Kywoman Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Are there any George owners out there? I am in love with George but I am a newbie and I need lots of support. There is so much to learn. Does anyone know of any classes that are particularly geared to George? I think APQS is planning on something in January but I need some guidance now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Yes, we have George owners here. I am one, Mrs. A is another one. So what questions do have, there will be someone coming along with some good answers. Welcome to the board, you will find people answering your questions any time of day (or even during holiday weekends in the night from the other side of the world) so sometimes this is the first place to check after you have gone through all the areas that you know. We work on the policy that there are no dumb questions, either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kywoman Posted September 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Thank you so much. I guess I have the most questions about starting a business with George, how much time it takes to quilt and what to charge and how does that compare to other longarm machines. I see that most longarm frame quilters are able to quilt much faster after the inital setup and they have special rulers and things that they use. Can I use these same techniques on George? Also, I still need some help designing patterns for quilts as well as the execution of them. I know I need practice and I am [practicing but I would really like some classes with George. Thanks so much for replying to a novice like myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hi: Sorry, I don't know your name. As Madelyn said, I am a George owner and also the representative for Arizona. I just counseled some folks interested in starting a quilting business who were inquiring about George. This, in a nutshell, is what I told them. If you are comfortable as a push through quilter (moving the fabric under the needle as opposed to moving the machine across the fabric) then George is a terrific machine. It's simple, reliable, works with a variety of threads and can handle even large or double-batted quilts with ease. However, all quilts will need to be well-basted (with pins or thread) before quilting and that is a drawback when you are in business to quilt for others. Time is money and it's hard to charge enough to cover the time you will spend basting when another professional longarm quilter can skip that step. The only other drawback to George is the lack of stitch regulation but most of us have become fairly comfortable making even stitches without one. The couple wound up buying a Lenni...no commission for me but a wise decision for them and their fledgling business. As far as I know, there are no classes offered on George. I took a leap of faith and ordered mine without ever having sewn on one. Nowadays when one is purchased, the rep will give you instruction on the operation & maintenance of the machine itself. On the 'Find a Dealer' page, the George reps are listed separately from the other APQS reps. Try to find one in your area if you can. People come here to my studio to 'test drive' my George all the time. There is a separate area here on the APQS website which addresses starting a quilting business. To answer some of your other questions, it takes almost as long to quilt a design with George as it does with a domestic sewing machine. There is less time spent shifting & moving the quilt sandwich around on the table and you will be able to pretty darn stitch fast when the pattern allows. For many of us, it's not about the speed we can quilt but about the precision we can achieve. We appreciate the control we have over the machine. There are some who use rulers to quilt on George but they are handled in a different way than with moving machines. Perhaps someone else can weigh in on that option. If you feel you need help designing or choosing quilting patterns and if your execution isn't quite there yet, it may be premature to start thinking about starting a quilting business. You still have a skill set to master. However, here's the good news, if you aren't already entrenched in moving the fabric, and if you have the space, you really should consider one of the other machines in the APQS line...they simply are more suited to a quilting-for-others business. I hope this is helpful. I don't mean to discourage you from your interest in George. He is a tremendous machine and there are several helpful George owners who are active on this forum. If you choose one, we'll all be behind you 100%. Please feel free to ask more questions...novices are welcome here! Good luck in your search to choose the right machine & happy quilting! Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmilner Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Welcome! This is a great forum to follow no matter what machine you have! I am a newbie with an APQS Liberty (new to me) , but not new to quilting. I set aside an hour each day and "study" older posts. I started by selecting "today's posts" and putting in 365 days ago. The amount of information here will get you a University Degree in Longarm quilting so start studying........... Not sure what to quilt on that quilt................look at all those amazing pictures. You can save some to your "favorites" or print them out and start a binder like I did. In fact, I have printed many of the threads out and started my own "Longarm Bible" everything from what size needle to use, what top thread goes with what bobbin thread, Custom pricing--food for thought by Dawn Cavanaugh, batting information, great rulers, great instructional dvd's and soooooooooooo much more. It's all here!!!!! Need an answer to a question right now? Ask and ye shall receive all kinds of great advice!!! Donna APQS Liberty P.S. Do a "search" on the Custom pricing-- it's a great read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 Kywoman, Nancy had some real good info for you. Do you already have George? or is he one of your options being considered? are you in an area where you can check out George and his siblings? Something to consider is the physical conditions that you deal with for yourself. If standing at the frame is hard for you for long periods, then George would be good, but if sitting and manipulating the quilt through the George throat give you physical problems then maybe the frame machines are better. Or is space becoming the deciding factor? (My George table when fully open takes up about as much space as I think a 10 ft frame would take) If I didn't need to be concerned with $$ and other people's space in my house, I would keep my George and get a sibling playmate (Lenni?) for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Sparrow Posted September 7, 2011 Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 google Pat Sloan... she is the queen of Everything George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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