Longarm for dummies

[6KidsNMoreQuilts]

Ok, so for the first time, I've actually started toying with the idea of purchasing a longarm machine. I have no idea of price or even how much room it would take up, I assume a lot. Do you buy a machine and frame seperately? I see one semi locally for sale on craigslist, it says "14 foot frame, Gammill LongArm Classic Quilting Machine built in 1996. Just serviced, new motor. " Asking $9000. That's a lot of money and this is used! Please send me some advice on the whole deal. Do I really want to get into this, or should I continue paying the awesome longarm quilter I found and she does such great work!

[grammiequilts]

Last year in Paducah my sister and I looked at every quilting machine there are. You can spend any where from I guess 6000 to 40000 new . If it is for personal use it makes a difference then if you are going to sell quilting service. My sis bought a Tin Lizzie 18 she liked it, and she got about 1500 dollars off buying it at the quilt show. so it was about 6500. We will not be doing quilting for any one just her and I will use it and some of our quilting friends. I used it to make charity quilts for the guild and it takes practice. It is fun though. We figure we will have to make a lot of quilts to get our moneys worth. We are also going to a long arm class soon too so that should help. It boils down to what do you want to do yourself.
Gammil is the best but also the most expensive. Also if you are buying used make sure you can get service in your area incase it needs repairs.

[MastiffMomQlt]

Hi 6Kids

I hope all is going well with you family & that new, sweet baby girl.

I've been looking into a mid arm set up for home. A mid arm is up to 18 inches of throat (harp) space, anything over 18 inches is a long arm.

The mid arm I'm looking at is the Voyager 17 & I'd use it on the Hinterberg stretch frame. I've gotten my mits on it. It's super cool. I think a very good option for me as I intend it to be just for my use.

If you go to the Hinterberg website, you can learn about it. There is also a Yahoo group that you can join & it's VERY helpful.

I'm in the process of saving my pennies for this combo & learning all I can about it in the meantime.

Good luck, I hope this helps

[norwich]

I'm a longarm quilter and have a Gammill. I've been in business for five years now and I just love it! I bought the machine new for $15,000 ... I don't know what the prices are now. I bought it from a Gammill dealer (Quilt Center in Janesville, WI) and they sell used machines too and offer classes. It takes lots and lots of practice before you become proficient, but if you love quilting, it's worth it. My machine and frame came together and the frame is 14' long, but they come shorter too ... I think the smaller one is 12', but I'm not sure. Go to the Quiltropolis website and look under email discussion boards. Sign up for the longarm digest (under quilting) and you'll get loads of information. There is also a longarm Yahoo group. Yes, the longarms are lots of money, but if you go into business, you'll get the money back and you can quilt your own quilts too. You only live once ... live your dream. If I could do it over again, I'd buy a Gammill again in a heart-beat. I absolutely say "Go for it!" Nancy

[cindyg]

6Kids - you should come down to Houston for the Int'l Quilt Festival. They have every quilting machine there is set up for you to test drive. I found the A-1 long arm machine would have been my choice. It seemed to run smoother and was easier to maneuver. I have neither the room or the money for a long-arm but, boy, if I ever win the lottery........... Of the mid-arms that I test drove I liked the HQ-16 and with this machine you would still be able to quilt a 12" square. There was less vibration with this machine than the others and it seemed smoother. So if you would like to see them all in one spot and be able to test drive them, come to Houston in the fall.