Thanks for the reply. I do have the small piece of batting in the thread guide. The spools are cross wound. But, I haven't tried a thread conditioner. I will certainly give that a try!
Nancy
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.