Title: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Adam on December 23, 2007, 06:44:16 PM
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Would anyone be interested in me quilting for them?
Ideally I'd like to just quilt for other people and work on my own projects in my leisure. I think that would be fun.
--Adam
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: quiltermarynel on December 23, 2007, 09:01:34 PM
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Good luck! Several people around me do that. It is really important to be clear about what you charge and what sorts of quilting is expected. From my guild's experience with our long arm, it is important to keep good records and maintenance logs. We love our Nolting.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: TxMaryQuilts on December 24, 2007, 07:10:42 AM
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This might be something that is best done on a local scale so that you can meet with clients and really know what they want. Postage is so cost prohibitive that long distance quilting may not be an option.
Doing them long distance you would also need a secure way to get paid. You need that locally too!
Be sure and put it all in writing and get a non-refundable deposit. And don't give up the quilt without the balance being paid.
If your take your work to LQS's I am sure you would get customers based on the quality of your work.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: RitaQuilts on December 24, 2007, 08:59:29 AM
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Great Advice Tx Mary. I'm just starting into LAing and it has to be kept legal with licenses, very good records. etc..
Check out the local availability, per demand, whats wanted, find out what prices others charge, and don't over nor under price.. find out if they want to bring their own batting or want you to provide, or IF you want to provide.. Establish the diff between regular which is meander or e to e, and custom quilting, ie panto's, borders etx.. then you have the real pricy heirloom. prices are very diff.. check out threads.. long arm machines work at such high speeds you can't use inexpensive threads most of the time.. Superior, and Signature are the 2 most common, and in them are the metalics, Rainbows, King Tut, Sew Fine, Bottom Line, etc.. it's a whoe different world from regular sewing and sewing machines.
Good luck.. RitaQ
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Adam on December 25, 2007, 04:49:45 PM
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So santa brought me the voyager, hinterberg frame and the stitch regulator! I have to pay him back in a year but I don't see that being much of a problem.
WoooHoooo, I'm about to become like 40x more productive
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: finisher on December 26, 2007, 06:01:38 AM
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Oh Adam..Santa was good to you! Don't get too busy with your new toys to visit with us. :santa_wink:
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: TxMaryQuilts on December 26, 2007, 07:55:32 AM
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Well HO HO HO and Merry Christmas Adam. I am so excited to see what you do now. Be sure to keep a photo log of the work you do for others, not just your own, to have a "portfolio".
I just know you will be amazing at this.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Merry Bee on December 27, 2007, 06:20:42 PM
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Wow, what a nice way to begin a new year. You get a fantastic new set-up, a means of income, and get to do quilting at the same time! Good for you! I am afraid I have to quilt all my own quilts for the time being, so I can afford new fabric for the next one. But there will be plenty of quiltmakers there, I hope, for you to quilt for. Good luck, great news.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Dara on December 29, 2007, 09:40:09 AM
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Adam, you have such beautiful that I would certainly hand my tops over to you and let you run with them. I don't have anything right now but maybe when I get a top together and some cash, I'll send it your way!
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Calico_Chris on January 01, 2008, 12:24:47 PM
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If I were looking for someone to quilt for me I'd want to see a portfolio too!
Congrats on you new toy!
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: quiltermarynel on January 03, 2008, 11:11:47 PM
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Congrats! I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Cottonpicker on February 01, 2008, 12:41:23 PM
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Adam, How are you liking your Voyager? I have looked at it on their web-site and it looked like a good buy. I want to buy a long arm soon and would like to hear what you think of it.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Cottonpicker on February 02, 2008, 09:50:07 PM
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Bearfoot, I read back in this thread and saw that you have one too. Do you still like yours?
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: BearFoot on February 03, 2008, 08:13:28 AM
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Cottonpicker, I love my Voyager. For the price of the machine, it is everything that I wanted it to be. I have thought about adding the stitch regulator to it, but it is $600. Somedays, I think it would be worth it and others I just think it would be an added expense that I might not need. I just need more time to use it now.
If you are thinking about getting one, check out
http://www.hinterberg.com/ and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HinterbergQuilters/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Adam on February 23, 2008, 06:50:08 PM
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I just got mine on Tuesday. I'm tempted to say "I love it, save your pennies and buy one ASAP" because it's a very good machine and an excellent frame (for the price)
HOWEVER.
I got the stitch regulator because the whole reason for purchasing the setup was that so I could begin to quilt competitively and it is almost impossible to get to work correctly. The instructions for setting it up are vague and unclear and the method for attaching it to the carriage in no way acceptable. I ended up having to modify the way it was attached to keep it connected correctly. If I spend 4,500$ on something I expect it to work without me having to reengineer how it's set up.
That said once I fixed the regulator it stitched perfectly. They're all the same size and beautiful. Then I switched threads and all hell broke loose. The machine is VERY picky and I've snapped my thread about 100 times in one border. It's extremely frustrating trying to fine tune it to accept anything besides standard cotton. I'm trying to quilt with a thin thread and it's not happy about it at all.
I feel like if you're going to be doing pantographs then this is an excellent choice. If you're going to do custom freehand then be prepared to spend more time tweaking the machine than you will actually quilting. I'm happy with it, but it is definitely a machine that needs a lot of improvement and modification. The threading is difficult and it seems a little unnecessary in certain areas and areas where they need a thread guide there aren't any. They're all things I can fix but as I said for the money I expected the machine to be a lot more user friendly.
I'm most disappointed with the SLR and the way it's attached. You have to balance it on this tiny thin metal "spring" and if it's not absolutely perfect nothing works.
I'll attatch some pictures to show you the setup and my border quilting from hell (where my thread keeps breaking)
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: Cottonpicker on February 23, 2008, 08:48:54 PM
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Adam, Your quilting is fabulous! I love the spiky 'stems' in your feathers and those 'bubbles.'
Well, I want to thank you for all that information. I am not a mechanic and could not do all that you are doing to make the thing right. Especially without explicit instructions. I remember the day when the instruction books were thorough with pictures and every step for everything. Those days are long gone.
I would like to improvise and do my own thing if I bought one so I guess it is not for me.
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Title: Re: So if I bought a longarm....
Post by: quiltermarynel on February 23, 2008, 11:32:44 PM
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My guild owns a Nolting LA. Sometimes it get fussy, but mainly, it works well. It does not like any cheap threads or any lint at all. We clean the throat and bobbin case area after every bobbin. We were told to 'condition' the top thread with liquid silicon applied to a scrap of fabric in a loop of the thread path. It does help. Usually with my home machine I also find that acting up is from lint, often a very small amount in some weird place.
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