Dina

Do more than test drive, if you can. If you load the quilt, thread the machine, and quilt, you will have an idea if a long arm is for you. Just test driving on one section of a quilt doesn't give you the "whole story."

Dina

CarolynMT

When I decided I wanted a long arm, I did an internet search for "Long Arm Quilting Machines Rentals" and found 2 places close to me that offered rentals of their long arms. I had to take an "Intro to LA" class, which was about $150 for like 4hrs or so. Then after completing that class it was $15-20/hr to use her machine. I spent about 1hr on the phone with the proprietor, she was getting a feel for what types of quilting I wanted to do and where I wanted to go with my quilting so that she could get the right teacher for me that first time. I quilted about 3-4 quilts on her rental before I went to the MQX quilt show. At the show I tested all the machines. I brought a small notebook with me and wrote down all the things the sales person told me about their machine. While I was waiting for the show, I researched online the different machines, the different "bells and whistles", spoke with long armers. Basically to get a general list of things I wanted out of a long arm machine.

For me, the important things were:
Amount of control and precision with respect to rolling the quilt
Amount of control with the stitch regulator (I am a hell-bent for leather sewer I needed something to slow me down)
Size of throat (18, 22, 24, ....)
Amount of regular maintenance
Quality of customer service for the company.

I had a general price range I was looking into, and when the show arrived, I tested every single machine. Drove the salespeople insane I am sure. Didnt even look at a single quilt at the show either....lol, Then that night I went over the information I had collected. I narrowed my field down to 2-3 machines, went back the 2nd day and tested only those. Then looked at the quilts on show...made my decision and bought the 22in Innova. I love it! Best decision I ever made. But I will say, long arms are not for everyone. Definitely check to see if there are any rental places. If not, ask at your guild meeting (if you belong to a guild) if any of the long armers have time to teach you about it.

Good Luck!

alleyoop1

I have a Bernina 440 QE and a Bernina quilt frame. When I finish putting the quilt together, then I move my 440 to the quilt frame and load the quilt. It is not an ideal set up. The frame is large - 120" long and takes up an entire room. Also, my quilting area is limited to approximately 4 - 4 1/2" because of the small size of the machine's harp. I want to upgrade to at least a mid-arm but it's not in the immediate future for me right now. Having said all that, I will say having even my little machine on the frame is a whole lot easier than trying to quilt a bed size quilt on my sewing table. Plus I really enjoy the feeling of guiding the machine over the quilt. I've attached a photo so you can see my 440 on the frame. I bought the frame during quilt show time and got a really good price.

frecklestweety

thank you for all your suggestions and there is a quilt show coming up in Hershey Pa in July which I plan to attend and will check out the LA machines.

mighty

Yes, test, test, test! It is a large purchase and you want to get it right. I had a Viking 18x8 on an imperial frame for several years. It was a great machine. I just bought a new babylock crown jewel on the pearl frame and I love it. I did not now anything about longarms when I made my first purchase and later wanted a different machine, very expensive mistake.

Yarn or Fabric

I had a Bailey 15" machine on a frame and didn't enjoy quilting on it. I will say that there is a learning curve no matter what way you quilt. I free motioned nicely on my sit down machine and did nicely with the frame set up but just did not enjoy it - and it's a huge floor space waster. I now have a Tin Lizzie sit down and love it. I have oodles of space and I quilted an oversized queen on it in less than 5 hours while practicing my feathers. love, love love my Lizzie.

I suggest before you buy a longarm, look for a longarm class nearby - especially if you can get a one on one class instead of in a group. If you take a class in a group you will not get to use the longarm nearly as long as if you were one on one... Ask the teacher to skip the maintenance part of the class and just dig in to the quilting. I know that our local class is like 5 hours long and one hour is on maintenance alone.. and the teacher only teaches if she has 5 students so doing the math... you don't get very much hands on time - which is why I didn't take her class... there are others out there though if you find it.

If you enjoy the longarming after taking the class, then start to look for one that will suit your needs
Once you decide you really want to go for it then I'd suggest going to a quilt show that has all of the vendors under one roof and trying every single machine so you can compare... then you can decided if you want to go new or trade in or Craigslist. People sell their long or midarm sets ups when they downsize(like I did and I don't regret it one bit) and when they upsize... you can get a great set up for a lot cheaper if you bide your time and keep an eye on the sales (and check the local dealers for trade ins as well)

Best of luck on your decision

CorgiNole

Longarm quilting is a learned skill much like FMQ on a domestic machine, so the suggestion to test drive as many machines as possible before making a decision is very important.

The biggest consideration for me, aside from cost, is the space that a frame takes up. This is not an easy-up/easy-down proposition - so a frame will take up a considerable amount of real estate for a long period of time.

Next up is standing versus sitting while quilting. There is no way my back/legs would hold up to standing for long periods of time. I'm not sure if a rolling bar stool would help or be useful. One friend with a long-arm business has severe back problems, but I've not asked her if she is able to sit while quilting.

Then there is a preference in style - would you rather move the quilt under the needle or the machine over the quilt? I'm a quilt under the needle person. I did get frustrated maneuvering quilts through my Bernina 830 Record, so recently invested in a Handiquilter Sweet 16 - a sit down machine with a large throat - considered a midarm. To me it is the best of both worlds and the minimum floor space is 30 x 36 inches. You can double the width by adding on their sides or simply but tables up against the Sweet 16 table.

I also highly recommend Harriet Hargrave's Heirloom Machine Quilting as a reference if you decide to continue with your smaller quilts in your Bernina. She has great tips on preparing the quilt for quilting and exercises to practice to better develop free motion skills.

Cheers, K