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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Sept. 22, 2007, 6:42 PM
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Hi, I have just started looking into quilting machines. I like what I see in the HQ for the price. I would like to plan on using this to quilt for others as a business. Probably part time for now but it if all goes well I can retire in 5 years at 55 and do it full time then. Does anyone use this machine for a business and what can you tell me? Any information at this point would be a GREAT help. Thanks, Debbie in FL |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Sept. 23, 2007, 8:56 AM
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You might want to join longarmchat.com There are several business quilters on there that could give you some information. Also, look at some of the longarm quilters websites for pricing and requirements. I am planning to start up longarm quilting but I need a bit more practice before I start doing it for others. I had looked and tried SEVERAL other machines and found the HQ16 was my best fit. I also bought the QuilTable with mine and don't regret my decision at all. Good luck and keep us posted on what you do. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 12, 2007, 8:17 AM
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OK....first timer! :) i've read through quite a few posts on this entire forum and have a million questions. I, too, am considering starting a business, but because of several limitations, I have to overanalyze the situation. Been wanting to do this for some time and I'm not getting any younger...need I say more? Several issues that I really need some been-there-done-that advice on. First, I haven't purchased the machine yet (waiting for funding), but I'd like to know about any of the extras. Seems to me, every time I purchase something for the kids, there's always some "extra" that "must" be purchased in order for it to work properly....any suggestions other than the no-brainers (batting, muslin, extra thread, etc)? . Second, I MUST seek office space somewhere as there is no room in my house that's large enough to accommodate the machine/table - not an exaggeration. I'd love to avoid this extra cost if anyone has any suggestions...other than setting up/taking down each time. Third, and I realize there are alot of variables in this question, how long should I give myself to get established once I get the machine and get a few weeks(??) of practice in? Any wise, sage answers are more than welcome :) |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 12, 2007, 1:40 PM
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I'll jump in here. I have had my HQ16 for 3 years. My plan was to do it as a business part time until I could retire (next year?). I actually offered my services to the public after 3 months. I didn't ruin anything for anyone but I could probably have used more experience. My practice pieces were okay so I thought I was ready. You really need experience on other people's work. Most of the problems I have had are from piecing problems, things not square, etc. I would suggest that you first practice on plain fabric. Once you are comfortable there offer to quilt charity pieces for other people for free. The experience will be well worth your time. Do not plan to set up and take down this machine. It is advertised as portable and it can be moved but not easily or often. I have mine set up on a 10' table as that is all the space I have. There are lots of accessories (expensive!). I made my own extended table and feel it is a must for ruler work. I haven't bought anything else that was expensive, just pantographs and stencils. I just ordered the channel locks but they were only $3. The other items are nice to have and once I start making steady money I may buy some of them. Hope this helps, Vicky |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 12, 2007, 2:06 PM
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| vicky, thanks for being so helpful and honest regarding the time frame! i'll be back, i'm sure. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 13, 2007, 11:06 AM
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Things you DO NOT WANT TO SCRIMP on is thread and good thread nippers. I am really emphasizing the THREAD part! I had found a store going out of business. At the auction there were baskets FULL OF THREAD. The brand is not one I've heard of before, and it all being wrapped I couldn't feel it to see if it was good quality thread. I got it home and it seemed to be great, inside of the cones stated 100% cotton so I gave it a go. I'm SO GRATEFUL that it was one of my own quilts. The thread went thru the machine like a charm. But this being a well used quilt that gets washed quite often, in just 3 months that thread has literally disentagrated! In fact, I have that very quilt on my machine now being RE QUILTED! You do want to practice A LOT on pieced quilts. Practice with loading your quilt too. BE SURE IT IS ON STRAIGHT! It may look straight when you first get it on but you might find at the end it is really "heading off the the Jones". Before I load a quilt I always make sure the ends are straight, and as I'm rolling it onto the bar I constantly check to make sure it is rolling up straight. Regarding tools to have in your arsonal, I have 4 tools that I constantly use and would be lost without them 1. The HandiVersa Tool from HandiQuilter 2. The HandiQuilter Ruler 3. The HandiQuilter Nested Half Cirles 4. The HandiQuilter Ruler Base I practiced for about 3 months, did A LOT of charity quilts, and got very good at using my rulers. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 13, 2007, 11:17 AM
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| wow! you quilting babes are awesome with the helpful hints!! thanks so much! |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 13, 2007, 8:47 PM
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Vicky - When you say you made an extended table, is that in place of the ruler base for the machine? If so, how did you make it? Memaw - my local quilt store does all their longarm quilting on the HQ16. Everything turns out just beautiful. The machine is very easy to use and looks nice too, unlike some of the longarms that have that "industrial" look. Their tech support is great too. Also, for those interested in starting a quilting business, here is a nice blog on that topic - http://judylaquidara.blogspot.com - go down the page on the right side until you see Longarm Posts. She covered a lot of things I wouldn't even have thought of. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 14, 2007, 2:03 PM
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| rooberts- Thanks for the website info. A great place for getting info. to get started if that's the route you want to go. Not sure I'll ever do it for "pay" but she's really thought it through and shares experiences from herself and others. I also found Bonnies website while there. Hers is http://quiltville.com. She has free patterns and she shares her gorgeous quilting of customers quilts on her website.Wow!!!! Is she a talented lady! Really insiring for those beginners like me.I don't know of many people willing to share pictures of their work, especially if it's not their own quilts. ( Unless I just don't know the good websites to visit to get inspired!)Do any of you know of more websites where they show close ups of their beautiful machine quilting? I'm always open for great ideas!!! |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 14, 2007, 10:05 PM
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Hi Wendy, I found Bonnie's page awhile back. Her instructions are so easy to follow and she is so creative. She has a lot of good articles too. Here are a few other pages you might enjoy: Mary's blog: http://maryquilts.blogspot.com/index.html She shares pics of her recent projects. For Mary's FREE patterns, click on MaryQuilts.com under her pic on the right. Mary's photo album (both personal and quilting) can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/mmcjohnson Mary's sister, Deb's blog: http://quiltingwithragdolls.blogspot.com Check out the entry for Oct. 12, pics 3-6. This quilt looks as good on the back as it does on the front. For more FREE patterns, go to http://www.patchworktimes.com/ Other pics of quilts: http://community.webshots.com/user/sunshinequilts/ http://community.webshots.com/user/farmhousequilter If your keyboard doesn't have a magnify feature, there is a FREE program called Virtual Magnifying Glass at http://magnifier.sourceforge.net That way you can zoom in better on the pictures and possibly see the quilting better. Enjoy! |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 15, 2007, 10:09 AM
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| Rooberts - yes, I mean the ruler base. I was reading the HQ16 chat group on Yahoo and read where several of those folks made their own accessories. Since I was so new I thought I would try. I didn't think I would use the rulers and didn't want to spend the money for the base I wouldn't use. I took a sheet of foam core and played around until I got a flat base that fit snugly. I took this to my local glass shop and they cut it out from the foam core in lexan ($8). I then took more of the foam core and used it to make the two side pieces. There are two projections on each side of the machine. I could push the foam core onto these and they left an impression. I cut these out with a sharp knife. Once I had them fitting snuggly I transferred those to two small pieces of wood. Once I was sure of the fit I just drilled the lexan onto the two wood pieces with countersunk screws. It took me about two hours and many trips back and forth but it works. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 16, 2007, 12:44 PM
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rooberts- Thank you for more websites!!! I just printed off your blog, I CAN'T PLAY ON THIS COMPUTER TODAY!!!!!!! I really need to get some sewing done- wedding quilts and charity quilts!!!!! So I wanted to make sure I would go back later and look! Thanks again. Vicky- You are so clever!!! I'll consider trying in the future. Right now I REALLY have too many projects in the works that I need to get done. Some of you women really inspire me. I'm too chicken to ever try to come up with my own ''inventions." I'm just one of those "copycat gals" who always wait for the more clever person to do all the hard work.Then my brain just doesn't think that way most of the time. Seems those simple things like counting stitches for x-stitch and following a pattern is about all this brain can handle these days, so thanks for the inspiration!!!! |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 18, 2007, 1:39 PM
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| Thanks Wendy - I don't know if I am clever or just impatient. I get a bee in my bonnet to do something and cannot wait 10 days to 2 weeks to mail order something. Short of damaging the machine I am willing to try most anything. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 21, 2007, 5:00 PM
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I've been quilting on my HQ for 2 years now. I justified the expense by thinking I could make a business out of it to recoup the cost. And you can. But you have to do a lot of quilts. You have to schedule your time for it no differently than if you worked in an office - the advantage is you can create your own hours. In my area (SW Colorado) there are not enough professional quilters to go around and I was swamped with customers - all needing their quilt done by birthday, Christmas, graduation, etc. I had a hard time saying no and had no time for any of my projects. It ceased being fun. I strongly suggest you block off time for work (their quilts), time for fun (your quilts). I must say I've met some wonderful people through quilting. I also realized I'm not driven enough to make a business of this. So - I slowed down and do some for them - and some for me - and take time to garden - and read a book. |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: Oct. 25, 2007, 4:30 PM
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| gbraunn, i appreciate your candor. from reading comments on this forum, i've gotten some great feedback....both positive and negative. my deciding factor right now is my own hours. i'm hoping the rental of some office space will start me in the right direction -- office mode. when all the kids are gone, i'll probably move back home and into someone's room, but right now, space is absolutely the biggest issue. i'm determined to make a go of this...been itching to try for quite a while now. i'm hoping to curb that burnout feeling a little by also doing some other design projects. i've learned to multi-task well throughout the years. :) thanks to everyone |
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Quilting for a business?
Posted: March 14, 2008, 7:22 PM
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to memaw_001 i see my first set of comments didn't make it on here. i'm in the same boat as you...more of less. all i can say is read through as many of these categories as you can. there are priceless pieces of advice that i've found. these babes mean business :) :) some of the best advice was to practice ALOT!!! some friends of mine said i could use some of their old "junk/practice" tops to experiment with....practicing with the machine gets easier, but lining up patterns, etc is a little more challenging. there are plenty of charities that will take your practice work. there are also plenty of charities online (saving tons of fabric from the landfill....my environmentalist side). good luck......... i plan on practicing, practicing, practicing before i take on someone's masterpiece. momof4 |
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