Gail O

Just want to wish you all a wonderful Mothers Day to all of you on this forum and to the staff at APQS.

I really like how this baby quilt came out. 

YOU GUYS!!! I finally did it! After staring at them for 3 months and viewing video after video and reading and re-reading instructions, and just generally procrastinating, I FINALLY bit the bullet and attached my zippers to my leaders!!! It was pretty easy. I cannot believe I put it off so long.
I know you all will understand, so I just had to share.
Also, since I was fiddling around with my leaders anyway, and mine have always sagged in the center, even after I bought and installed new leaders, and rolling back and forth with the leaders zipped together didn't really improve the sag much, I decided to work on that as well. With the leaders zipped together, pulled taut with the zipper centered, I spritzed lightly with water, then skimmed the surface with a hot iron to dry it. Still sagging, so I spritzed again, turned on the ceiling fan and walked away. I did that about 4 times and they are almost completely sag free! I think I may roll the zipper to each bar and do the same technique further in on the leader on each side to see if I can get it completely taut all the way across.
Still need to mark inches along the edges.
Tomorrow I will get the other parts of the zippers attached to canvas tabs about 5-6 inches wide so I don't have to worry about running into zippers while quilting. I also need to get grosgrain ribbon (I guess cheap bias tape or hem tape, anything like that should work, too) in different colors. I recall seeing a hint somewhere that some smart person sewed a different color ribbon on the top of each leader and then the same color ribbon on the top side of the matching half of the zipper to make it easier to get it right when pinning/stapling/stitching the quilt parts to the zippers. I think I'll appreciate all the help I can get, because I really don't want to waste my valuable quilting time removing and re-attaching a quilt back I attached wrong.
You can barely see the last little bit of sag near the center mark. (Picture was taken before I stitched the last couple inches of leader to zipper by hand...)
Would love to know if you see anything that should be or could be changed or any handy hints or tips.

Are your leaders square or have they stretched (doesn't take a whole lot)?  Quilting right to left then left to right is a great practice if you are comfortable going both ways.  I will be back to check on you all tomorrow.

Quickbooks.  It takes some work to set up the inventory items, but will make your life much easier at tax time.

Where are you in Canada?  It’s a big place. 

Hi Everyone!
I like this forum for searching for useful information. I find that I have to sort through too much on FB. For me, FB is for looking at pictures and giving people props for work they do. I haven't been active on these forums much. Mostly because I've had a life change that lasted many years. Now that I'm trying to get back to the living I hope to read more and share more. I have noticed that the forums aren't as busy as they used to be. I hope that changes as people tire of FB. I'm not on FB nearly as much as I used to be, however, I'm trying to start a business and it does seem that it's important to keep up with social media in doing so.  
 
I do love seeing pictures, so am leaving one here for the next reader.   
This is my mammoth (donkey) named Boone, modeling a colorful Disney character quilt that I made to go in a Disney themed room.

I am one of those who refuses to do Facebook (or rather Facebook do me). I have been reading the forum for the past 10 years and have learned so much from the folks sharing their experience and knowledge. I admit I have never posted a picture. Didn't take the time to learn how to do, so shame on me. The forum used to be a hopping place with lots of information. Now it seems to be just a used machine for sale site. So sad. 

Thanks ladies!   Can’t wait to get my next one on the frame. 

This is a new art quilt I just finished. It is headed to a show, but I wanted to share photos with all of you.  More details about construction and tons of detail photos on blog.
Eye Candy in Fabric art quilt
blog article

UGH!!!!  Editing this!  DO NOT BUY THESE STRIPS FROM WALMART!  The adhesive is letting go already!!!!  TOday is only 7/24/18 and they are peeling!!!  And of course I'm 2 rows from finishing a quilt!




Just wanted to add that I tried Jim's suggestion and it works GREAT!  
I used goo-gone to clean the residue from the brakes and my rails and after a bit of trimming, used the tub strips pictured - wavy was all my WalMart had in stock. (2 per side).  I have plenty left for any future needs.  

Beautiful quilt!

Posting here for those not part of the facebook group.
Not a really great picture - but it's finally done and gifted to my son for his move-in at school next month.
Applique center pattern "Majesty" by Gina Reddin Designs, borders are created with 'curved braid' by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. 
Quilted on my Lenni with SoFine and Aurifil threads, Quilters Dream Wool Batting. All hand-guided - freehand faux McTavishing and some rulers. 
I've been pantograph quilting for almost 5 years and only started FMQ this year.
This project stretched me in a LOT of ways - especially as it was for my youngest child as he leaves (1,000+miles) for college!

I prefer this forum and when I first became a millie owner this forum was really hopping and loved it.  I couldn't wait to open the forum and look at all the inspiration quilters had posted.  Sadly alot have gone the way of FB and I don't get to see their beautiful work. I still log on a few times a month but not like I used to.  I have been on this forum for about 8 years now and will have more time to look on here because I decided this week to retire from doing customer quilts and quilt my own yah!!!!  Hope everyone posts more pics love them 
 

I'm just a curious person.  I was wondering  if you prefer forums or facebook groups?  I'm a forum gal.  I love the forum because you can guess how long a person has been involved with a product or skill.  I like how topics are divided into categories and doing a search for topics are fairly easy.  I just feel cozier with the forum group than facebook, I'm not sure if that's the correct verbiage.  I'm not against Facebook groups in fact I belong to a bunch.   I just wonder how long a person has been using a product before they start giving advice, etc.   I've seen bullies on both but not so much on forums now.  Forums and Facebook Groups seem like two different environments to me.  Wondering minds are curious. 

Excellent question. I prefer this forum.
I spend lots of time on FB, more than I should partly because you have to swim through so much stuff. As a couple have said, it is difficult to find what you want with a search. And with all but the last few comments hidden behind the "view previous comments" link you get all the repeated, duplicated answers and so much "hit and run rudeness." I almost always click however many times I must to get to the first comments, because so much information can be hidden there, and then it is easier for me to quickly scroll through/past the repeats.
So my preference for this forum has several reasons, including that it seems a more relaxing "quieter" place, not so haphazard, more actual knowledge and thoughtful answers, more consideration for others in general. On the other hand, FB is fun for it's multitude of pictures and inspiration.
BTW, I am not known to most people here because I rarely post, though I am here to read the discussions often. I have a 1997 APQS Ultimate II that I aquired from it's original owner 5 years ago -- it has no bells and whistles. It has a light, handles with on/off button on front and back, and a rheostat for speeds 1-10, no interchangeable foot, no computer, no needle up/down, but I love her and she has helped me finish several quilts I might never have done without her. I can vouch for APQS's commitment to their owners, even those who did not buy from them, and the staff's dedication to customer service and the happiness of APQS longarm owners and users. When I am able to upgrade, it will definitely be an APQS. And in 3 years, 86 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 9 seconds I will be retired so I can quilt more than occasionally. Woo hoo!! Then I'll be posting here much more!

Thank you, Connie, for starting this discussion!  I, too, prefer the Forum to FB.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of Forum members who seem to have switched to the "We Love APQS" FB page, because I see them posting there, but not here.  I do think that because this topic was posted here, the response will be skewed towards the Forum over FB, simply because the FB users won't see it.
Mary Beth, I know exactly what you mean about being doubtful of the quality of answers on FB, or a bunch of people posting the same answer because they can't be bothered to read the previous responses.  Definitely have to take some advice with a hefty grain of salt.
It definitely feels like the posts to this Forum have become more about selling machines (mostly non-APQS) than about quilting.  I know I have been "guilty" of not posting pictures, etc. here (or to FB!), but maybe if we all make a bit more effort to post here, the Forum will be revitalized.

Thank you Sharon, I appreciate the info and kind words.  I did 27 years in the Navy and loved every minute of it.  Our National Anthem still brings tears to my eyes.

Lora, great topic which needs to be brought up every now and then.  I like hearing what's happening in other parts of the country and world.  I have Millie with an IQ.  I did not raise  my prices when I got my computer.  I didn't need to because I could do more quilts which evened the field.  I charge a penny and a half for loose pantos/e2e and 2 pennies for tight pantos/e2e.  I have a Quilt finishing shop a block away from me (I'm also in a small town) who charges about the same.  The owner and I have a great relationship because she just does pantos/e2e.  She also sells batting, wide backs and flannel.  She does no custom, so she sends those customers to me or another longarmer.  There's work for everyone.  You really have to flow with the local pricing or you will loose those "bread and butter" customers.  When I moved to Michigan, I asked around about longarm pricing before I decided on what to charge.  I ask my customers  to pick out the panto they want from the hundreds I have  but  if a customer wants a particular panto design that I don't have (i.e. hippos, fire hose, particular flowers),  I charge them a one time special design charge of $15.00,  plus my normal square inch charge.  It will help you build your design catalog fast  without coming directly from your pocket.  I do the same with my embroidery business. 
Great info, advise and thoughts everyone.

Just a quick update.  I talked to one of my customers at the sewing club this morning and asked her why she was taking her quilts to another quilter instead of me (not in those words of course).  I just wanted to hear from her what I could do to improve my business, my relationship with customers, etc.  I could tell she was a little uncomfortable at first, but I assured her that I was not trying to coax her into coming back to me, just curious about the change.  She said that she uses the other woman for all over panto work, and would be using me exclusively for custom work - something the other woman doesn't offer.  She showed me an invoice from the other woman and her pricing was very similar to my new pricing, however, one thing she includes in her pricing is trimming the quilt and attaching the binding strips to the back of the quilt.  
gkazee, I really like your idea of making a sample quilt with the pantos that I would do for 1 1/2 cents a square inch.  Linda, your suggestion of having a sale month is a great one too.   I'll make up the sample quilt and promote my sale for the month of November and the first two weeks of December.  We'll see what happens.  
Thank you all for being candid with me.  I had checked around and found that my previous prices were about a cent below the average in my area.  I had been told by many that I wasn't charging enough, so I raised my prices a little after I got the computerized system.  Now I see your points about customers not caring that the stitching is perfect and just wanting to get the quilts finished quickly and as cheap as possible.  Also, I recognize now that showcasing all of my custom work probably scared some people off.  I think you are right - they see the detail and amount of effort in the quilting on those quilts and think $$$$$ cha-ching! and don't want to pay for that.  
Next year, I'm going to try to show off two quilts a month (probably lap size) - one with custom quilting and one with an all over panto.  Hopefully, that will convey the message that I can do both.  
Thanks again.  I really appreciate your honest feedback and input!!!!!  Thank you. 
 

I have always believed (and still do) that quilting makes the quilt. And when I moved from Europe to Canada and started working at the local quilt shop, I was totally surprised when I found out that most people don't agree with that assessment, that in fact most quilters don't actually like to quilt at all. They just like making the tops. And the quilting is not important to them at all. I love to quilt, and that's why I eventually decided to buy a longarm machine and quilt for others. I would love to add a computer to do the pantos for me because I find them quite boring. But I know that no one would pay me for that, it would have to be a business investment for myself.
I custom quilt all my own stuff, and that's what I show at the guild meetings, and that's what brings me customers because they are all in awe of my skills (which are far from perfect, especially compared to what you guys post here but if you can't quilt at all, you might look at things a little differently). But the majority of them stills wants pantographs because it's cheaper.

Love it!  Awesome quilting!

Look what I got to quilt!  It's a pink themed Halloween quilt, to display at our local hospital during the month of October.  Pink because it's breast cancer awareness month.  The Jackson Hole Quilt Guild rotates a quilt display every month at our local hospital.  The nurses and patients really appreciate it.  We've had a hard time in years past trying to find a pink quilt for the October display.  So we had the bright idea to make a quilt just for that.  Different people made the applique blocks, others sewed them together with sashing and border.  I quilted it, and just handed it off to another member to attach the binding.  A terrific collaboration.
Last May I took a few classes from Judi Madsen in Salt Lake City.  I just LOVE her work.  So, you will see that she inspired this quilting.  
The bat bra block is the one that really got me started with the quilt designs.  The lady who made it drew a spider in a web on the cleavage, so clever and so easy to quilt that design!  
Judi had just posted an applique quilt that she'd finished that had bugs in it.  She gave the bugs motion by quilting a swirly design under them.  I thought the ghosts need that swirly design too.  Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?!
I used a wool batting, glide thread with magna glide bobbins.  Love those magna glide bobbins!  Angela Huffman is a great source for them and her delivery is super fast.
Thanks for looking!

Thanks so much.  The quilt is 114 x 100.  I wanted it big enough to drape on the sides and also to allow a little for shrinkage when it gets washed.   I did preshrink my Hobbs cotton batting but did not preshrink the batiks so we'll see how that goes someday... 
And Cagey, something that goes with my green walls was just what I was going for.  The wall color is called pale opal and I love it, but it Is not the easiest color to find coordinates for, even with all the fabric out there in the world.  Isn't it amazing how many colors of a color there are??
I love the movement on this quilt pattern, too.  I live by a huge lake and I was thinking of water with a little sand and grass when choosing my colors.  My husband's response when he saw it on the bed the first time was "it's crooked."  See what I deal with in my life everyday?  Gotta love'em.
Robin in MT

Just off my quilt frame this week, "Surf Song" bargello.  From the book Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts by Eileen Wright.  Needed a king size quilt for my bed and instead of adding borders to make a king sized "Surf Song" I kept building the bargello to the edges.  I quilted it with IQ and the panto Ripples by Lorien Quilting.  I will make coordinating batik pillowcases and of course still need to bind the beast!!
Robin in MT