[2016 APQS Lucey with Quilt Path - Illinois, PRICE REDUCED Again!]

Price?  Pictures?

[Loyal customers. ???]

I agree with Linda.  You upgraded to a computerized system but your customers are not interested in that, they just want a nice design on their quilts that do not cost them so much.  I have found that if a person is wanting a panto or all over design, they want this because they do not want to add more cost to their quilt.  The only time I have had customers ask for custom or more detailed all over designs is that they are either gifting as a special gift or wanting to place the quilt in a show.  Quilters are looking for the best deal they can get and the best quilting they can get.  You have lost some of your clients because of your increase in price.  You were wanting to off set the upgrade cost and hoping to get your clients to pay for this upgrade, hoping they would appreciate that computerized will make the designs more perfect for them.   I do not have a computerized system and  exclusively do panto's for my customers.  I use to offer both custom and pantos, but found that my bread and butter was in the pantos, so I only do custom for myself now.  There are other longarmers (some computerized) in my small rural area that do custom and some of my customers go to them for custom when that is what they want.   However, they always come to me for their pantos because I offer lower price and a fast turn around time.  These things are very important to them.   I have often thought of upgrading to a computerized system, but only to shorten my time at the machine and produce a better stitch line in designs.  It would help me do more quilts in less time I think, thus the volume of quilts done would actually help pay for this upgrade. 

As Linda said... offer some incentives to get your clients to come back.  With more people getting their own quilting machines, we need to keep our businesses going with incentive marketing.  Know what your quilters want, know what is being offered out there from other longarmers and adjust your  pricing accordingly.

[Finding clients]

What I did when I first started out was I made up coupons for a Free quilting, edge to edge I choose the design, lap size or smaller, to be used within 3 months and handed them out to our sew group ladies.  I also made sure my prices were very competitive ...in fact I was less than the norm when first starting out and then after my clientele was established I gradually increased my price.  I do have another perk for loyal clients... 8 paid bed size quilts, gets a Free quilting for a lap size or smaller.

Doing this I was able to pay off my longarm within 10 months!

 

[Pink Halloween Quilt]

What a Clever idea!  Very cute

[Batting poking through on back]

I have had alot of issues with this problem too.  Things that I try are smaller needle size and making sure that the tension on the back/top is not too tight.  These things seem to help.  But there is always that one quilt where no matter what you do you end up with some pokies on the back.  I have found that Warm and Natural all cotton batting is becoming notorious for pokies

[Help! a steam a seam whoops!]

Oh dear I'm thinking you just might have to start over.  I have done this before and nothing has really gotten all of the glue out without taking the dye of the fabric with it.

[Advice for a friend--Viking Mega Quilter]

I have a friend that purchased a Pfaff Grandquilter last spring.  This is the one with the computer for quilting designs.  I think that is probably why she bought it.  She has had nothing but problems with it. 

I tried really hard to steer her away from this system as the quilting area is so small and for the price she could have gotten a long arm system. 

[Mariners compass]

WONDERFUL!

[opinions please...leader grips vs red snappers]

With these PVC pipe clips... do you take off your leaders or leave them on and hope that they don't shift the quilt top when you use these clips? Seems the bulk of the leaders and the top will make them very hard to use???