Butterfli19

I'm drooling over the patterns and wondering if the day comes when I have the room, would I actually buy one? I'm so not mechanically inclined and have no man-dude to assemble one for me, and then there is figuring out how to use it...brings on a panic attack just thinking about it, lol.

So tell me you lucky long-arm owners, how difficult is it to assemble and learn?

feline fanatic

Buy from a dealer. You happen to have a very nice one opening soon in Claremont NH for Innovas. A dealer either deliver or will have your machine drop shipped to your home and then come to your home to set up your machine and usually offer free lessons. A good dealer is worth their weight in gold. Additionally Innova offers awesome over the phone tech support 24-7-365. Can't go wrong!

As far as learning, it does take practice but some of us kind of hit the ground running. Others start out walking and work their way up but we all get there depending on if you want to put the time in or not.

dunster

We purchased my longarm (Innova) from the dealer in Ephrata, WA. The frame was partially put together, but we transported it in pieces in a pickup (poles hanging out the back) to our home in Albany and my DH and I finished the assembly. It wasn't that hard, but it helped having two people working on it. I had classes at the dealer before bringing the machine home and have since then read books and watched videos. Like any sewing, I think it requires a certain amount of logic. When something is wrong (tension problems, uneven stitch length, etc.) you need to be able to trouble shoot it, but "it ain't rocket science."

Pam S

Yup, buy from a good dealer and pay the extra charge for delivery and set-up. It was worth it to have a big, strong guy carry the whole thing in (even those poles are heavy if you get a good solid frame). DH was here to help him and says we're never moving from this house because he's not carrying that thing out! The dealer will make sure everything is level and in working order. He should run through the basics from loading to threading to pantos and make sure you're comfortable with it before he goes. What took him a few hours would have taken us a few days. When he left, I felt comfortable enough to try it on my own. How often do we see posts here from people who say, "My LAs been sitting in the box for months and I haven't attempted to set it up yet" or "I've got it set up but I haven't got the nerve to use it yet." I think if you're going to invest that much money, a few hundred more for set-up is definitely worth it.
When I went in to the dealer for my lessons, she told me her first LA was drop-shipped on the end of her driveway and she and her DH (who does the delivery and set-up now) had a horrible time getting it in the house and set up. So they encourage their customers not to go it alone.

PaperPrincess

I have a man-dude who is pretty handy & helpful, but I paid the extra charge for them to come out and set it up. Worth every penny. I have an 18" throat and the machine weighs close to 70 pounds. He & his helper set it up, leveled it, gave me instructions on basic maintenance, how to put a new needle in, wind a bobbin etc. and made sure that it worked in and out of stitch regulation mode. this last part was important! If something didn't work, I wanted to make sure it was just me and not something with the set up.

cindi

It doesn't matter what a dealer or teacher shows you. You have to practice, practice, practice! That's the ONLY way you'll get good at it. Put a big ol' piece of plain cotton fabric on the frame, and have at it. The more you practice, the better you'll get. It takes time, but it would take the same amount of learning time doing it on a DSM. The first two quilts I ever quilted on the frame were ones I'd thrown together just to get some experience on the frame. They weren't perfect, but they're still two of my favorites today!

Annaquilts

If you buy from a dealer be sure they install and it is working well after delivery. I have been very happy with my dealer even though they are out of state. There is a definite learning curve. I feel after a year I am still learning. My machine, Innova 26 inch LS, came with three days free classes and a phone number to call any time for help. I quilt nearly daily and have done over 50 quilts in the last year. Pick a machine that is easy to handle and intuitive for you. It was very important to me to have a machine that is light to handle while quilting. Do not worry if you do not have a personal dude to help you. There are many ladies that do all that stuff themselves or with whatever help is available. It is a big investment but a long arm, if you are interested, is so nice. I have done many large quilts, 10ftx10ft, on my frame and I love having a long arm and being able to do those quilts. Remember throat opening and frame size will determine how large a quilt you will be able to quilt on it. It took me some time to realize I needed a 12 foot frame to do a Cal King quilt and a large opening 26 in. to do 12 in. blocks set on point without having to advance the quilt. I am just throwing that in there because I almost bought the wrong size machine.

CarolynMT

I bought my Innova at the MQX show in manchester this past april and I have to tell you I havent been happier. I actually met the new dealer from claremont at the Mancuso show this past month. I got mine from the guys in VA. But the dealer in NH said he would be taking all the NE people if we wanted. He is a great guy, spent some time chatting with me about my machine.

I am so very happy to have my machine. She is my baby I am still learning but that is ok, nothing worth having is easy (or so my mom tells me)

I would recommend getting a dry erase board and markers, then start going through the you tube videos. Handi-Quilter has some great teaching videos.

One thing I did do though, I looked around for a rental place and learned to use a LA before I got my own machine. My thoughts about this was that I wanted to make absolutely sure that this was something I wanted to do before I sunk that kind of money into the machine. There is a place in Amesbury, MA that has a Prodigy for rent, place in Pelham, NH with a Handi-Quilter, and a place near Woburn, MA that has a Gammill. Feel free to PM me if you want the names of any of those places. I also believe the Claremont, NH store rents the Innova too (not entirely 100% positive on this though)

Good Luck!

Butterfli19

Great information, thank you so much!

@CarolynMT - I'm not ready to buy yet as I really don't have the room, but will definitely try them out first. It's good to know that's an option.

lfletcher

I bought my Gammill from the dealer and they delivered and set it up for me. He also gave me a demonstration. My purchase included a free two-day training class. Although I had to travel and stay in a hotel 2 nights, it was well worth it. I can call them anytime I have problems and they walk me through what I need to do. I haven't had to call them in a long time. There is a learning curve based mainly on fear. Just dive in there and practice a lot. Each day you will get more comfortable.