Longarm Lust-
You know you have it when you spend all of  your spare time walking around the house with a tapemeasure figuring out where you might possibly be able to put a 12 foot long machine and all the other things that come with this acquisition!
Only after that do you sit down and starting looking at the numbers and figuring out which one of your kids “just isn’t college material” so that you can fund this rather expensive venture without going into a sink hole of debt. Â Come one.. you know it is true.
There is no way around it, buying a longarm is a big commitment both in space and in money but it can also be one of the most exciting and rewarding adventures you will ever go on. The key is mapping out your journey ahead of time so that you don’t have any unfortunate surprises  after saying yes to something that most likely costs more than your first car!
The Key to Space –
Unless you are an art quilter who only works on a small scale your machine it going to take up some serious room.  Most longarms can be configured for 4, 8 and 12 foot length with others doing 5 and 10 and some going as long as 14 feet ( there might be longer machine but I have never seen one!) Remember you will then need room to get around it as well as room to use it and get behind it if you ever way to do laser guided work or pantographs. So minimum you will want is a  15 x 8 space. Have people gotten by with less.. sure!  but crawling under your machine gets very old – ask me how I know!  So know thy space!
The Key to Affording –
Longarms are expensive! Â Starting new at about $15 K and going quickly up from there depending on brand and features this is not a choice you make on the fly ( ok, I did and I am very happy with my machine but I BEG you not to do what I did, others have a lived to regret it!)
Can you afford  longarm? only you know that. But I will put in a STRONG admonishment not to think of a longarm as a big time money maker and if you have never longarmed remember you are going to need some serious time to become proficient enough to contract out to people.  I highly recommend saving up for your machine so that you will not have the pressure of payments if  those would stretch your budget some place that it cannot go.  Some are lucky, they pick it up quickly and can be running a young business in mere months but let me say I know way more who are well into a year with their machines before they felt confident enough to quilt for others.
Of course for some a loan or financing will be their only option and that is ok, just remember that you will be giving up time quilting for yourself if you are  slave to quilting for others to make the payments on your machine.  So up shot- make sure the payments are very reasonable, and again. if you have to, wait and save.
Key to Thinking About It.
Here is where I am also going to put in my plug for getting a longarm and not thinking of it as a business, but as a way to enjoy quilting even more and  fulfilling  your persona goals as an artist.  While there is no doubt that these machines are expensive, they are no more expensive than owning a boat or motorcycle for personal recreation. The argument that these machines must earn their keep seems a bit silly since  lets face it, you did not expect your mate to become the Gordon’s Fisherman just because they got a boat. So why should you be forced to  make a longarm a business  if that is not your goal?
Longarms are but one of the amazing options we have out there for today’s quilter, in fact some of the most stunning quilting I have ever seen  done was accomplished on a domestic machine so  take heart that even if your longarm lust is in overdrive  with no chance of getting one now that it need not stop you from doing amazing quilting no matter your machine or the space you have to do it in.
and speaking of keys.. I was at my local quilt store today and saw these and thought of all of you!   So for a bit of mid-week fun I will be giving these  Quilted Key Covers away!  Just leave a comment answering the question- Are you thinking about a longarm and if so what are you concerned about?
I will draw for the winners (2) On Saturday evening the the 8th of  June. Must check back here or on the BAQS Facebook page to find out if you have won!
Like so many others, I’ve thought about getting a long arm and quilting for money. I’m afraid I’ve heard too many give the advice that turning your passion into your job makes you lose your passion. I’d just as soon continue to make beautiful quilts for myself and my family when the mood strikes. Now, if I had a windfall and had the room….
I bought a used long arm about two years ago. I may or may not ever do quilting for others. I wanted this for ME. I’ll likely upgrade to something with more bells and whistles sometime. Yes, they are a lot of money. Yes, I can afford it. I don’t spend a lot of money on other things (as long as you keep cars out of the conversation). Like Maddie said, it’s no different than a boat or a motorcycle or a fancy car. I used to sew for others so I know what it is like to HAVE to do it. I don’t want to HAVE to quilt to pay for the machine. I will if I want, and won’t if I don’t want. I thought about getting a longarm off and on for many years before I did. I may never get really good at it, but I can certainly do okay with it!
My “longarm lust” has turned to obsession but I don’t want payments and I haven’t convinced the hubby that the unused Living Room is the ideal place for it. Time will tell. I’ve seen those key covers and they are SUPER cute. Have you seen the new thumb drives that look like sewing machines and tape measures? A little more expensive than the key covers but also SUPER cute!
I can only dream of the things I could create with a longarm. I would FIND the room if I won one, but on my owni just can’t justify it right now. I quilt on my Brother quilt sewing machine and practice, practice, practice! Oh and dream a lot! Lol
I made the big jump a yr ago and haven’t looked back…..I saved and saved and saved and it was Sooooo worth it!
I do want a Longarm. Right now my issue is money. There is a space I can put it, if I had a way to purchase, but I do want the largest I can get. I want an easier way to make larger quilts, and I’ve sold some on Etsy and Ebay, so this will make my quilting more efficient. Right now, I’m learning lots about FMQ with my domestic.
I gave into temptation last summer. My sewing machine store had a big sale on their demo models and I thought it was the only time I could get a good deal, so I bit. I got a Tin Lizzie 18 and I first set it up with the 5 foot frame until I figured out where I wanted to put it. I also had some time to practice on a smaller scale a bit before I expanded it to 10. After a couple weeks, I really was ready to expand it, but where to locate it? the only place I thought it would fit was the living room! I thought long & hard about it and that’s where it went. I spent all day Saturday (the first day of my two-week vacation) rearranging and setting it up.
I needed to start a load of laundry and since I was tired from all that, I put one in & sat down to look at some quilting designs in a book. There was a loud knock on my door. It was my downstairs neighbor asking if I sprung a leak. I turned around to look at my hallway. Oh SHIT! My washing machine had overflowed and was still going! Before all was said & done, the water flooded my bathroom/laundry room, the hallway, dining room, half of the living room and both bedrooms! So instead of the vacation of my dreams to become proficient on my new machine, I spent it in hotel rooms and waiting for my condo to dry out. I had to disassemble my newly assembled machine and put it away until I had a new floor. It was more than 6 weeks before I got it reassembled, this time in the master bedroom. I thought I would to better to have it in there as opposed to the living room. So I was financing this machine that I couldn’t use for quite a while.
I’m still trying to become proficient, but I don’t regret buying it. I have my two-week vacation coming up in another week and am praying that there are no more natural (or unnatural) disasters coming my way! I would really like to be able to spend time practicing.
I currently have a midarm-her name is Lula Belle. She is a Voyager 17 and I just absolutely LOVE her. I can do pretty much the same things the big machines can do. When I brought Lula Belle home 3 years ago I never dreamed that I would actually earn income with her. Just thought I would quilt my tops and let my quilting group do the same. Boy was I wrong. You never can practice enough. I look at my “doodles” from when I first started. I sure have come a long way in my quilting. I really love the filler stuff and just LOVE LOVE LOVE to quilt feather! Thanks to Maddie, I am very proficient at “Drag Queen Feathers” and proud of it! If you have the space and it is within your budget, I highly recommend it!
I would LOVE to have a long arm What holds me back you say? Well. mainly money. Possibly a lack of space, BUT, if I were lucky enough to get one I would make the space. Maybe the spare bedroom would just have to go, at the very least it would be reconfigured into a new studio. My husband couldn’t say no if I was lucky enough to WIN a long arm.
I have a long arm, it is a Hobby Quilter by Nolting. I’m not very good with it yet.
Oh yes…I am definitely drooling over a long-arm! I’ve got the space, but the $$$$ issue remains to be solved!! I love the comparison to hub’s boat! Perfect rationale! Thanks for that thought, and for the give-away!
I do occasionally have that lust hit. Then I think of 2 of my friends who have mid-arms & haven’t used them yet…after YEARS! I would have to save for sure if I was positive I wanted one. And have the 1-800-GOT-JUNK guys to my house to make room for it! ;^)
Ye si haved talked to my husband about getting one. Will have to wait until he retires and we move to another state and get settled. But room and cost would be the two main things. Plus finding one that i like.
Thought about, then did it. Great use of my divorce settlement, which would have been decimated in the last financial crash of 2008. Glad I have a Long Arm to show, rather than a giant paper loss. I loved it for year’s, and recently upgraded to the HQ Avante. SO HAPPY! I quilt for myself & charity, auction, fundraisers. Too chicken to quilt for pay….yet.
And I realize there’s a problem……my quilt pseudo-business is called Barking Aardvark Quilt Studio, or BAQS for short! Yikes. What if there is confusion? My Barking Aardvark is definitely Bad Ass, but….. I think I need some help coming up with a new nickname.
I have a mid-arm machine, but I would love a bigger throat space. However the cost is an issue. I don’t want to take out a loan as customers aren’t always consistant, sometimes I’m busy and other times slow or no business.
Well….. I love my long arm… but ran out of room with the business…. the studio is now the warehouse and shipping department of Blue Line Eraser…. I have inked out a space for sewing and replaced my long arm with a short arm (for my quilting pleasure only) a huge adjustment, I went from 18″ of quilting area to 6″. I’ve made the adjustment in my mind (which comes first in my land) I mark the entire quilt before loading it onto my frame. It’s a lot better than not having a machine at all. So I am planing more artie quilts.
I am part owner of a Gammill with two friends. It was a great decision, making the machine very affordable. We just do our own quilting, and the machine resides at one of my friends’ homes. I like the feeling I get from finishing my own quilts, because I can take ownership of the process from beginning to end. I have to say, however, that quilting a half dozen or so quilts a year is not enough for me to develop and maintain skill. In the beginning, I was obsessed, and spend hours watching videos and doodling, and my skills were better then. As others have mentioned, it takes time and commitment. One of my friends is a more prolific quilter, and we call her the “feather queen.”
I am moving away from my friends and longarm, and I will have a basement devoted to my quilting. I will definitely buy my own machine, and with it being at home I intend to spend much time honing my skills. The quilts I have seen on BAQ are really inspiring.
I currently use a 26 inch machine, and plan to downsize to a 22 or 18 inch. I have a pinched nerve and can’t reach the entire quilting space I have comfortably. I prefer to work close up. I would appreciate your comments about size and brands of machines.
I have wanted one for a few years but I am not sure I have the “stick-to-it-iveness” to actually own one! I’m flighty and love to try everything that comes down the pipe and then grow bored with it. So before I go and spend a college fund and redesign my home, I figured I should wait and make sure it will be something that I will indeed do for a long time. I tried them out for the first time last year at AQS Grand Rapids. I really enjoyed moving the machine instead of the quilt, it makes more sense to my brain. In the mean time I bought an Elna 740 with and 11″ harp to practice more techniques and get some quilts done easier than on my small machines (I have a small vintage machine addiction as well!) For now I am learning patience,saving money and increasing my confidence. My next biggest worry after that will be if I can get it serviced up here in the middle of no where! Hubby is a sailer and repeatedly tells me I will never spend more quilting than he does sailing…..we’ll see! At least he is encouraging (bordering on enabler!)
i would love to have a long arm with a stitch regulator and computer compatibility but i know its going to be a long time before want and cash come together.
I do not have a long arm, but would love to someday get a small one.
I wanted one yet tried a few times and with bad knee hip and shoulder. Well just felt I d not get use out of it as needed. I do smaller quilts and some people donate to charity and. I pay for mine
I have had my long arm for 2 years and I *love* it, totally love it. I bought the machine to do my own quilts, not with the intention of running a business. I had an unexpected financial windfall, and was able to pay for it outright. Even without a business, if you’re making as many quilts as I am, the machine will pay for itself in 3-5 years with the money you save not paying someone else to quilt your quilts. I wanted to make the entire quilt, not just the piece or applique the top. I wanted to be able to quilt any design, without saying, can I afford to pay someone else for a custom quilting job of this complexity and size. I wanted to be able to develop my quilting design as I went along and change my mind in the middle and do something else, if I so desired. I totally agree, if you get a long arm, get it because you want to finish all your own quilts. All that said, I am quilting a few quilts for others at this point. I quilt the shop displays for a local quilt shop, and some of the personal quilts for the ladies who work there, as well as the owner: because they are so fabulous, they are friends, and they all go the extra mile for their customers. It certainly isn’t a business in terms of being my means of support, though, I have a full time job doing something else. I have seen ladies who buy a long arm, practice 3 hours — that’s right, 3 hours!! – and then put a customer quilt on the frame, Unbelievable hubris. Within a day or two they are screaming for a rescue and help with the mess they made of a customer quilt. You need at least a year of practice, maybe 2, and need to have done at least 50 quilts before you even consider doing someone else’s quilt. Always ask a new long-armer you are considering hiring to quilt one of your tops how long they have been machine quilting with their long arm.
As much as I love seeing the work you all do on your long arms and I am in awe of it , I’ll leave the long arm quilting to my sister Liz. I am learning to free motion on my domestic machine.
Nope, no desire for one 🙂 I admire and ooh and aahh over the beautiful work produced by many using one but I know my limitations both financially and creatively 🙂
So what you are saying, is think twice before I put one of the kids up for sale??? Dang! I thought I had it all worked out: I would get their room and the ability to pay for the machine! Ah, well, back to plan B: saving for it.
Someday I would like to have one, but I don’t want to get it with the idea that it will be for doing other people’s quilting. So I really have to save! Thanks for the great thoughts!
Oh, I have lust in my heart. I’ve had the desire for years, but the reality of not enough money, space and time stops me. I have started renting one at a local shop instead. That should satisfy me for now.
Oh Maddie, what does it say about me that I am lusting after a second machine?! I would love one for strictly free hand. I love my computerized machine, but it does not hand drive quite as smoothly as I would like!
I seriously tried out long-arm machines for 5 years before I bought my HandiQuilter 16 in 2008. I am blessed that I was able to buy it for myself and don’t have the pressure of quilting to satisfy others. I recommend that you physically try every make and model that you can get your hands on. I knew when I test drove the HQ that it was the best “fit” for me….size, price and features. No regrets here!
My sister and I are considering a 2nd long arm – partly for our business, but really just because we both love ours soo much! Our current goal is to buy a 2nd machine in the next 2 years. Price is the only thing holding us back currently. We are enjoying your facebook and blog – it has greatly helped us expand our personal ideas and goals.
Always dreamed of getting a long arm. But you raised done great questions! Thanks for playing “devils advocate”…,
I would love to get a long arm but right now I live in a one bedroom trailer. Maybe one of these days. I think it would fun to quilts on the long arm.
I thought long and hard about before I bought my HQAvante18 Longarm. I knew it wasn’t going to be a business but as the years were going I was finding my days of Harley riding were winding down due to health problems plus sitting in the basement was the 105th Anniversary Ultra Classic Harley Davidison! So I figured why not and became a Longarm owner and could quilt away while hubby was riding I was quilting!
Would love to have one to make it easier to quilt, it would have to go in the basement though
I WILl one day have a longarm….for me right now is just saving up enough for one….I do not want to take a loan out for one so saving away.
I will definitely be getting one, and in fact my hubby has said he WANTS me to. He is awesome. We agree with your point that it doesn’t have to make money, just like our classic cars don’t have to support themselves. He recognizes that this is my art, my zen, and I love him for that (among many other things!)
We are going to build an addition that will contain our combined workspace, and that’s where my longarm will go! It’s probably 2 years out, but coming fast!
I have been thinking about getting a long arm but it will be 2 or more years down the road for me. We don’t have the space right now and I don’t know if I want the pressure of doing it for business. I used my mom’s juki to quilt my most recent quilt and I really liked the speed and power so I’ve thought about getting one of those for faster quilting (and more space on the machine) in the meantime.
I was one of those who did all the wrong things. Lust got the best and bought without test driving everything! For the next two years I will be a slave to my machine and others as I work to pay it off. Okay- so we really needed a tax write off and I wanted another machine. I would urge others to consider warranty, support, and how long those are at 100%
Oh I would love a long arm .. I watch what you do and can only dream of it all .. whats stopping me is the price #1 and the space #2… I will never give up , who knows maybe I will win the lottery hehehe
thanks for the awesome eye candy you make !
Have a long-arm…love it…wanted one for years, but the stars aligned and my husband got a job that allowed me to stay home and make long-arming a business. My first class 4 years earlier, the teacher had told me at the end of my first session…I needed my own…apparently had a talent I didn’t know I had! She continued to encourage me every time I rented her machine. That was a huge confidence builder in making the decision. Those key things look very cool!
Definitely been thinking of one! But the reality is even though we have room now, we are looking to downsize houses, and then I almost definitely would not have room. Also we are in no position to be buying or borrowing for one! Le sigh, but how I dream! And I completely agree with your last comment–I realized heart aching about it wasn’t going to get me anywhere and I might as well challenge myself and my domestic machine to do more! And maybe after we move I can start saving for one, and once the kids leave for college I will be able to afford one AND have somewhere to put it!
I am afraid I will be dead before I have the time and money at the same time (space is not a problem)
Every time I see a longarm, I dream of owning one. Love, love, love to have one! I even have an enormous great room where it would dominate the spotlights. Alas, the price tag is out of my range…..w-a-y out of my range. Last year I bought a Janome Horizon with an 11″ throat….so that will be my baby for quite awhile. But still…..I’m plunking extra change and $$$ into a tin in my sewing studio. It adds up, you know :o) Some day ——-
The only way I could ever convince my husband to get a long arm is if we win the lottery. However we will be building a house in the next several years and I plan on having space for one, the kids got to grow up and move out sometime 🙂
I am DYING to have a longarm – and since my husband is a tool man, he understands QUALITY tools, so I’ll never be asked why I chose the most expensive model. So right now I’m only being held back by a space issue, a time issue, and a money issue. But I know that someday soon I’ll figure out a solution to them all!
I, too, have lust in my heart– for a longarm. Price and space are most definitely drawbacks. I know I’ll have to have one with a stitch regulator, and I want it to be PC compatible :-). That way, I can do some very fancy designs.
A couple of years ago, my wonderful husband was really encouraging me to buy a longarm. Believe me, I’d really love to have one and we have plenty of room, but when I asked him if he’d rather have a longarm or a new truck, we ended up with a shiny red 4 wheel drive Chevy. ☺
I’ve had my longarm for 5+ years. The one main bit of advice I was given prior is that once you start quilting for others, the less time you have to quilt (and sew) for yourself. I now have to set days aside for myself every so often. That being said, I find great joy in taking in a top and handing over a quilt.
I would love a long arm as I quilt all my own queen bed quilts – the size, learning curve and maintenance are definitely factors to consider
Yes I have lusted for one for many years. But I don’t have the space, so I am fine with renting my friends. I do really like your comments about buying one for your pleasure and not having to have it for a business
I will admit, I am lusting over a long arm, but unless I win the lottery (you have to actually buy a lottery ticket!), I doubt I’ll ever own one…sigh. I have the room for one set up for kid-sized charity quilts, but it’s the price that my budget and I, just can’t come to an agreement on!