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Howdy Ya'll!

Way down here in Central Texas it is wonderful to hear that there are so many beginners among this group. This weekend at a quilt show I played on a "Handi-quilter. Has anyone ever used one of these quilting machines?

I still have so many questions and am not sure which ones to ask first. My package from APQS arrived today, so I will have some night time reading.

Due to my son being in a severe auto accident last year, I am currently not employed oustside the home, as I am kept very busy helping out with my 7 month old grandson, I have 1 quilt in the frame to be hand quilted, and took one out of the frame last week. I desperately need to make a decision soon on which type of machine I need! Any helpful hints and ideas would be appreciated! Is it really as easy to learn to machine quilt as you all have said? I know I will need lots of practice!!

Thanks for all the kind votes of confidence!

Debbie

(Texan Quilter)

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Guest Linda S

Debbie -

Well, it's kind of relative. I does take some practice to make the fancy designs, but if you work at it, they come eventually. I'm getting a few under my belt. Basic stippling and meander are WAY EASIER on a longarm than it is to try and do with the regular sewing machine. I did several quilts that needed to be done in a hurry on my DSM, and it was a real strain on my neck and shoulders. A longarm is just heaven, and APQS machines are some of the best in my not-so-humble opinion!

Best wishes to you in the decision making process. It gets to be an exciting ride!

Linda

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Debbie,

I shopped around for a while before I made my decision. I chose the APQS for many reasons.

I asked around my guild to some of the other longarm owners what the diffrence was and they said the throat size, which is the depth or rather the amount of quilt that you can get on the take up roller. I bought a John Flynn Frame to use while I was waiting for my decision on my long arm. I did a larger sized crib quilt and it was all I could do to fit it under my DSM machine when I got it to the end because my take up roller was full and it would not go backwards.

Think hard about what you want to do with the machine. If it is for your personal use and not for business, then how often would you make a queen or a king and then go from there. If you are only gonna do a larger quilt once in a great while, then what would it hurt to have someone else do your quilt or handquilt it. Also your space, my APQS is 12ft long and about 5 ft wide, in addition to that I needed room to get around it, which is an additional 2-3 ft on the length. I heard some hysterical stories from the longarm sales people at the quilt shows about the spaces they have set up quilts into and then they about kissed me when I told them what kinda space I had. Most of the tables or frames on the larger machines are 10, 12, and 14. And some of the other machine owners have told me that you can do a queen on a 10ft. There is usually no additional charge for the longer tables.

The thing I found with the smaller machines was that I was afraid I would not be able to do a queen on it. Which is one of the more common sizes. Also stability, if you have a machine loaded onto a table and you get going fast, will the table jump around, I dont know bout you, but that drives me nuts. Loading and offloading the quilt and what do you do with the parts when you are not quilting on them (the excess hanging off). How does the machine run, maintenence (cant spell) of the machine, how does it feel to use. Will the handles and the machine make you physically comfortable while using, OH, and the other part, how long will you have to wait for your machine once you order it. I laid in bed awake at night for 6 long weeks with anticipation for my machine. My husband put the machine together and I just sat there and watched. It was like a new baby and had to be near it.

I chose the APQS for a lot of reasons. I loved the people and its features. The in handle controls are wonderful and it took me no time to memorize them. The staff and support we received from them from the time we saw it at the show until pickup were wonderful. And even now it has been great. Customer service and the way you are treated, to me, will make a huge diffrence. Both major brands have things about them that make them diffrent from each other, but I just felt better with the APQS.

Go to the websites for the diffrent machines and see when they will be at a quilt show near you and check them out. I was lucky. I went to Myrtle Beach this year and there was about every type of quilting machine manufacturer there. So I was able to choose wisely.

Good Luck!!!!! :)

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Debbie,

I got my start on a Handiquilter with a Juki about 2 years ago. I did about 50 quilts, the largest was a queen and I had to use a very thin batting. Most were crib or lap size....and all but 8 were given away to family or Charity. For the money, it was a good little system. But....I got to the point I wanted to do more, and the handiquilter was just too small, so I graduated to the APQS Liberty.

If the HQ is what you have room for and can afford it is a start. If you can afford more I would skip the HQ and go for the sturdier machine and frame.

This is just my experience.....

Cheryl in Iowa

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Debbie --

The machines are wonderful -- I've had my Millenium since late last September -- and they're not hard to use, but it does take a lot of practice to be able to quilt the way you probably will want to quilt. I was lucky -- a friend got me a lot of charity quilts, so I was able to quilt real quilts, trying to do as good a job as I could while very new at it, but without too much concern that I wasn't good enough when I was starting because anything I did was at least better than just tying the quilts. I have done 25 of them this past year while doing 55 customer quilts, but those charity quilts are all I did at first (my first 8-10 quilts) until I felt good enough to do a really nice job. As with learning anything, the more time you give it the better you do.

I did find it frustrating at first not to be able to quilt as nicely as I wanted, but I just kept quilting those charity tops and I did get better all the time. I'm still learning and practicing, and I still do a charity quilt first to practice something new before doing it on a customer quilt.

So it is easy in the sense that it's easy to do simple things like a big meander right away, and you can definitely become a good quilter on a machine if you work at it. But it isn't easy to do interesting, creative or precise custom work right off the bat -- it takes time and the more you quilt, the better you will get, the more control you will have.

But you will find yourself improving quite fast and it's a lot of fun. I think you'll see improvement fast enough to keep yourself going.

Mary

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Ok, I don't know if anyone has touched on this subject and it is a critical consideration...

Look at a weekly calender. You say you don't work outside the home, but you are a caretaker. Put everything you can think of on the calender, pick up drop offs, church commitments, school runs, your housecleaning (hah!), etc. And consider if you are quilting for $ then how much time will you really have time to quilt? One day a week? 1 hour a day? After the kids go to sleep?

When you get your APQS package they show you a "pay off" on your machine, but this shows you 2.5 quilts per week. Do you have the time necessary to do that many? Also, do you have the space? These "babies" are big, and really do occupy alot of space.

I am learning alot through reading, so doing some homework prior to your machine's arrival is a good idea.

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Guest Linda S

What the heck is that? :P Seriously, I'd better learn the definition this weekend or I think the Health Department will be showing up at my door. :o It's been so hot and the kitties have been shedding up a storm. It looks like the tumbling tumbleweeds when I move the fan! I need to get that vacuum going something fierce. Of course, this is just downstairs. Up in the quilt loft, everything is neat, tidy, and dusted! :D

Linda

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Handiquilter

Debbie....I forgot to add that mine is for sale, both the HQ frame and the Juki, with handihandles, if you are interested.

Cheryl

cheryliowa @yahoo.com

Cheryl ;

Please send all info on this to me if you would, interested in checking it out seriously. I have included my email address for you!

Thanks & happy quilting

Debbie

rockins@cox-internet.com

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everyone. I'm new to this site. I just stumbed on to this website at APQS and I have been looking around and reading the messages on the different topics and I have to say the messages are very very helpful to me. I'm in the process of still writing and editing my business plan and I have a some questions. I been trying to do some research on the market and have not had much luck. The library don't seen to have anything on this type of business. Any information on research will be very helpful and any other information as well. Thanks all.

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I suspect I'm in the minority but I didn't do much research (except on the machines) or prepare a business plan. I knew I wanted a LA whether I opened a business or not. Once I started doing my own quilts word got out and the business evolved. I don't recommend this to anyone but if you live in a metropolitan area the quilts will come. The business grew so fast that I finally cut back to allow time for my own projects. Befriend your LQS owners and be visible in your quilting community. And if you love quilting, go for it. Happy Quilting!!!

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Ask them if they have a list of machine quilters in the area. If they have brochures take one. They will tell you where they are located and what kind of work they do. Not all of us get a business license (in my area, you have to go through zoning and planning, pay about $1000 in fees and plans and copies, and the process takes 4 months before they will even issue an approval. THEN you can apply for a business license. This is even for those of us who will have no impact on traffic, no signage, working in the basement..etc. So don't be surprised if they are not all "licensed businesses".

Cynthia

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  • 2 weeks later...

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