letawellman

For the pushy hubby, find out what his hobbies or interests are - does he golf? work on cars or small engines? do woodworking? Find out, then ask him if a new set of golf clubs or mechanics tools or a band saw mean that someone is automatically a "pro" at doing that. Of course, he's going to say "No!"

Then tell him it's the same thing with the longarm.

As others have said, some people just have a "knack" for doing this - others take a little longer. And having a computer-guided system will not necessarily make it faster/easier/more professional.

I would recommend that several of your group find a nearby LA dealer, and ask for a group demonstration. This should allow several people to "test drive" the machine, and will quickly help you discover who has the "aptitude" for it. Then, if you have two or three who seem to really have "the knack", negotiate a "group price" for the training.

Most of all, you REALLY do need to "test drive" - as many different machines as possible. It's amazing how different the machines can "feel".

Good luck!!

quiltingshorttimer

you've been good advice from many but one part of your OP stuck out to me--that his idea was to get the LA in order to make a profit for the church. I'm going to make a guess that if there are that many ladies at the church quilting, then your area may have many, many quilters and at least some LA already. As many have said about selling quilts--there isn't much profit there! And you would be competing with your area LA who are already established. While the idea of getting a LA for the purpose of charity work, or to provide a way for quilters in the church to finish quilts at a modest fee---then go for it. But I do think your group should look long & hard at the idea of making $$ on this. I heard from a LA rep last year, that while it's still possible to make $$ as a LA quilter, the "competition" for that has really increased with the advent of the many affordable mid-arms and sit-down quilters. And now, with the addition of the ruler systems for domestic machines, I suspect this will only become more competitive.

love to sew

I find that quilting with the computer takes much longer as lining up each new pass takes more time. I find that freehand free motion is quicker for me. But at least 8-10 hours to quilt.

love to sew

very well said. lots of things to consider. don't expect to make lots of money!

Carol Jean

I would say that is about right although some quilts are more difficult. What I mean by that is as a longarmer will get quilts that are not squared, tangled with thread and not enough batting or lining. I usually call the customer and discuss this with them and charge them a fee. This does not happen all the time but once in a while it does. But normally 6 hrs is good for a pantograph. Custom quilting and ruler work takes longer depending the size of the quilt.

Peckish

And then there are the tax implications....

Watson

I had no idea you could do a quilt so quickly on a long arm. Is this based on an overall design? What if you are doing an original design or rulers? Is it still that much faster than a DSM?
It makes me slightly green when I think of the MANY hours I've spent FMQ-ing a queen size on my DSM and I'm not nearly done. I've been working on it off and on for over a year.
It makes me want one more than ever.

Watson

AngelaS

We've only had our long arm since October and it takes about 6 to 8 hours to do a quilt. Dh took the class on how to run it with me and he's probably better at setting up the computer aspects than I am. I'm better at squaring up and picking designs.

I find it's way faster to do a quilt on the long arm then on my regular machine and way easier since I'm not moving all that bulk on my sewing table. I'm looking forward to learning how to drive my long arm myself and create my own designs.

quiltingshorttimer

Watson, the OP was asking about a simple panto on a queen, and yes, the time would probably average about 6 hrs. Using custom work, hand guided, with rulers or stencils or other marking, would depend on the degree on intensity of the quilting. I did a 96" sq., ALL rulers, LOTS of thread changes & starts/stops for a customer and it took 33.5 hrs--that was the Jaybird Gravity quilt shown in the KC Regional Quilt Fest guild display--but in my experience that is extreme. Most custom quilts would not take that long or have near that many thread changes as customers would not want to pay the $$ for it!