Should you buy a longarm quilting machine? Or, are you trying to figure out if it’s the right purchase for you?
I had a longarm quilting machine, specifically a Gammill, on my dream board for 15 years. I first saw one at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, 20 years ago. It blew my mind. Of course, almost anything would have at that time, because I was free motion quilting full-size quilts, even a king-size, on my little mechanical Bernina 810.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve seen that machine, but the throat space is small. The needle uptake, because it’s mechanical, is not super fast like a more modern electronic machine. So, to drive the Gammill longarm, with all that throat space, and without wrestling fabric and batting around, amazed me! And I knew if I kept making quilts, I’d have that machine one day. So, what took me so long to pull the trigger. There were a couple of things, initially.
I didn’t really have the space, when the boys were at home, without taking over our home school room or the family room. And, for a hobby machine, I didn’t think I wanted to do that.
I just didn’t know if I would really stand at the machine, and free motion or trace stencils for hours and hours. I know there’s a big learning curve to making desirable designs.
Then, 3 years ago, I was just looking around on the Gammill site, and noticed a computerized machine, the Statler Stitcher. I was a little confused, because I didn’t remember seeing that before. I watched the videos and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And I knew right then, when I got a longarm, it would be the Statler. I had talked to numerous longarm quilters, even before I saw the Statler, and they all recommended getting a Gammill.
I kept going back to the website, put the machine up on my dream board, and then made a call to my regional Gammill rep. A fellow quilter invited me over to see her machine. I was hooked. Later that year, I bought a floor model from my regional store. For informational purposes, it’s a 12’ table, and a 30” throat, I believe.
I’ve been using my Gammill Statler Stitcher for 3 years. In the next post, I’ll talk about the learning curve and what I love about having a longarm and why I use it primarily for my hobby, even though there is enough demand that I could have a business, if I wanted another business!
If you have any questions about the Statler, feel free to pop those in the comments. I’m not a sub-dealer or rep. But, I’ll share my expertise with you, if there’s something you’d like to know!
Your Friend,
Anne Dovel - The Fit Quilter
