ckcowl

HQ is a great company that has workshops, and many teaching programs. Contact them to see if any of their classes or workshops fit into your schedule. Also, if it was an authorized dealer you bought your machine from I would report your problem to the company-- handiquilter dealers give ( free) owners classes when you buy a machine.
When I purchased my first one I bought it in Florida while on vacation- took a class then and had the machine shipped from Utah to Michigan. I had problems at first with tension. etc... I called customer service in Utah and they helped me over the phone. They were great! Patient and understanding. Over the years I have called for help off & on, have always received great customer service. Now I am lucky to have a local dealer ( finally) who also is great. I know a couple people in our guild who have traveled out to Utah and taken classes & workshops- they think everyone should.

JustAbitCrazy

There are lots of great dvd's you can buy, but if you bought this machine from a dealer who refuses to give you basic lessons, I agree you need to first call Handiquilter to ask for another dealer to give you the lessons you are entitled to.

Wanabee Quiltin

Thanks everyone for your many suggestions, I will check into all of them. HQ knows all about my salesman, I'm probably the 20th + person to complain. He brings them money, I don't. In retrospect, I should have called BBB, but I don't live with shoulda, woulda and coulda.

pocoellie

Personally, I would call the headquarters of the machine, and inform them of the dealers refusal to teach you how to use the machine.

quiltedsunshine

HandiQuilter puts on some pretty great retreats, here in Utah. If you can afford to come, it's well worth it. I got to go for training as an employee of a HQ dealer. Here's a link. https://www.handiquilter.com/u_hq_retreats/

And here's a link to their "Events," around the country. https://www.handiquilter.com/events/

quiltingshorttimer

you are in luck! While You Tube has some terrific video classes, you can get tons of hands on classes at the KCRegionalQuilt Fest June 15-17--well worth the quick jaunt across the state to get there. Hope to see you then--Jamie Wallen, Angela Walters, and others will be there.

patchwork

Cindy Roth at Longarm University has lots of videos on line that you can get instruction from. She is located in Tacoma Washington and does have classes all the time. Very good resource.

sherryellen

There is a dealer in Highland IL who I understand is great. I have ordered parts for my machine from him when I got upset with the local dealer who had a 15% upcharge on everything. He did offer classes this summer. I hope this helps. Also My Quilt Shop in Arnold use to offer classes in long arm quilting. That was when I discovered that a sweet sixteen was more my speed.

carolynjo

I, too, had to deal with an uncooperative dealer when trying to learn how to use my new machine. I reported him, but nothing came of it and I did not get my lessons as promised. I am left-handed and dyslexic and think he didn't want to try to help me.

d.rickman

The tension on your long arm is quite different than your domestic sewing machine.

Remember left turn for loosie and right turn for tightening.

On my machine I can turn it left a couple of turns before it will loosen and then right again lots to get the tension to feel ok on the top. I found I just had to get comfortable with it, and it took awhile, and a lot of patience. Also found that I didn't have my needle into its slot exactly north and south (or east and west), so had to be certain it was correct. If you find lots of loops on the bottom, it will be your top tension that is the problem. I had to figure out how far I could stitch before my bobbin would run out, if I doing lots of stitching, dense quilting, sometimes I could only do
a couple of rows, then the machine would go all funny and found out the bobbin had run its course. Jut saying its' all a learning curve.