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How To Talk Hubby Into It


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I too have been looking and talking about a machine for ages. It took awhile for my husband to get on board. He bought a motercycle last year-one day when he was making comments on my quest--I did ask him how much money he thought his bike might some day earn for him. He is now on board, and looking at machines with me, and even test driving them. Turns out he can quilt a pretty nice flower!!!!!! NOW WHICH ONE SHOULD I BRING HOME????? Good luck!!!!:D

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When you do convince him don\'t buy more than you can afford that will lead to anger and frustration if your business does not go as planned. Maybe by a used machine first learn and get good then upgrade with your new business. you will sleep better and you won\'t have stress money can cause such problems.

There\'s so much that goes into this business besides the machine. Thread, tools, Insurance, licenses, business software, maybe an accountant so much more like classes or conferences.

also get the book a referral of a lifetime by blanchard it will help you create your own customer base. when I researched my machine I could only find 2 quilters in my area but there is over 2 dozen!!

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My longarm is my version of a \'57 Chevy!! My husband asked me one night casually if I would like to have a longarm. Holy Cow! I wondered what brought this on as I had not mentioned one of my own after having my sons\' machine here for several months. Hubby went on to say that maybe I should look for a good bargin on a used machine within pickup distance. That nite I heard him on the phone with a buddy discussing an upcoming trip to a Classic Car Auction for his third car. I got online, posted my wants and had a machine setting in my dining room within 72 hours waiting on the delivery of the table, ROLF. He later said he thought it would take me much longer to find one:-)

Now I want a Tom-Tom, one of those GPS units. He says why? I said because when I and my girlfriends go quilt shop hopping it would be great. He says \'thats\' silly!\' I thought a moment and told him that he had a FishFinder on his boat.

He didn\'t say anymore and I am shopping for the GPS as we speak. My new TomTom will be known as a girl version of a FishFinder..................VBG

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Pencel, good luck. I showed my husband the info from APQS and other companies. He also read some of the threads that talked about resale values, etc. I\'m still working full time and hopefully can go part time in the future (not sure when). But this will still be here for me when I do retire and I\'ve shown him all the beautiful quilts that everyone has done and assure him that with continued practice that one day I will be able to do that as well. He has also seen the prices of some completed quilts in stores and on ebay. He has done nothing but encourage me:)! I am blessed to have him as my husband!!:D

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  • 1 month later...

Bonnie - that IS a good one! My Birthday is in April - so I LOVE

those Diamonds - used to buy them for myself - before we got

married.....

Pencel - I have found that it\'s a "good idea" if it is somehow

"HIS" idea. He tends to forget when I had suggested the same

exact thing months before!

Good Luck!!:)

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I realize this subject started in Jan but you all have some great advice. When I first mentioned the "possibility" of getting a LA my DH asked if they were much more or the same as my Viking SE. I took a deep breath and told him they start at about the same price (an HQ) and go up to about $30,000. He said"Do you know what kind of woodworking shop I could do for that money?!"

I told him he could do that if he wanted to if he was going to use it. That\'s what he always says to me when I ask about buying something in the higher price category. I took him to look at an HQ and he looked at the stitches it made with the SR and said they weren\'t very even when I started going faster. SO now where going to Paducah to look at the big "girls". I\'m not looking at a business but if it happens for a part time that\'s ok.

I was wondering about the comments I\'ve read here about the Gammill. Would you gals who\'ve had experience with them tell me what the negatives were/are? I know 3 people who have them and they\'ve been very happy. Joanne Hoffman said that she struggled for a year with her Gammill then after taking a class on an APQS realized it was her machine. Anyone else have that experience?

Gammill is more widely represented and offers a lot more with the machine purchase including delivery, set up and training. The locale dealer also offers a follow up class later. There are some nice features on the machine too. The prices are about the same but you don\'t get as much with the APQS.

SO tell me why you picked your APQS machines.

Thanks everyone

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My DH tried to talk me into getting a LA for 2 years and then I consented to look at Paducah. I had worked on a Gammill for 3 years at a quilt shop, working 4 or 5 full days. I visited all the LA sites and had plenty of questions, since I\'d quilted on one for so long.

I liked the apqs leveler bar that the Gammill didn\'t have because the quilt got pretty jumpy if I had rolled up a large one. I\'d had horrible customer service at the store with the Gammill. Apqs even checked with me on weekends and worked almost hourly with me when I had a tension problem. Gammill just said bring it up and they\'d take a look at it for $150. The drive was several hours.

At the time I got mine, apqs had a foot control for rolling up the quilt. That was a real sell for my RA hands. I like the lighter weight of the apqs, though sometimes I think it needs to be a bit heaver for better control.

I really like the Gammill feature where you can lift the top up and smooth out the batting. With the Apqs, you have to stuff the quilt under a bar so it\'s more of a manhandling job.

I love the control buttons much better on the Apqs. Just a very light touch and you get the command you want. I like the location of the buttons better, too.

There ya go.... 700 quilts on the Gammill and several hundred on the apqs. Hope this helps.

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Marlette,

When I first started, I was renting time on two kinds of machines: a non-regulated Gammill Classic and an A-1. Stitch quality on the A-1 was inconsistent, so it went out of the running early on. However, I was pretty sure I wanted a Gammill (SR of course! I\'m not THAT good :D), but I wanted to try each of the leading machines before I made my decision. I happened to be over in the Seattle area a year ago and decided to stop by Sherry Rogers-Harrison\'s place, just to try out an APQS machine before I started my serious search for the right Gammill. And that changed everything....

The Millennium was so light to move, stitched so beautifully, and the handles fit so nicely, that my decision was immediately changed. Which features sold it for me? In no particular order: lightness of the sewing head, design of the control handles (including all the buttons), power advance of the rollers, thread cutter, less maintenance.

The thing is, though, that buying a LA is like buying a car - try out all the models that fit your needs, see which one fits you best. Each manufacturer has its loyal customers, who wouldn\'t dream of switching, but APQS is THE tops in service. I have a friend who was given an 18-year-old EZQ, and still APQS answered every question and helped her figure out when things didn\'t work right. And this site is the BEST!!! Even if you should decide on a Gammill, please continue to visit us here - we don\'t discriminate!:D

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I test drove a Gammill, but it just didn\'t have the feel of APQS. I was very close to buying a Gammill when a friend suggested "considering" APQS. The consideration took a New York minute! Nobody had to sell the machine.

I will say that I have had very few issues to be solved, but when I need to talk to a tech, I get to talk to a tech and there hasn\'t been one time that my problems weren\'t quickly solved, whether it was user interface ( my learning curve) or actual physical issues of the machine.

I have found my Millenium to be reliable, easy to master, well-made, and easy to understand and adjust. The machine\'s stitch formation is top-notch, the company\'s people are wonderful to work with, and there is great integrity in the company. Anything promised has been delivered.

I even convinced myself to upgrade my wonderful machine for the new lighting. It\'s a machine and a company to trsut.

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Talking my DH into getting a long arm wasn\'t the problem, space was the problem. I\'m now situated in my new sewing cottage and still dragging my feet. I asked my SIL who lives in the area (I travel between Georgia and Alabama...cottage is in Alabama) how many people does she know who quilts and/or sews ....she thought for a minute and said "well, there is you and I, (pause), and I can\'t think of another person." I did find out Hancock Fabrics closed their store in town (Anniston, AL), and in order to find a fabric store, I would have to travel over an hour to Birmingham or Gadsten. My plan was to start a business once both my DH and I retired and permanently moved to Alabama, to help supplement our income....but now, I\'m not so sure. I haven\'t met one quilter in Anniston or the surrounding area, nor is there a quilt guild or anything having to do with quilting within a 50 mile radius. I\'m discouraged to say the least. I thought "country + quilting = business"....and have sadly realized that is not the case :(. I did meet one lady who had a Prodigy LA she was selling ... this lady worked at a new Hobby Lobby that just opened in town...she indicated when she bought her LA it would pay for itself...and quickly found out there wasn\'t the quilting interest in the area....

I still want to get a LA, just not the Milli, since the investment would never pay for itself, and have resolved myself to wait a while longer....

Mariah

(who is still lurking and reading....AND rethinking her plans)

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I was ready to call my order into the Gammill rep (he had been to several local shows where I had tried out the machine - APQS was never represented) when a little voice in my head said, "call Marina and ask her how she likes her Gammill".

I listened to the voice, called Marina, and she said she loved her Gammill, and then proceeded to tell me all the things wrong with it FOR AN HOUR!!! The biggest headache for her was that she could never get the tension adjusted well and had to use the same color thread in the bobbin as the top. This is even mentioned in the Gammill maintenance manual, so it must be true and not just her... That really got me comparing and I found a used Millenium at a great price and went for it.

As for convincing hubby - he had first suggested I get a longarm when he saw what a struggle it was to quilt with a domestic machine (but he thought it would be about $3K!!!). We both earn money and we make financial decisions together and we decided this was something I really wanted to try and we went for it. He\'s been very supportive - does all the maintenance on the machine. He sees that it makes me happy. :)

Julia

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Viki and Barb,

Thanks so much for your input. This is a great site and I will keep up with you all regardless of my decision.

Viki,

Since you live in IN was the company that told you to bring your machine to them Accomplish Quilting in MI? I hope not.:( I have been in contact with a gal there named Julie. She has been so helpful. Today she even called and suggested I come to MI and visit Deloa Jones and her Millie and then come over to Accomplish Q. to see the Gammill. I thought that was really nice. Who ever heard of someone sending you to their competitor?

I\'ve seen you all talk about Deloa and the workshops she\'s done so I was familiar with her name.

Julie knew I was considering going to Paducah to look at the APQS and even had looked for the B&B info where she had stayed. Then she thought of Deloa and told me so I could save us the trip. Of course seeing the quilt show would be great. But trying to test the machines and ask questions would be really hard for me with my ADD.

I recall someone else commenting on the handling of the Gammill. I\'ll have to pay particular attention to that. I will also call Marion Lutz in NY and ask her more about her Gammill. She won the APQS rookie award in 2006 at MQX. (That\'s the one in NH right?) I thought it was funny that she won the APQS award and she owns a Gammill.

Thanks again you gals are great! :)

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