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Where to have my studio


Tracie

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Hi to all!!

I have a question that I'm hoping someone can help me out with. I have not purchased my long arm as of yet, but plan to do so in the beginning of the New Year. I have an option to have the long arm put into a home decore store (in the back) the room is great, lighting great, and it would bring great opportunities such as visibility to customer. She would also like me to sale quilts in her store. BUT, it would be away from home and so I would have to set hours like a regular job. (right now I'm a stay at home mom and have always worked at home doing medical transcription).

My other option would to try and put it in my home. At this time, i have 4 boys, three still here, so my space is very limited and I'm not sure really where to put it. My husband says we can make it work somehow, so, what to do is the big question.

How do you all feel about having your machine away from your home? Oh, and at the place away from my home, I would have to pay a rent, she has not gotten back with me on that one but says it would be minimal (we will see on that one). Advice would be greatly appreciate!!

Tracie in Idaho

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I have mine set up in my living room (we also have a large family room so the living room space was not being used before). Anyways I would not want my machine set up anywhere else but my house because I too am a stay at home mom and I am able to quilt around the family\'s schedule and into the night if need be, if I rented space I would be limited to the times I could quilt and not have as much flexibility as I need to have with raising my kids. Plus there\'s no rent payment each month.

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Tracie,

Even though I am not a stay at home mom, I had to rent a studio space for awhile until mine was built. I hated it. I couldn\'t run out to the studio with my hair not done and in my comfy clothes when I had a few minutes to quilt. I had to get all dressed, get in the car, drive to the studio, get everything warmed up, etc. I just hated it. I like to be able to quilt spontaneously. Or be able to sew while the CQ quilts. Or make some bread or whatever!!

Where in Idaho are you?

Nancy

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Tracie,

I have an APQS Freedom which has the same "footprint" as the Millenium - It is a 12 by 4 foot table - you would probably want to add another 2 foot of working space to the width (at the very minimum). We have converted a bedroom to accomodate my quilting addiction.

I like having my machine "right by my side". It allows me to practice/quilt at a moments notice.

To carve out time (renting a space elsewhere) with children still at home would be quite a "juggle". Nowadays, it is such a luxury and a blessing to be able to work at home.

Hope you figure out something that works best for you and your family!!!!

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Its not to often you find another Tracie spelt that way. I\'m a identical twin and my mom always wanted a girl named Stacie, so she had to come up with something that rymed. Don\'t ask what our middle names are. He he.

I have been talking with my husband and we might be able to convert a portion of our shop. He is really doing the Hem Haw thing and wondering how much I would really need. What do you girls all think. I don\'t want to start out giving him too small demensions. What\'s a good size with 12 ft table and having some space for all the goodies you all have?

Thanks,

<>< Tracie M.

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Hi Tracie,

I am in Bayview, just north of Coeur d"alene, when I am in Idaho, which is about half the month.

Don\'t short yourself on space if you can. Allow your table, plus walkaround room on at least one end. You could put the end with the takeup motor against the wall and then just walk around the other end to get to the back. I had a 20x11 space when I was renting. It was plenty big for my machine and supplies (I have a 12 foot table). You definitely NEED at least the 14 feet. 16 would be better if you can squeeze it out. Width, boy I personally would not want less than 10 but if you cannot do that, you do need to be able to breathe (VBG). You are probably going to want to have at least a small sewing machine and table so you can make any quick repairs, etc that you might need to do, although if your sewing machine is close by in another room, that might not matter. Do you have another place to store batting, thread, etc? If not, consider those issues too. I sure love my studio. I feel very blessed to have been able to put it up.

Nancy

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At first I thought I\'d be running my machine outside the home....now I\'m so glad I made the space! It\'s not in a big room, it actually sits diagonally in the room.

I find the way I work, it would be horrible if the longarm wasn\'t in my home. I don\'t think I\'m one to work for hours on end. I\'ll work for about an hour then go throw a load of laundry in, work for an hour then run out for groceries, etc....I like being able to go back and forth between quilting and my other things to do in the day. Not saying this is the right way...just what works for me...

Sandra

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Keep it at home then you can run and use it at odd times when kids are sleeping or playing happily. Later if you want to have it at a business great. You can make do with less space maybe you could get the casters to move it around a little better. I actually have to stand on a low wood stove hearth to quilt on mine. We don\'t use the stove. In my last house it was a mobile home and I had to get the machine in through the window. It was quite a fete for the young movers. This time we had to go downstairs in a basement and that was tricky too. diagonal in a smaller room works too. I\'m in Idaho too in Boise. If you are around Caldwell there are many long armers in our area. I would caution you about thinking that you will earn money to pay for this right away. There are many established people in our area. I have only been doing my own quilts and hope to break in to the business in the future. If you love to quilt buy it if you think you are going to make a hug or even small business and can\'t really afford the machine with out making a profit then be careful. It\'s a lot of money for a young family to spend.

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As much as I like having my machine home in my basement studio...I REALLY REALLY MISS my off site studio. When I lived out west I had a 400 square rented studio that had all my sewing stuff. Yes, I was away from the house...yes I had long long hours, but when I went home it was home....I didn\'t have the phone ringing.

I was asked to put my machine in a LQS, but decided not to, because I wouldn\'t have been given keys to the building, I would have had to hold business hours of their demand, and I wouldn\'t be able to quilt into the night if I needed to. I wanted to have the freedom to come and go and that was my biggest concern....and they wanted 35% of each quilt for my rent. That alone made me run....as it was I rented my own space, came and went as I PLEASED and still quilted for them, at 15%. They took that much for handling the quilts and they did all the credit cards and if the checks bounced I didn\'t have to worry about it, so that part was stress free for me.

If I had the chance again I would put it in some out of house studio, only because I\'m more origanized when I have to go to work...when I\'m home I get de-railed WAY TO EASY.

I hope what ever you decide it works best for you.

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Tracie, I grew up in Idaho. Kamiah, up new Lewiston and lived in Boise when I was first married. Both my kids were born there. It\'s been a long time ago though.

I sort of have the best of both worlds as far as a studio goes. We built a separate building on our property for my long arm. It\'s very handy. I don\'t have to comb my hair or get dressed up to go to work and yet, it\'s away from the main house so I can get the feeling of going to work. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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I too am not a stay at home mom but am a stay at home quilter. Just That makes it wourth doing it at home. I guess part of that is I dont like to commute and have had worked out of a home for many years while my husband was alive. I acutally bought a house that fit the LA.! Just last night I came home from a guild meeting then I went back to quilting until 1:30am.

Thats my dimes worth.(inflation)::)

Sharon

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Yup, I agree with Sharon. On the pro side is you get visibility and an easy place to market your quilts and an accomodating drop off. But on the con side, I rarely see anyone with a store front working at midnight or one am in their jammies!

Find the room in your house or add on.

Are you still going to do the medical transcription? My DIL is working towards that as she has 5 young children.

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I am so glad that I have my machine here. I am a stay at home mom and work when the kids are at school. Other times I will fit in time as needed when I can like after they go to bed or even a little here and there on the weekends. I really like having the option to work whenever I want to.

If I worked out of a store I would have to keep regular hours and worry about interruptions of people wanting to come see.

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My machine and studio are in our formal living room; we never used that room anyway having a large family room so I have gradually moved my entire sewing room into that room and I love it. I\'m able to quilt a little while dinner is cooking or waiting on a phone call, etc. It is also a great conversation piece when folks happen to come in our front door! A friend had her husband partition off a front section of their garage then they put in heat ducts and a window air conditioner. It is her space away from the main house, yet close enough to run and quilt when she wants to. I like her system, she never has to clean up her mess!!!

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i have a 14 foot room for the longarm and my sewing machine and an iron board i did move my cutting table to another room as this is big 6x4 feet but i can take it apart comes in 3 sections. but i have another space over my garage for my batting and fabric. but i would not like it any place except in my home so i can use it anytime i feel i want to quilt.

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Tracie , Linda and "mlsudbey" - Welcome to the forum!!! We will have some

fun here!

I too am a "Stay at home Quilter" (I like that!!) My machine is in my living

room at an angle. We have 13 foot vaulted ceilings and I look out at our

trees through a huge 12\' by 8\' high double patio door. Love it!! Someday

when we have some "extra money" we plan on building a studio next to

our house. This will then be my quilting space. Hopefully at around that time

my husband will be able to retire and just set-up a small Tattoo studio in

there also, just for friends and such.

No matter how much space you plan on, you will fill it up!!! We always do!

Have fun with it and enjoy what you do, that is what matters the most. I

enjoy being home. If I don\'t want the phone calls, I turn OFF my cell phone

and they can leave a message!! Thats what voice mail is for........ I SO LOVE

having the caller I.D. thingy!

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Even though it is crowded having our Millie in our home, I would not feel comfortable having my machine in someone elses\' location. If I want to quilt at 1130 at night or at 4 AM - if I want to wear my old sweat shirt or go barefoot - I want that freedom. I would not want to be in a place where people would be coming in asking questions when I am working on a quilt that I need to get done today. The only way I would want to have the Millie in another location is if I had a studio of my own next door with a back door entrance where I could enter and leave with having to open the "public" front door.

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Hi Tracie, This is my experience with family/work at home or shop.

I agree with stay at home and find a spot. I have seven kids ages 4 months to 22 years. Staying at home with your work allows you to work when time is good for you and the family. I had a small craft store once... it got too demanding, and if something happened to one of the kids I had to close up and run out bringing kid in tow back to shop. (and of course that is when the customer just had to come in to pick up an order) Rent also cuts into profit. You will have to add travel time to your day too. I made more money from home than I did with a shop after expenses. Family is much happier with me working around the schedules too. Teens get guitar classes after school, I get an hour of babysitting to work it works for us.

Theresa

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Thank you for your info on our area. I have researched and realize I\'m tapping into a business that has some that are very talented in our area. We have owned two businesses through our home, both of which are still providing. I recently have decided to no longer type as my business, burn out set in. We are very blessed and I can afford a machine so I have all the time God will allow me to glean from experienced long armer such as yourself. I would welcome any info you can supply to a "newbie" and hope that there is enough room for one more :o). I\'m wondering if you meet with the "quilt whispers"? I have been obtaining information such as back log of quilters in our area, surveys, and chatting with quilt shop owners to get my knowledge base started. I have sold my own quilts in home decor\' shops and sell stitcheries as well. I\'m young and my kids are still home so I have time (God willing) to learn. I hope to chat with you some more.

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i have only been quilting for 4 yrs after the second year i bought the longarm so i am not that experience with the machine yet. i did not use it that much the when i got it as i had my mother to take care of her and she passed away last yr. so since then i have been quilting more and i just added the compu-quilter to the machine and trying to learn that and i have made quite a few mistakes with it. just to get the hang of it. but i also do regular sewing also as i make my own clothes. I don\'t know who the quilt whispers is. but i enjoy doing both kinds of sewing very much in fact i am making right now a quilt for my uncle as a surprise we want to get his kids and grandkids to sign it without him knowing it on christmas then i hope to get it done by the 30 for his birthday. i have all the blocks except one to do.

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Up until about 8 months ago I had all my machines at home... first one started in the dinning room then next three took over the basement, moved to a house with a grandroom large enough to hold all 4 machines then when I decided to slow down and remember what life was all about I sold 2 machines .... now I have my Discovery on a almost 7 foot table at home and my baby my Freedom on a 12 foot table at a private studio... I LOVE MY PRIVATE STUDIO !!!!! But my children are now in school all day and my oldest is 16 and can babysit at night if I want to go back and quilt at night.... The bottom line for me was I did what worked for the kids until they were old enough for me to be out of the house... yes I do have to get dressed in the morning and drive 7 minutes up the road but I love love love my little home away from home:cool: Remember where you start and where you end up next year or a few years down the road might be two different things all together so start off with your machine where you need or want it to be now and if things change just move it:cool:

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