Should You Buy a Longarm Quilting Machine?
Let’s talk about those “big quilting machines,” that everyone seems to have heard of but few people outside the quilting world seem to understand. A longarm is a large piece of equipment designed to make it more efficient to quilts specially to quilt large quilts. They’re super cool, quite the investment of money and space, and the aspiration of many quilters. But, is a longarm right for you?
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For some reason, every time I tell a quilt muggle that I’m a quilter, they all spread their arms wide, their eyes get all big, and they say, “Omg, do you have one of those big quilting machines?!” I laugh every single time (which might make me a terrible person, but it’s hilarious to me that so many people do this when I have yet to meet a quilt muggle who could EXPLAIN the “big quilting machine” to me). As you may have guessed by now, yes, I do have a “big quilting machine,” and I know many, many quilters who wish they owned a longarm. But, should they?
Is a Longarm Right for You?
Y’all. Real talk: not every one needs a longarm. I know they’re impressive and everything, and mad props to longarm companies for making everyone think they need one, but… (please remember this is my opinion. at the end of the day, only YOU can decide if you owning a longarm is your best choice)
Example 1
Let me paint a picture: Quilting Rockstar 1 takes Free Motion Quilting Academy, falls completely head over heels with free motion quilting, and now, instead of piecing several tops each month, finishes slightly fewer tops each month but takes those tops all the way to completion because she finishes them herself. She tries a longarm at a show, saves up to buy one, and when she makes the purchase, quilts more than ever because she’s so happy and so dang pleased with herself.
Spoiler: This Rockstar is a PERFECT person to own a longarm. Why? Because she was already an avid piecer AND quilter, and the longarm makes it easier to do what she was already doing.
Example 2
Here’s a different picture: Quilting Rockstar 2 loves quilting. She loves looking at pictures of quilts, she loves petting her fabric, and she loves the look of free motion quilting. But this Rockstar has a lot of commitments that take up her time (job, kids, family, other things, etc), so she only gets a couple of hours each week at her sewing machine, if she’s lucky. She really wants to finish her own quilts, though, so when she goes to a show and has some fun playing around on a longarm, she decides that THIS is the answer to her quilting woes (not finishing enough quilts), and she takes advantage of the show deal on the spot!
Unfortunately, several months later, her longarm, though set up, is buried under piles of fabric and projects half complete, and she’s never actually turned it on, much less tried it out. What went wrong?
An Exhortation
Sadly, the story of Rockstar 2 is one I hear a lot. This woman is an amazing quilter, but she is in an overwhelming season of life already and bought a longarm before even knowing if she liked free motion quilting or finishing her own quilts. She’s longing for more time to sew, but rather than figuring out what she could rearrange or remove from her schedule, she looked for the “quick fix” of a new tool. Or, perhaps even worse, she, somewhere inside, succumbed to the messaging that owning a longarm would prove that she’s a serious quilter, even though she’s too busy to stitch much.
I’ve been seeing, hearing, and sensing more and more of that message— that owning a longarm proves something. On the one hand I get it— that commitment of space and money is no small thing, but status symbols are dangerous. So, just in case you need to hear it:
Your worth, excellence, and awesomeness as a quilter are not defined by how much time you spend stitching or by how many cool machines you own. The most important thing is that you enjoy quilting with whatever time, ability, and skill you have.
Seriously. The point of quilting is to enjoy it. Not to make show quilts and not to prove how serious you are by buying a longarm. Hopefully, that just set some of you free.
Now, if I haven’t totally scared you off by hollering about your worth as a quilter, let’s get practical:
Things You Should Think About Before Making the Purchase
If you’ve tried long arms at the shows and enjoyed playing around and think you might want to make this big investment, let’s look at a few practical things to consider before you jump in:
Do you enjoy free motion quilting? Seriously. Have you taken a class? Spent real time investing in these skills? Gotten a total thrill out of finishing your own quilts in a custom way on your domestic? I know some folks “only do computerized,” but for the vast, vast majority of long arm buyers, you need to be able to USE the thing (aka hand guide it). Knowing you have the skills and passion on your domestic is a great indicator that those skills and that passion will translate to your work on your longarm. (looking for an effective, comprehensive way to learn free motion quilting? I’m biased, but I highly recommend Free Motion Quilting Academy)
Do you make a whole lotta quilts? If you only piece a handful of quilts each year, finishing them on your domestic or quilting by check makes a lot more sense because it would just take too long to get your money’s worth out of your longarm. If, however, you piece at least a quilt or two per month on average (or more!!), it could make a LOT of sense for you to own a longarm!
Are those quilts bed size? Throw quilts and smaller are pretty easy to finish on your domestic, but just a few double, queen, or king quilts a year are much more easily finished on a frame.
Do you have the space? As I hint above, quilts smaller than a double are quite reasonably done on a home sewing machine. Therefore, for a longarm to be most useful, it needs to have at least a 10-12 foot frame (at least 12 if you have a king sized bed). You can basically expect this machine to consume a large room of your house as you’ll likely need to be able to access the sides and back of the machine as well as the front.
Do you have the money? Y’all, these things are the price of a car. And, honestly, reasonably so, but it’s still a big pile of cheddah. Can you invest that much money in your hobby and get enough joy and use back out of the machine?
If, my dear Rockstar, you have the skills (aka, you already know you like the quilting process/ fmq), time, passion, space, and money in your life, then you are an excellent candidate for a longarm purchase! You are much more likely to be delighted by your purchase and feel like it was a good investment!
But I still want it
If, however, you cannot answer yes to most (hopefully all) of the questions above, and you’re wrestling with wanting a long arm, let me recommend some next steps:
Develop your quilting skills. Feeling confident in your own ability before you make the big purchase means you will be more likely to eagerly (even recklessly) turn that puppy on and get STARTED rather than feeling overwhelmed or scared once the set up guys leave (or you put your screw driver away) . As mentioned above, I offer Free Motion Quilting Academy, but you can also click here to sign up for my Top Three Tips for Successful Free Motion Quilting
Make Time. If you’re hoping a longarm will magically make you more productive as a quilter, then you’re probably wrong. There’s a learning curve with a longarm, and unless you already have quilting skills and the time set aside to get your tops quilted, a big ol’ machine is not a magic bullet. However, YOU absolutely can make YOU more productive as a quilter! Begin carving out more time for this thing you love so that if you buy a longarm in the future, you’ll be truly ready to take the step and enjoy it to the fullest
Find a space. I can’t wave a magic wand and make your house bigger, but you could creatively rearrange your current house or consider moving. These are BIG BIG steps, though, so I encourage you to have some real talks with your family/ significant other to make sure this is the best decision for everyone before you put a sign out in the yard
Get Thrifty. Feeling like you’re the perfect fit for a longarm, but need another ten grand (or twenty… or thirty…)? Talk about a good motivator to budget! LOL. Take a look at your household spending and see if there’s a way you could systematically, incrementally save up for a big ol’ longarm. Clip coupons, have a garage sale, eat out a little less, skip the Target Dollar Spot or Starbucks latte, etc to get the moolah you need to bring that baby home!
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that, if you buy a longarm, I want you to LOVE IT! Rockstars ain’t got time for buyer’s remorse, so I’d rather slow you down a notch or two and watch you have the time of your life later. Longarms are AMAZING, and I love having one, so if and when the time is right, I’m super pumped for you to have one, too! But if having a longarm just isn’t the best fit for you, remember, you are a freaking Rockstar! You don’t need a big piece of equipment to “prove” it!
Finally, if you have a longarm that you’re not confident quilting on or that you maybe haven’t used at all, be sure to check out my Top Three Tips to Successful Free Motion Quilting to get started today, and don’t miss Free Motion Quilting Academy where I’ll guide you from a beginner (probably scared or overwhelmed) free motion quilter to a confident, intermediate quilter in just a matter of weeks!
PS HandiQuilter has now released the Moxie longarm— a perfect machine for beginners. Click here if you want a longarm and want to learn more about this great machine.
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