSally,

:oI can certainly understand what you are feeling right now!

I also went thru a period of buyers remorse!

Let's face it.........it's a big machine and can be scary as well.

AND I had my sweet husband asking me when we were going to start seeing a return on this investment!

I had to watch the video on simply LOADING the quilt about the

first 4 times I put a quilt on the machine. Then there are all of those colored buttons! Which one to push for what? And Thread tension....what do I do about that?

There is a learning curve to almost anything new you get whether its a longarm, new sewing machine or even a VCR. (I STILL don't know how to program the VCR and everybody else already has moved on to DVD's!)

It just takes practice............lots and lots of it. And looking at other people's quilts and paying attention to how they have quilted it and trying it out for yourself. Even then you won't feel ready to take on that first customer quilt......you just have to jump in and do it!

It is true that the last two responses are ladies who are involved with APQS. :cool: Cheryl sold me my machine and Myrna gave me my free instructional class. Never once did I EVER feel any pressure to buy.

AND How cool is it that they are on these boards and are willing to answer questions!

Don't give up..............I think that everyone has had to have felt this way at the beginning. Keep on quilting everyday and soon you'll feel more confident.

tammy

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I am not a dealer and do not have any financial interest in APQS or any other brand. I did start off with another brand of machine, now own a Millennium and couldn't be happier with my machine or with APQS.

We are pretty frugal (maybe one-half of the "we" is more frugal than the other half!;)) and even though I was leaning towards an APQS when I bought my first machine, we went with a used, older model machine (not APQS) because I wasn't sure I'd like machine quilting and I wasn't sure there'd be enough business to make spending the money worthwhile.

I used the machine for two years and then I knew there was enough business to justify the cost and I knew I loved machine quilting. So, we again were doing research. My husband is an engineer and he had to know things about the machine that most of us don't even care about. I wanted an APQS but I was basing my decision on recommendations of other quilters whom I trusted. DH did all the research and decided APQS was the best machine for us so that's what we got.

I have never been sorry! We bought the Ult. I and after several years upgraded to the Millennium. Can't remember if I bought the first APQS in 2000 or 2001.

I think some of those suffering buyer's remorse (not saying all!) is because some go into this thinking it's a quick and/or easy way to make $$. It is NOT! As with any business, it takes time to build up clientele but before you can even start to establish your reputation, you have to learn to use the machine. This isn't just "quilting". It takes lots and lots of practice.

Then once you feel you are ready to take on clients, you have to attract them. That isn't always easy . . especially if you are in an area where there are lots of longarmers or where the wages are low or the unemployment is high. Quilting is not something people cannot live without and when funds are tight, for the most part, people are not going to be paying $200 - $300 or more to have tops quilted.

This may sound harsh but it's what I would want someone to tell me if I were asking: If you NEED a steady income, this may not be the profession for you. I honestly earn more than I had expected to earn but if I were supporting myself or if my family was counting on my income to pay the bills, I'd probably have to get an outside the home job.

But, if you want to supplement your family's income and have spending money, associate with quilters all day, travel to quilt shows and classes (as a deductible expense) and have FUN, then longarming is great.

I would never want to discourage anyone from doing this but if your expectations exceed what can be reasonably accomplished, you're setting yourself up for a disappointment before you ever start.

I am sure there are some machine quilters who are supporting themselves doing longarm quilting but I would be surprised if it was a large percentage of us.

Good luck to any of you thinking about getting a longarm. I wish for all of you that you have as much fun and enjoy your longarming career as much as I do.

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StitchingSally,

I have been a longarm quilter for almost 6 years now and longarm dealer for about 4 years, and can tell you from my own personal experience that- No!! You are not the only one who goes through a time of wondering whether you made the right decision to spend hard-earned money on a longarm.

It *is* a scary thing to fork out the big $$$ on a machine that you have no experience with. I went through the exact same feelings when I bought my first longarm. I felt as if I was left all alone with a big demon machine that I took out a loan to pay for, and back then... I really was all by myself! (This was "back in the day" -before there was all the longarm help and advice available on the internet)

It took me two weeks to figure out how to run cotton thread on my first machine! <LOL!!> Simply because no one told me that I could turn the tension knob a full turn at a time!! I was turning it at the same tiny increments I adjusted my home machine with... and it literally took 2 weeks before I got the tesion right!! <LOL!!> It seems so funny now, all those tears I shed, but at the time, I was completely overwhelmed!

My saving grace was that I made the effort to seek help from some of the best longarmers out there *after* I finally realized that I really needed someone to help guide me through the learning process. I still credit these teachers at every class I give (Darlene Epp, Cathy Franks, and so on!) for giving me a new longarm outlook and the confidence I lacked in the beginning of my longarm adventure.

Please consider taking some time to get with an experienced longarm teacher and learn the techniques and methods of longarm quilting. You will see that longarming is not nearly as intimidating, once you have had someone show you some tricks of the trade. Practice time is very important too, but having someone to "coach" you and give you the confidence is what really makes the BIG difference in your longarm quilting quality.

Now, look at me..... I was able to quit a very well paying (but totally stressful) corporate job and work from home in my p-jammies doing what I love to do!! My kids love that I can schedule time to be there for the important things in their lives, and I have finally found a career that is extremely satisfying. I absolutely LOVE what I do for a living now!!!

HOWEVER, I do completely agree with Judy L., that this is not a career which you can be immediately successful in- without putting in the time to practice, learn, and practice some more! I would not suggest this career choice to anyone that needs to have immediate income from their business... as this is probably not going to happen. You do have to invest the time and effort to get where you want to be!

I am still so very thankful to all of the people who held my hand along the way!!!:);)

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What an inspiring letter, Tina. I especially relate to being able to "be there" for the family. I stayed at home with the kids for 15 years then got back into a routine of work by taking on a couple of low-paying menial jobs...getting back into office work after so long would have taken a bit of schooling first, so this seemed the thing to do.

Well, by a series of fortunate events, I found myself in a career where my 25 years of quilting counts big time, I get to meet wonderful people and play with their lovely quilts. The down side to this is being inspired to make some of these quilts and have no time to follow through!!!:o

I must say, I am still a little concerned that I have hardly payed any of my Liberty down yet. :( I have had good success in getting my name around and have pretty steady quilts coming in. I have to trust that one day I'll start to see the debt shrink.

On a better note...I know that I have truly found my niche, other than a wife and mother, THIS is why I am here and this is what all my experience has led me to....love it!!!

(Saw my first snowflakes of the season today....time for the quilters to get real serious into their projects!!!)

Sandra :P

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Wow!

You all are awesome!

I thought I was the only one who says it like it is and right to the point.

I agree with the practicing a lot.

Thanks Myrna for telling me about the dealer in Elkhorn, I just looked at the map and its only about a 2 1/2 hour road trip. Sounds like a good day trip to plan and get away from the boys!

I know that getting a long arm machine and one day turning into a business is going to take time and practice. Some info about me and my family.

We, my husband Keith and I, are a treatment foster care home that work with the worst of the kids. We are the last stop before resedential or juvinal jail. Plus, we also do Adult Foster Care, we have a 76 yr old lady that lives with us 24/7. I am not looking for a quick income, maybe some day! I would like to have a business and do something with my time that I really enjoy.

At this time we have 2 foster boys (12 & 15) and our bio son (12), the 12 yr old foster son we are going to be adopting and also another boy (10) that we are working on as a preadoptive placement with us.

I do have time to practice and I thought quilting would be a good way to get out and meet new people and interact with more adults then just my kids. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys! This house is never boring!

My husband Keith is a local truck driver, so he is home every night and weekends. This is my life in a nut shell, I turned 40 this year (very proud of it) decided that I give everything to my family and now I want to do something for me! Keith is right behind me on this.

All week I have done some research in about a 50 mile radius of our place and there are only 4 other people who do long arm quilting. The two to the south (45 min drive), one of the ladies has a 1 1/2 to 2 yr waiting list, the other just does it for people she knows (very part-time) The two to the north(45 min drive)

one lady isn't taking in any more quilts until after March of next year, the other has time to take in quilts but said it takes her about 3 to 4 weeks to complete a queen size quilt. Not real sure why was afraid to ask. So I feel I have a chance to get something started here in the next year or so.

Oh the one lady to the north said that she charges extra to use the laser light. I was really confused on this, maybe someone might be able to explain this. Do you all have a totally seperate room that you can shut the door on where you do the quilting.

Thanks for making me feel so welcome to the board

Char

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Hi Char, Kathy and I just returned from a cruise to panama and other ports in the western Caribbean which was lovely. We are no dealers either but couldn't not have done it without our Millennium subsidizing. After I retired from the steel mill, Kathy wanted to own her own machine because it was too expensive to take all the quilts that she made to other quilters.

We purchased a Short Arm machine which was only $4000 and she gave it a try. Nothing but problems since none of us had any experience with quilting. I am the mechanical inclined person around here and can do any thing. I started to adjust fix and modify the quilter for her. Next I did the practicing to make sure it worked. Then Kathy got a part time job and had little time to practice and quilt.:(

So while I fixed, adjusted and practiced I became fairly good with the machine and started to do the quilting. At first it was only pantographs( Edge To Edge ...E2E) and they were all done with the laser light( actually it's a laser pointer that is mounted on the machine to follow the pantograph lines) Not sure why the quilter near you would charge more for that.

After 2 years, I needed a bigger machine with more throat space and we went to all larger Quilt shows and got hands on time with all other brands of Long Arm machines.

I agree with everything that has been posted here and have little to add but my reasons in addition to good service from APQS are that the Millennium was so easy to adjust there are less things to screw up, very few complaints and problem reports from other quilters. We purchased the 14' table but would probably be happier with the 12' table.

So the year Kathy went to Paducah with her friend we had all the homework done and when she got a good deal from Mark at the APQS booth it was an instant sale. Probably the easiest one he made VBG.

I have operated the millennium for over 3 years now with hardly any problem at all. The machines have been improved since then and I installed most upgrades to our machine. Unfortunately I have not been able to do them all because the machine is never sitting idle long enough to do them.

Now we have the best of both going, Kathy still loves to work a couple of days at Joann's and has time to spare to make as many quilts as she likes. On top of that she has her own in-house quilter to finish them . And I have plenty to do in my retirement. We have kids and grand kids in WA, IN and FL and my sister in Germany, so whenever we can we go to visit them for a while, think that my sister is the next one to see. :cool:

As far as quilting, I do mostly E2E quilting because it is fast, a queen will no take more than 2 days and I don't work on it steady, I do many other things during the day.

Custom takes a lot longer and ties the machine up for a week ore more unless you install zippers on your leaders.

You can see some of my work on webshots. I hope that you will pick the Millennium too but picking the right machine is a personal preference. If you go to other quilt boards, you will find that most other quilters are happy with their pick no matter what brand it is.

Good luck in making your selection, Jurgen

http://community.webshots.com/user/hoosierquilts

:)

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Hi Char.

Thank you for tell us about yourself and your family. You and your husband have hugh hearts. You have a very tuff job, and it takes a very special person to do it, bless you all.

It sounds like you are going into the quilting world with your eyes open. I for one thing you will be great at it. I'm not telling you that just because I'm a dealer.

I tell everyone (students or someone looking to buy a machine) that you don't have to worry about who is quilting up the road from from you. You do your own thing and develope your on style and your customer base builds on that. Just as in any job when dealing with the public. You earn the trust of your clients and they spread the word. I would never tell onyone that they will get rich quilting. I know I won't because I just love to spend money;) and my quilting keep up with it most of the time. By the way I do quilt for customer as well. I have been quilting professionally for 6 years. With a little confidence in yourself, give yourself permission to try new things and learn you will find it is much easier than you think. Yes, it is scary looking at all those buttons and the sound of the motor and how fast it sews. Oh my gosh do you remember the first time you drove a car, or the first time you used a computer. YIKES. I still have a hard time with that and I still can't use the remotes for our TV. What happend to on and off! Everyone has a learning curve, some more than others. Keep an open mind, take classes. buy books, look at others work, get out and make friends in the longarm world. Even those close to you. We all have a lot to share with each other and we all benifit.

Do go see Sue and try out the machines even if you go with another brand. She is a great and close source for education for you. And alwasy feel free to ask us questions.

Myrna

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Guest Linda S

Hi All - I think we have all been at the point where we thought, "what have I done?" or "Will I ever be good enough?" I taught myself how to piece, later getting instruction from watching Simply Quilts and reading some books, so I really thought that I wouldn't have much trouble learning to use a quilting machine. Well - I have to tell you -- you cannot beat the value of taking a class from an experienced longarm quilter. Over the past year I have invested in traveling to shows and taking classes from wonderful people: Dawn Cavanaugh, Linda Mae Diny, Nichole Webb, Jamie Walen, Sherry Rogers-Harrison, Dianna Phillips, Jessica Schick, Karen McTavish, Kim Brunner, Renae Haddadin, and Linda Taylor (and a few others I can't remember right now). In those classes I not only learned new and wonderful techniques, but I learned that I am capable of doing a lot more than I thought I could. I come home with class samples I have done and think, WOW, I did that? :) Then I put a practice piece on and realize, WOW, I CAN DO THIS!!! :D Sometimes you just have to step outside your comfort zone to find that you are a much better quilter than you thought. One of the most valuable lessons I had was not from a real class, but from watching an experienced quilter work on a customer quilt. Don't be afraid of that machine. APQS makes the best stitch regulator on the market (my opinion and, I think, that of many other quilters). The machines are lightweight and easy to move, which is important when you're working on a big quilt. You should probably always try as many as you can to find what is comfortable for you, but I have never regretted for a minute that I bought my Liberty. I LOVE MY MACHINE AND APQS!

Linda

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Hi there

for what it is worth (which is a LOT in my book) my husband is a mechanical engineer who designs machines that are the size of small homes. When I went to the APQS information "show" in Charlotte this summer on a friday, I was so impressed that I took him back with me the next day----well, he was so impressed that he stayed for the entire presentation and told me to NOT even think about it ---to just buy the Millie. I have since gone to IA for training and that was top shelf as well----a VERY professional company from start to finish and the customer service is the best.

As of yet I have not had my first customer, but am practicing and having a ball! I highly recommend the McTavishing book once you have had some practice under your belt as well as the 3 books that APQS will sell you on doing freehand meandering, fillers and borders. BUT the ultimate best to get started on (in my humble opinion) is the CD that Sharon Schamber sells called "no Marking Machine Quilting"----it is shown on a home sewing machine but is easily adapted to the LA's.

I have a room set up in my home where I have my 2 sewing machines on one wall and the Millie takes up the rest of the space---the dining room is right off of this room (it was the formal living room once upon a time) so I have the table where I can have my ironing board (I made from instructions from the Sharon Schamber Piecelique CD) my rotary cutter and/or my light box! Heaven---I'm in heaven!

Dianne Minckler

Lone Wolf Quilting

Rock Hill, SC

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It sounds like we have all been at the same level of frustration at some point in our quilting careers! It seems to happen when you buy your first machine, when you first start quilting, when you have been quilting for some time, and again when you find out you have purchased the wrong machine for you and that what you have just won't keep up with the skills you have developed without a lot of frustrating headaches!

I am not exactly sure where you are located, but we would love to have you come visit our studio in Lee's Summit, Mo (a suburb of Kansas City, Mo) where we have 3 of the 4 modes currently available from APQS. We have the Millinnium, Freedom, and Liberty. Just be sure to give us a call or email first to be sure we don't have a quilt on every machine!:D

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Hi Char,

This is my story how I got a Millie. I live in Switzerland and over here there a not so big shows like eg. in Houston (The one in France I learned after I had the Millie). Well, there was a small fair at Lake Constance and I oversaw that LA Machine! My friend who accompanied me, told me to quit my job and start to do LA. That is just THAT what I have to do. Well, I had no glue what she was talking about. I found the LA and had a long nice talk with Sue and Phil (pitty we could not meet in Wiesbaden last weekend). I have not had hands on that machine for a testdrive. But I liked the design. I forgot about that machine and two or three nights later I woke up and had the LA on my mind.

Ok, I said, might be worth a second thought and some research on the net. The research on the net gave poor results, due to the fact that the homepage of several brands did not work or have not been updated for a long time. In modern times not a good sign for reputation as I see it. I wrote to four companies to receive their information package. Two companies replied!

Being overhere I learned to make my decision on the material I receive. One brand had a DVD with nice music and showing their machine, but most of the DVD all the goodies and additional bells and whistles where shown. The papers included in that package, well, they were the copy of a copy of a copy and so on. All in all it looked quite old fashion and nothing personalized. The othe information package I received also included a DVD and personalized letter (even if it is a standard letter, my name stood in the top line) and a lot of good fact sheets about their models. Their web page was up to date and they had established a chat. Well, really a better start to convience me.

Then I got the information that this company will have a grand opening at Krefeld in Germany. Not to bad only an 8hours ride with the train.(??? crazy ???). I attended that opening two days, and had the luck to talk to Myrna and Sherry. To see how they played with the machines. I had only hands on the Liberty and purchased a Millenium :):):)

That time I was not sure whether to start my on LA business or not as I am not really a piecer nor was I a quilter.

Now I am a happy LAer.

My millie arrived and the sewing head was damaged. Now, being afraid of that BIG machine can you imagine how I felt when I realized that the sewing head was damaged? What would it cost to ship it back? How would the team of APQS react? What, how, why ?????? A very disencouraged, disappointed Andrea was sitting next to her machine. Well, I wrote one email to Jim Langland, got a phonecall from Claudia and Sue and 12 days later I had a new sewing had. They even arranged for the pickup with the carrier. (well to do everything correct on my side I need 2 or 3 more emails).

THAT is service!

It started with the design of the complete machine, their website, continued with the information package and then their reps. I had the fortune to meet in Krefeld!

I can not belive how much luck I had.

Belive me, I have no longing for touching / testdriving any other brand.

Setting up the machine all by myself (no talk-in by hubby) gave me even more confidence that I can dance with my Millie as Myrna and Sherry told me I can do.

All the advice I read here and I received makes me proud to be a member of APQS family.

Char, you won't regret it when choosing a model from APQS.

Sorry this was long, but I need to tell it.

Now, I will go and practice some more feathers, I like them ;)

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Hi Char

Good luck with your choice of machine. I hope you choose APQS because I am very sure you will enjoy a high level of after sales service (if you need it), and a quality built machine that will give you hours and hours of quilting pleasure.

Before we were APQS reps we chose our APQS Ult 1 because it was a leader in its field and still is. You often hear people with other brands of machine say they can't do stitch in the ditch, and how many quilts need stitch in the ditch, we can do it easily with our horizontal wheel alignment and adjustable "feel" wheels. Our stitch quality is the best no matter what type of thread you use due to the machine being belt and gear driven. A few years after we purchased our first machine "magic Mike Moore" developed the APQS stitch regulator and it is unique in the field of longarm quilting. Other machines have stitch regulators but ours is so precise, one stitch into a point and one out, unlike other machines that have a few tiny stitches into the point and you can move the machine as fast or as slow as you like and still have consistent stitch length.

Should you need to replace any parts there is a 3 years warranty and the majority of parts are the kind where you unplug the old and plug in the new - no technical skills or special tools required so you dont have to waste time or money waiting for a repair man to call .

I am sure you will enjoy your APQS machine should you choose to purchase one.

Best wishes

Sue in Australia

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Hi stitchinsally

I'm sure all of us felt overwhelmed and excited and had high hopes for what we would achieve when we purchased our first longarm machine - I know I did.

I think you are being a little hard on yourself because reading from your email you work full-time outside the home and inside and now you are trying to do this other part-time job!

Think about your full-time job - did you get any training for it? How much? When you were training did you get interruptions from home or was that time dedicated to just learing your job.

Professional machine quilting is a skill just as nursing, tailoring etc and it doesn't just come over night so if you can, and I know its hard with a full-time job and family, try to take an hour a day to get good on one particular aspect of your longarm quilting.

You might like to read theposts to these boards one night, watch the CDs that came with your machine, read the manual (sorry but you will pick up some things you had missed the first time), and always have some fabric loaded that you can practice on.

I suggest people get good at maybe 5 panto graphs, stitch in the ditch and a few, maybe 5 freehand techniques - you don't have to be able to do everything at once and then with these under your belt you can confidently offer to do customers quilts.

Don't try hearts or feathers straightaway unless you are going to be very forgiving with yourself - both are hard for beginners. Start off with big meandering getting smaller as you feel more comfortable, practice stitch in the ditch around shapes you have drawn on the top, try loops (on this site is an ad for "Darlene Epps pocket guides" they are filled with ideas for freehand fun.

As its coming up to Christmas, maybe you can have your family shout you some lessons with the great teachers that are around.

So, try to have fun with your machine and give yourself some time to learn it and I am sure you will quickly pick up your skills and start earning money from quilting.

Keep in touch with these boards and ask as many questions as you can think of - we are all here to support each other.

Best wishes

Sue in Australia

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Hi

We too bought our Milly through Sue Schmeiden in Elkhorn, WI - she is just about the sole reason we purchased an APQS. Incredible person to spend time with. We had some problem with our machein when we first got it and it sewed but not perfectly - was breaking threads - Sue tried several times to help us over the phone and one day she just said "I'm coming to see it" It was the dead of winter and we are at least 5 hours away from her. She got in her truck, drove to my house, fixed our machine and drove back the same night. Her comment was - "You just had to have the machine working and I couldn't figure out what it was without seeing it" She drove home in a blizzard.

The service from Sue, Connie at APQS and Mark is second to absolutely none.

Good luck to you.

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Boo hoo, hoo........! Tears of graditude and joy. Have you all been paid for your nice words?! LOL! I, I, I, I, I am trying to find words to describe how proud I feel to belong to this family! I agree with you all. The fear, the satisfaction, the un-easyness and the faith in our selves and our machines. How lucky we are to have such passion and love for our profession.

Char, I have my machine in a separate room. Even though I love quilting and my Millie, it is nice to be able to close the door. However, if I had it in an open area of my home I wouldn't mind either.

As far as charging more for the use of the laser light, I don't know why that would be. Maybe she would rather quilt without it and therfore charges more to discourage it's use? The beautiful thing about being self employed is that you make your own rules and set your own fees! I have found some quilters have a set fee where others use the opportunity to make additional money by charging for additional services & supplies.

I can so relate to your story of having some time for yourself. I have 2 boys almost 12 & 13. Like you, life pretty much revolved around them (still does!). But now I sometimes rotate independently! I started to get out (of the house) when I joined my local Quilt Guild. I have slowly grown a new part to MY life! I am a better wife and mother for it, no doubt at all.

Keep the questions coming and keep us updated on your journey, however it may go.

Cheryl

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Morning Everyone,

First I would like to thank Myrna for directing us to Sue in Elkhorn.

We are going down there next saturday, November 19. I am so excited. Thank goodness I am really busy this week so hopefully it will go by fast. On top of that Sue has a class the 2,3, & 4 of December, which happens to fall on my husbands long weekend off, and she just so happens to have 2 opening for that class! Keith said to go for it and he wants to join in on the class also. How cool it that!!!!

Sue in Australia, thank you for your suggestion to stitchinsally, that was the next question on my list.

Jurgen, thank you for letting my husband see that its ok to want to learn to quilt on a LA. He thought he was a little strange for wanting to learn also. I just won't tell him that he is a little change to begin with!

This all seems to be happening real fast. I am just praying that this is my path to take and not just impulse to do something for me. Then again I have never felt so right and possitive about anything, with the exception of getting married to Keith and the kids!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Friendship

Char

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