CompuQuilter Advantages

[simplydivine]

I wanted to know from those of you who have purchased the Compu-Quilter ...

I am seriously considering a CompuQuilter. I would like to cost-justify the purchase. I'm sure you went through the same process before you bought yours.

What would you say are the top 3 benefits? Is there anything you wish you knew before you bought yours?

Can you tell me some of the advantages you have with the compuquilter?

time savings = more quilts in the same amount of time = more money

How much time do you really save? an average panto may take 15 minutes to quilt a row, how much faster does the compuquilter do it?

After intital cost, what other items does one need when starting out (digital patterns $18-20?), other software? Classes?

I will be making arrangements to see one in person and hope to get a full presentation. I thank you in advance for any help and suggestions you have for me.

[annkathryn]

I got compuquilter cause I had trouble mastering pantos and free hand.

I have no artistic ablility.

As for getting a panto done in 15 minutes, I don't think I have any that are that quick to run.

I am not brave enough to walk away from the machine, and do something else while it runs a row.

I thought that there would be enough patterns includeded, but found out that there are not enough for my liking. So I keep buying from the designers.

If you want to learn how to ditize your own patterns, and can't master the autosketch that comes with it. It sounds like S & D Stitches has a realy great class.

annkathryn

[smorris]

Hi Julie

I've had CQ for nearly 2 yrs now and love it. The software has had two major upgrades since then with another on the way soon and all software upgrades are free - very important. Not only has the software been upgraded but so have all three manuals especially the pattern manual which now has great help for people wanting to digitise themselves and of course there are the classes at CQ's home. I haven't been able to get there yet but hope to next time I visit the States.

To answer some of your questions:

Top three (four) benefits -

1. my quilting is perfect - I could never hope to be that perfect when hand guiding which takes away the stress I used to feel about whether the piecer would think it was good enough

2. it frees me up to get on with small jobs, answering emails, doing some hand sewing, hanging out the washing. Its amazing what you can do with 10 minutes while its quilting a row. Yes, I walk away. You are less likely to have a needle break with CQ than hand-guided because the motor stitches at a consistent speed.

3. I can offer a larger range of pattern designs because I can draw my own, they are cheaper than pantos, they can be resized at the click of a button, I can offer designs such as cross hatching or feathers that Iwould never offer hand-guiding.

4. Two unique features of CQ are Boundaries and the special array (but they would take a whole separate email to describe. I love both but array is awesome, it takes a motif and can turn it into a wreath, a triangle block motif or a linear array - awesome. Just buy one motif ($10-$15 and get all those other designs free)

How much quicker?

Overall I think using CQ is quicker. When you are handguiding you start fresh but as you get further into the quilt you begin to tire and your work can get less accurate and I think you slow down too - sometimes making mistakes which take time to unpick. With CQ the machine starts and finishes the quilt at the same speed and is consistently perfect from start to finish.

As far as patterns go, there are over 340 designs with CQ but choosing patterns is a personal thing and I am sure you will want to design your own, or buy some from the large number of people designing for CQ. Often you pay $15 for the .dxf of a design and can change it into other variations of that design easily.

OK got to go all this talk of CQ makes me want to go and play with mine.

sue in australia

[gaildrake]

JULIE; YOU'VE GOTTEN SOME GREAT ANSWERS TO YOUR GOOD QUESTIONS. I HAVE SPENT THE SAY WITH A COMPUQUILT OWNER AND LEARNED THE IN'S AND OUT'S AND I AM SAVING FOR ONE OF MY OWN. I HAVE BEEN QUILTING ON A LIBERTY FOR TWO YEARS AND LOVE IT JUST DOING PENTOGRAPHS AND SOME FREEHAND. BUT THE COMPUQUILT IS REALLY WHERE I WANT TO BE REAL SOON.

[digisuz]

Hi Julie,

Sue from Australia really described CQ well. I too am a very happy CQ owner. I?ve quilted for customers with my CQ extensively for over 2 years. It?s an awesome and creative quilting system . . . . and very fun. With thousands of theme related designs available and more being digitized every week, the customers love the selection. Virtually any theme you can name can be quilted on a quilt. Many designs are beautiful and intricate and look custom quilted. Some of the top designers in the world continue to create digitized designs and more people are realizing the benefits of learning to digitize designs themselves. Professionally digitized designs cost about the same as paper versions - around $10 for individual motifs and borders and about $15 for overall designs. Many designers are offering matched sets of designs - borders, corners, blocks, E2E. They discount these sets and since they can be sized for many different quilts, they are very cost effective. I don't charge the customer extra for the design they select, but I ask for a down payment that more than covers my up front expenses. I started with a selection of designs - now I order more designs when a customer selects something new and I have their down payment. Your return on investment will come from customers happy with the quality of the stitches and the huge selection of great designs you will be able to offer . . . and the possibility that you're turn around time will be faster (see below). If the computerized quilter also knows how to digitize, they have even more creativity and billable services to offer their customers.

The creators of CQ, Stan and Dee Dee, are a husband and wife team. She?s a talented longarm quilter and he?s a brilliant design engineer. His job for over 25 years was to develop computer programs that automated machines. They constantly encourage the quilters in the field who are using CQ to make suggestions and tell them what features we want. Our upgrades are free and they are always mind blowing. Having input in the future of the computerized system that I own, combined with the quality of the product is a great combination. As a bonus Stan, Dee Dee and their family of knowledgeable computer and sales people treat their customers as friends.

I too love CQ?s features. I say ditto to what Sue said. Our array and boundary features are truly amazing. Motifs can be set up to quilt with precise spacing in a border, using linear array. A single repeat of a repeatable border design can be set up in a wreath array. If the border design is triangular shape, the wreath array can set 4 repeatable designs to make a perfect block design which will sew out continuously. The creative effects are endless ? you can play with this feature and get kaleidoscope like effects. With CQ's features, you can precisely place designs.

It?s not that CQ runs faster than doing hand-guided quilting. Actually, we run our CQ?s at a steady pace. It?s the fact that it can keep on going without fatigue. When you hear of people quilting more quilts in a day with CQ, its because their body hasn?t broken down with pain. They haven't had to stop quilting for the day because their stitch quality and artistic abilities have degraded due to operator fatigue. This is a big factor to consider. I had a work related injury years ago that left me with a permanent disability in my right shoulder and neck. With CompuQuilter, I can earn a living for my family quilting for customers and digitizing. I would not be able to quilt full time if I exclusively hand-guided for 8 hours. I would have bad headaches and a stiff and painful shoulder from my injury. I would have to rest for a day or two, do a bunch of physical therapy, then go back to quilting. With CQ I can keep on going. CompuQuilter has allowed me to remain in the quilting profession that I LOVE.

This year we will see even more advances in computerized quilting in the areas of design layout and manipulation. It?s so exciting !! See if you can find a CQ near you or at a show to see in person. You will be very impressed.

The owners of CQ started a Yahoo group that you are welcome to join to get more information. This group is open to everyone interested in computerized quilting and digitizing. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CompuQuilter_Users/

Warm Regards and Best Wishes to You,

Suzanne Moreno, Digitizing Instructor

Digitizing for CompuQuilter Course Book

cqdigi@charter.net

541.660.8053

[simplydivine]

Thank you so much for the great feedback. I agree - there are days when I am not up to quilting. Sounds like the CQ has a lot to offer. I have contacted S&D to set up an appointment & waiting to hear back from them! Thank you again for the time you took to answer my questions. (I signed up for the Yahoo Group - another great idea.)