When I first started to do machine quilting on my own quilts, I used my Pfaff sewing machine. The sewing machine had been around for 15+ years, so it wasn’t a specialty “quilting” machine for the home. After reading numerous quilting books and magazines about doing machine quilting I picked up on the tricks of the trade, dropped the feed dogs on my sewing machine and off I went to machine quilt my own quilts. It was self-fulfilling to me to accomplish a task and at the same time cultivate my talent of quilting. I really only quilted smaller quilt projects and only up to a lap size quilt, but still there was a gratification in completing my projects in record time.

Now, many of you are asking yourself, can I justify making the plunge to purchase a long arm machine? It is the craze, and I’d love to have one for myself. I’m really tired of paying someone else to finish my quilts and I could just use the money to buy my own long arm machine. Yes, I have heard those statements many times and I’m not going to discourage you from buying a machine, but I will give you a few points to think about.

• The average price of quilting machines in the US is $15,000.00. Yes, you can spend less or more depending on the size of machine, the capabilities, etc. So make sure to do your research and don’t buy more than you really need. A computerized long arm can easily be double the price ($30,000.00). Also, be aware that a mid-arm is not a long arm, there is a difference.
• Estimate how much you actually spend on having your quilts done. Now, take that figure and divide it by the number of years it would take to get your money out of the machine. Is it worth it? Take into consideration your age and health. The physical activity related to doing long arm machine quilting can take a toll on your health over the years. When I first started long arm quilting, a lady came into my shop and told me that she just sold her long arm machine because she recently had both shoulders/rotor cuffs replaced. I didn’t take her seriously, but after long arm quilting for 10 years I experienced a “Jones” break in both of my feet (over a 12 month period) which I attribute to long periods of standing. Also, as you get older you naturally have more aches and pains. Prior to purchasing my long arm machine, no one ever mentioned what kinds of effects it could have on your health.
• How much time do you have to learn to operate and fully use the quilting machine? It does take many hours to develop a skill for long arm quilting. Many quilters think that they can easily create the beautiful designs when they first start to long arm quilt. It takes many hours and sometimes years to achieve the level of quilting you might want. Looking back over the years, I didn’t start out with the level of expertise I now quilt. Yes, I was able to do a few meandering patterns because I had developed the skills when I machine quilted on my home machine. A friend commented to me a few years ago after she had purchased a long arm machine - “doing long arm quilting is much harder than it looks”. She didn’t realize how hard it actually was to quilt. Another friend of mine considered herself "stipple-impaired" when she started quilting. It is hard to know if long arm quilting is for you.
• How do I decide on which long arm machine to buy? There are many makes and models out there on the market, you need to do the research. Know the features you want and test drive the long arm machines. There are machine quilting conferences that have many vendors under one roof. I found out, after I had purchased my machine, that there are more quilting machines than I had ever imagined! Some machines you might think are the “best”, but in reality they only spend more money on marketing. So, do your homework, check out the merchandise and don’t base your decision on your friends opinions. You need to believe that the machine you select will do the job for YOU.

I was at a quilting show and a lady came up to me and asked me how I got my circles so round. I told her it was from hours of practice and later on in the conversation, she mentioned that she had bought a particular long arm machine and the bottom of her circles always had a flat spot. So, once again, know the quilting machine you are purchasing. You are spending too much money to be unhappy!

I know I haven’t covered every scenario when it comes to purchasing a long arm quilting machine, but I hope I have given you a few things to ponder. Good luck on your decision of whether to buy or not to buy and remember, there are a lot of good quilters out there that have paid the price of time and money to meet your needs.

~ Quilter Ann

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