Are you a quilt top maker who sends their tops off to a longarm quilter to get quilted? Are you someone who at one point (probably right after paying your longarm quilter for their work) starts to think…hmm…I wonder if I should buy a longarm quilting machine and quilt my own quilts or maybe start a longarm quilting business?
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Besides the price of a machine (because you must really consider that!), there are many other factors to investigate before buying a longarm quilting machine. Here are a few things to consider as you start the process of figuring out if you should buy a machine and whether you should buy a hand-guided or computer-driven longarm.
1. What are your longarm quilting goals? Do you want to become a quilt artist and enter your work in shows? Do you want to just quilt on your own quilts and maybe a few for friends? Or do you want to run a longarm business quilting either custom or edge-to-edge designs for customers?
2. Do you want a hand-guided or a computerized machine? Becoming a hand-guided longarm quilter takes some skill, patience, and lots of practice. Whether you are quilting following a pantograph or edge-to-edge pattern or doing free motion quilting, it just takes time to get the feel of the machine and for your eye-hand coordination to get in sync to quilt smoothly. The learning curve to becoming a long-arm quilter on a computer-driver machine is faster because the computer moves the machine head, not your hands. If you programmed the computer correctly, the quilting could be pretty perfect, pretty quick.
3. What kind of space do you have available to set up a machine? The most common size of a longarm machine table is 10 to 12 feet in length–long enough to quilt large quilts. However, many longarm companies do offer custom-sized or adjustable-sized tables. For example, BERNINA offers the BERNINA Studio Frame which is a modular frame and can be mounted as small as 5 feet or to its full size of 10 feet. Having a stable and level table is a must.
4. Can you stand at the quilting machine for long periods? Although it doesn’t necessarily require strength, it may require stamina. Another option to a standing longarm machine may be a sit-down model. Adding a hydraulic lift system to a standing longarm allows you to adjust the height of the machine if your arms get tired of being in the same position for a long time. On a computer-driver machine, you are not necessarily standing in front of the machine for long periods (although it is fascinating to watch). You can set up the machine, hit start, and let the machine do its quilting.
5. Does your longarm dealer offer training and support? Can you call and ask questions? Are you curious and willing to learn about your machine, how it works, how it sounds, and general maintenance? Today, there is so much support online available with chat groups and forums with other machine owners, YouTube videos, etc.
6. Are you willing to practice AND make mistakes? Take time to practice on some dog quilts that you can donate to a local chapter because those pups are not going to care if your quilting isn’t perfect! When you make a mistake, take the time to figure out what happened, fix the problem, and start playing again. It is best to experiment with your longarm quilting techniques on different types of battings, thread weights, and fabrics. Don’t be afraid to adjust the tension on your machine! Not comfortable moving that tension knob? Ask for help from your dealer until you are!
7. Racking up a quilt with the quilt top, batting, and backing, and putting it on the frame takes some time. But with practice, you can get very efficient at it.
8. Longarm machines need regular cleaning and de-linting and some oiling. Each time you use your machine, you must clean and oil it. The process takes just a minute to two but must become part of your routine.
9. Play before you pay. Go to a dealer and ask to spend some time quilting on the machine you consider buying. Learn how to rack up a quilt, thread the machine, pick a design, and quilt something. You are making a significant investment; make sure the decision is the right one.
10. Choosing a good dealer is as important as choosing the right machine. Besides price, consider the machine’s warranties, the ease of operation, and threading the machine. Buy a machine from an authorized dealer with a staff who can answer questions, offer training and support, carry longarm-specific supplies and parts, and have trained technicians available to help.
Have fun playing and exploring longarm and midarm quilting machines. And don’t forget to stop by your local BERNINA dealer to test drive their sit-down and stand-up models, and both the hand-driven and computer-driver machines– you might never want to leave the dealership!
By Jess Zeigler
I get asked for machine buying advice often. I like to share the path that I took because all of these years later, I'm still thrilled with my purchases!
You should also know that I'm a person that will probably never buy a new car because I don't want to take the financial hit that comes with driving it off the lot. Is this me being stubborn or sensible? Yes to both! :)
I'd much rather buy a quality used car because it makes more financial sense to me.
Perhaps I'll get to the point someday that I'll buy a BRAND SPANKING NEW car, just to relish in the newness of it, financial sensibility be damned!
But for now, that just doesn't align with my goals or desires.
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Why am I talking about car buying? I think that car buying is something a lot of people can relate to. And it's in the same neighborhood as far as size of monetary investment. It's a big purchase that you'll want to put some thought into.
When you think about makes of models of cars, you can apply the same idea to makes and models of longarm quilting machines. There will be brands that just feel better, sound better, look better, perform better for certain people and not others. It's just the way the world works.
Are you within driving distance of a longarm quilting dealer? Pay them a visit!
Will you be attending a quilt show soon? Wander around the vendor booths and try a bunch of different machines.
See the quality of stitches up close. Feel how smoothly the machine carriage glides. Talk to other quilters who have the same brand of machines, is there anything they regret about their purchase? Do your research online. Does the brand of machine you like have a reputation for excellent customer service? How do they handle unexpected problems? Do they have online videos or tutorials to help you along? Do they have a Facebook group that you could join? What kind of education or training is available after the purchase?
When I FELL IN LOVE with longarm quilting, it was on an older, no-frills Gammill machine that belonged to someone else. It wasn't computerized, it didn't even have a stitch regulator.
The machine was fine. I loved the frame that enabled me to load a big quilt quickly and avoid pin-basting. And I loved that with a little practice learning how to negotiate the weight of the machine in my hands and knowing how to adjust my speed, I could learn how to quilt with it.
When I started to realize that I NEEDED to have a longarm quilting machine of my own in my life and in my house (I learned in a quilt shop), I decided to check out some other makes and models.
Pretty quickly, I honed in on the APQS Millennium as my dream machine. I'm completely biased by the fact that their machines are built about an hour's drive from my house and I'm a big supporter of other Iowa-based businesses. Some quilters that I really looked up to also used APQS machines, so that influenced my decision as well.
I knew going into the purchase that I was going to use my longarm machine to make money. I didn't even think that people could buy a longarm just for their own use! Wasn't it a law or something that you had to go into business if you owned one? :)
I had signed up for APQS's marketing emails and every once in a while, they would list certified used machines for sale. I watched these emails closely.
I saw a Millennium come up for sale through one of those APQS emails and I jumped at the chance to own it sight unseen (I had test driven other similar models so I knew what to expect generally). This was in , so the machine was already 11 years old by the time I owned it.
I saved a good $10k by buying that machine used. Like a certified used car, the machine had been through a thorough inspection at the factory and all worn parts had been replaced. There was a warranty to ensure that if any trouble came up, it would be covered. It was a comfort to me that I lived so close to the factory that I could load the machine in my car and drive it there if something went wrong. To me, it was the best of both worlds.
Knowing that APQS builds machines that are built to last, I would prioritize the must-have features over the age of the machine. I would guess other reputable brands are the same way. In my case, the large throat space and a stitch regulator were the features most important to me. I really didn't care how old it was. I knew that the price was right and I could recoup my investment much more quickly than buying it brand new.
Now, it's , and my machine is 23 years old! Does that surprise you? I've put it through seven years of HEAVY use and it's still going strong. I keep it clean, but I've never had to take it anywhere for anything. I probably should schedule a professional maintenance/cleaning at some point just to keep it working perfectly. I love my machine more today than when I got it! :)
Just like buying a car from Craigslist, you might get a heck of a deal, you also might not. It's possible that the seller may not know a lot about the machine if it's inherited from a family member, for example. It's not that I wouldn't consider it, I would just want to take extra precautions. Would you be able to hire an independent technician to check it out with you? Does the reason for selling make sense? Would they let you try it out?
On the bright side, the bonus of a private sale is that you might be able to get a bunch of add-ons or accessories thrown in with the sale. It'll take more diligence and research but this route might result in a great deal, too!
When I decided enough was enough of hand-guided (mostly custom) quilting, I approached the purchase of my computer/robotics much like I did the purchase of my longarm. I first asked local quilters who I knew were running different systems on their APQS machines (so that I could compare apples to apples) if I could visit them, observe them using their machines and ask questions. One quilter used QuiltPath and the other used Intelliquilter. The Intelliquilter system for me was the standout winner and it wasn't even a close decision. Intelliquilter just felt so easy and intuitive to me.
I had such an amazing experience buying my longarm machine used (about 5 years prior) that I first tried finding a used Intelliquilter system. I looked for a few weeks and wasn't finding anything. I'd guess that it's pretty rare to sell an Intelliquilter used without it being bundled with the actual longarm machine. And I wasn't in the market for a new machine. That's when I decided it was worth it to buy new. Send us an [ protected] if you need a sales rep for Intelliquilter, we'd be happy to recommend someone.
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