Whether you plan to start a full time quilting business or quilt only the occasional quilt for others, APQS is ready to help! There are a few things to think about when starting a quilting business. At APQS we have been making quilting machines for over thirty-five years. We know how to support and guide you through your longarm adventure while you enjoy a quilting machine manufactured to industrial standards.
Our machines are all American made and we truly believe in the quality and durability of each machine we build. That means you also have lifetime customer support: certified technicians, technical support teams, educators and dealers are all ready to help you succeed. We make it easy to choose the right APQS longarm machine for you.
We invite you to experience an APQS longarm by:. Things to consider when buying a longarm quilting machine. Angela Huffman. I don't need a longarm machine, either — just more practice on the machine I already own.
Thank you from a husband of a quilter with no longarm. She has denied wanting one as long as I have been offering to buy one years. After reading your blog, I understand and will leave her to enjoy quilting her way. I love your blog and I love your opinions. I think you should quilt with whatever you want. By sticking with the domestic machines, you have maintained your accessibility to a broader audience.
Not only is that a great choice for you, it's an awesome business decision. Made obvious by what you've done so far, you are an exceptional business woman. Enjoy your art the way you want! I have to say, "You rock! My burden is lifted. Time to happily begin my journey on my domestic machine. Just go to eBay and do a search on "homemade quilt" and see what they go for: next to nothing, if they sell at all.
Sellers can't even recoup their money invested, even if they use a cheaper domestic machine. Why not just make a few, personal pieces of art of our own and stop there? The work would be more appreciated by our families and the world in general, and their value will hold over the long haul.
That's it. Thank you for posting this! I have learned to sew on it and I love my machine. I am sure I am not alone in dreaming that a new machine or maybe even a long arm machine would improve my skills. I am now venturing out and am so excited to try new designs. I like my vintage tank since she takes my "newbie" abuse and just keeps going.
I am still working out stitch length but it will come. Thanks, Leah. I was thinking about a long arm and looking at various posts. Glad I found this one. I'm going back to my Singer 66 treadle. I just found this post today…I do all my piecing, applique and FMQ on a Singer and have heard "Why don't you get a "real" machine?
Hi Leah, I came across your website less than six months ago and stayed up all night watching videos, then spent the next week FMQing nonstop. I've been at it ever since. I stopped into my local quilt shop today to start a scrap recycling program and got into a conversation with a couple of gals. They mentioned how their quilt tops are piling up.
Thanks again for being a great teacher and giving me the confidence to do this. Great insight!! You have challenged me to stop looking for the machine that will help me free motion quilt and start practicing!!
You just posted that you did, in fact, recently purchase a Juki QVP sit down longarm. What made you change your mind? Hi Marie — Great question! I've purchased a table mounted longarm, which was supposed to have a similar feel and movement to quilting on a home sewing machine.
It has ended up being much more of a learning curve! The reason I decided to purchase this machine is the massive change in machine prices since this article was written. So price wise, longarms have become far more affordable so you no longer need to justify the expense by starting a quilt-for-service business.
Does that make sense? This is the best post I have ever read, I'm still giggling. You are awesome and I love your attitude. Keep up the great post. I loved your text on Quilt. I have the same thought. I do Quilt by passion. I once wrote: I love to quilt. I think you fantastic shape with the line as if his hands had wings. For me Quiltar is a trip planned beginnings of creative means and purposes elegant, delicate and often cheeky! I would like to make it clear that all I know of Free Motion Quilt learned from you!
Adorei o seu texto sobre Quilt. Tenho o mesmo pensamento. Chances are, it's not the machines fault. Yes, it's easy to get into the habit of blaming the machine. The fact is free motion quilting is challenging no matter what type of machine you're playing with so it's good to always go into it with a mentality of practice and patience.
Yes to everything you said! I find a lot of snobbiness around sewing of any sort. I have health issues and there are days, weeks even when I can't sit at my machine. I recently started hand embroidery and I love it. It's something I can do on the days when I literally can't do anything else.
I'm absolutely hooked particularly on redwork. I posted some pictures in a sewing group I'm a member of and explained what had lead me to hand embroidery and 4 different people suggested I buy an embroidery machine. I mean Why? Lots of good reasons there! I don't find snobbishness because I just basically shake that stuff off.
I found that it hurt within minutes of me trying to quilt. I bought a simple cheaper frame and mid arm machine and could then quilt my tops again and not have to pay the big bucks for someone else to quilt them. It did take awhile to practice to finally get good results. I made several practice quilts. But it is all about what each person can do and enjoys using. I can't stand all day and my neck problems will return if I try. So I enjoy the midarm and frame and get my larger quilts done on it in a few days.
I also enjoy quilt as you go for some projects. I do know that a nice machine can make everything so much easier. But no matter the machine you always have to practice. Like everything in life! Your post just made me feel a lot better about not having a long arm machine. Not to long ago, I purchased a rather expensive sewing machine because I thought I would like it with all of its bells and whistles, but I reverted back to my more simpler machine because of its ease of use.
However all isn't lost on the more expensive machine, I recently had eye surgery and I am legally blind in one of my eyes, however that has not stopped me from quilting altogether slowed me down a little. My more expensive machine came with a magnifier which allows me to see fairly well with my good eye. I say all of this because things happen for a reason, I brought the more expensive machine because I didn't want to drop 10K on a long arm in hopes that I would be able to achieve greater success in quilting with that machine, when I didn't!
But in the long run in order to continue quilting I needed that machine. I didn't buy the long arm for the same reasons you have listed, but mostly because I quilt for me. I quilt for fun and don't intend on making a business out of it. Hi, Im a longarm quilter on my frame, and a midarm quilter on my sewing table. I love longarm quilting better because it comes so much easier for me.
I even quilt my table toppers on my longarm sometimes. Depends how I feel. I think it is so sad if anyone looks at any quilter the wrong way. Its all crafty and about how you feel about it. I love both. Thank you for this article! I feel so much better.
Everything has a price: vacations, movies, vehicles, etc. If you can afford it, you do it if you want it. So if you can afford a long arm, and you will get joy out of quilting your own quilts on it, then buy it.
I jumped in and bought a used setup - very similar to Jean's, but mine came with a robotic system Qbot. I was having problems with my machine, the repair guy came to my house and needed a new mother board. However, I can do my quilts on my own timeline. I can quilt in the middle of the night and don't have to "get in line" on a rented machine.
I am a procrastinator, so all of the Christmas gifts that get done in November and December would not get quilted on time if I had to rent the machine or send it out for quilting.
It is a big learning curve and can be frustrating, but it is also a lot of fun when everything goes right. I also like knowing that I did the whole thing myself.
My suggestion is to not be afraid of a used setup - these things are workhorses. Also, go to quilt shows and try out the different brands to see what feels good to you. Good luck, whatever you decide. I'm not just buying fabric, I am supporting the economy A bad day in the sewing room is better than a good day at the office.
Longarm machines are certainly an investment and require practice, especially for free motion as opposed to computerized. I would suggest visiting retailers that sell them and trying them out or taking a class.
This would help you determine what our personal learning curve is, and give you a better idea of what features you would want.
If you want to do large quilts like the one mentioned, be sure to price out the 12' frames that can handle king size quilts.
I purchased an Innova quilting system with a 12 foot table a year ago. I am still learning, but I am very picky about how it looks. My Innova came with classes that teach you EVERY thing about my machine and they do expect you to take them apart and do your own repairs and maintenance.
However, my dealer is within an hour of my home and will fix just about anything He taught me to take the machine head off the frame and just strap it in the back seat of the car and go. I have only had to take it in once I bought my machine because after doing detailed piecing, I wanted to do custom quilting. It is very hard to find custom quilters and they are super expensive. Also, I get attached to my "babies" and don't want to just leave them with other people and wait to get them back.
I considered my price worth a year of a cheap state college and I felt I was worth that much education. Some quilters will run a business and do other's quilts, allowing them to depreciate some of their cost.
I have considered the idea that if I ever get comfortable and good enough at quilting, I could always run that as a home business in the future if I needed some extra income. There is a lot to consider before purchasing one, but I love the fact that I can quilt early in the morning or in the middle of the night. I love the fact that when that quilt is done, I did every part of it. Good luck on your decision. In order to be able to load a quilt the size of the one you have right now, you would actually need the 14 foot frame.
Do you have room for that? That is my issue with getting a longarm. Purchasing a longarm quilting machine is a big investment. We recently asked our APQS family on Facebook what tips they would give to somebody interested in purchasing a quilting machine. The response was tremendous. The most common piece of advice that we received was to go out and try as many quilting machines as possible.
Measure the space where you want to put your new longarm machine — then measure it again! Many APQS fans suggested that this is an important task can be overlooked in the mist of the excitement of buying a quilting machine. The all-encompassing tip for purchasing a longarm machine is to do your research.
Get your eyes on every piece of information that you can. An informed buyer is a confident buyer. The thought of finally having that longarm machine all to yourself can be very exciting. Choose a manufacturer that will be with you for the long haul.
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