You’ve never seen a longarm and “Mid-Arm” quilting machine described this way

So, here is my simplistic, real life way of describing the differences in a sewing machine, a “mid-arm” quilting machine and a longarm quilting machine. I keep adding quotes to “mid-arm” because it’s not a specific machine like a domestic sewing machine or a longarm. I explained that in the previous long, confusing post. Hopefully, this will educate and possibly amuse the home sewist trying to figure out what the differences are.
[None of the pictures are mine, they came off the kubota and Chevy websites. I am not associated with either company.]

Option 1: A domestic sewing machine

It does it all, comes with attachments and feet for all kinds of tasks. And, you can quilt with it. All-purpose. There are really big domestic sewing machines now, that have so much throat space, if you are just wanting to finish a quilt or 2 a year, and for the rest of the year, piece quilts, sew other projects from dolls to bags to curtains, and possibly even embroider on stuff, look at a domestic machine.

Option 2: “Mid-arm” quilting machine

A marketing term for a souped up domestic sewing machine, bigger and faster, with no attachments or fancy feet. It gives you more space to quilt and more power in the machine, for less money, than a longarm. A “mid-arm” is a heavy-duty, single purpose machine, but you can sew on it, if you want, sometimes. You just don’t need an industrial machine for most home sewing. (This and other confusing descriptions and differences in what is referred to as a “mid-arm” can be found in my previous post.)

Option 3: A Longarm quilting machine

Longarms have one purpose, to get you from point A to B, from finishing a quilt top to finishing the quilting, in style, more comfortably and with less strain on your body than with options 1 and 2. Simply put, you quilt with a longarm. You load it up with your quilt and take it on long, comfy rides. You don’t piece quilts with it, you don’t sew clothes. You quilt with it. Period.

Well, there you have it. I’ve been told my mind works in strange and interesting ways, coming up with comparisons that don’t really make sense to some, but definitely make sense to those who think like I do.

Have a beautiful day. I hope you do something you really enjoy, even if for a few minutes.

Your friend,
Anne Dovel - The Fit Quilter

Let’s just get more confused: Long-arm or mid-arm

I collected a bunch of questions from potential long-arm quilting machine buyers on reddit, so I don’t just ramble on and on. Because if there’s one thing I can ramble on about, it’s quilting.

Mid-arm is a relatively newer term, and quite confusing, depending on whether you are talking to a dealer or a consumer. From my understanding, it’s really more of a marketing term, not a specific type of machine, which is why it’s confusing.

A mid-arm machine can have feed dogs or not. So, what that means to you, is, a mid-arm is simply a more industrial, stripped down version of a home sewing machine, with a stronger, faster motor, OR, it’s a smaller longarm machine, that they are calling a mid-arm, which has no feed dogs, for lower budgets. So, are you more confused now? I kind of am, so don’t feel bad!

A longarm quilting machine, is designed to do one thing well; move over a quilt, whether manually or computerized, quickly. It has no feed-dogs, and the needle is in one position. It doesn’t even straight stitch, technically, because unless you or a computer is moving the machine around, it’ll stitch in the same spot forever and ever, amen. You can’t piece quilts with a longarm, although there are some fun projects that you can accomplish, other than quilts, but no one would ever invest in a longarm to piece quilts.

Let’s forget the terms, mid-arm and longarm for a second.

What are you hoping to do with this machine you are thinking about buying? Are you going to set up a quilting service as a home business and quilt for others? Do you want to finish your quilts more quickly or with less strain on your body? Maybe you want to do a little of both?

Here’s why I personally chose the longarm that I chose; I had the space, the budget, and I already had a regular sewing machine that I love. I was tired of basting my quilts with safety pins and adhesive spray. And moving and maneuvering a quilt under the needle can have some physical impact on your whole body, as you already have figured out, if you quilt on a domestic machine. Yes, standing at a longarm can also be physically exhausting, so I’ll cover that in another post.

The more I try and explain mid-arm, the more confusing it gets, because it’s not really a specific thing. With a mid-arm, you are going to move the quilt sandwich with your hands. If you are moving the machine, and it’s more petite, then it’s a smaller longarm.

Longarm quilting machines have one main job, quilting.
“Mid-arm” quilting machines can simply be a souped up domestic sewing machine, with a heavy-duty motor, with feed dogs and a wider throat. If it’s being called a “mid-arm” and it has no feed dogs, then it’s a longarm, but smaller and at a lower price-point.

No wonder there are 30 minute youtube videos explaining the difference! Gotta love marketing.

Do you want to stand and quilt, or sit? Do you want to move the quilt around, or move the machine? Do you want to pre-baste, or ditch the basting and load the backing, batting and top, directly onto a frame. You can probably guess my answer to that by how I phrased it!
Why do longarm machines cost so much? Can I recoup the cost of a longarm? How many hours does it take to finish a full-size quilt on a longarm? Is it really quilting if the computer runs the machine? (Oh, please…that’s a question? I’ll answer that now. YES. Sheesh.) Where do you learn how to use a longarm quilting machine? What are other options available if I don’t have the space for a longarm?

Those and many more questions, will be answered in the following posts. Or, I might change out of my Covid-19 quarantine daily outfit, you know what I’m talking about, get real clothes on and answer in a video.

Your friend,
Anne Dovel - The Fit Quilter

Buying a longarm quilting machine, pt. 2

Part 2 -

So, I had my dream and my motive, and I pulled the trigger for a Gammill Statler Stitcher.

1. We have moved to an acreage, and had a large room next to the garage that we decided would be perfect for a longarm machine.

2. I waited until I could afford to buy it, without needing to establish a quilting business right away to pay for the payment. Why? Because it took all the pressure off. However, I have quilted for a few friends, who pay me the local rate. I was at a Statler Stitcher retreat once, and was amazed that 50% of the attendees, owned this monstrous machine (monstrous in a good way) for quilting their own quilts.

With that being said, I’ll just be really honest about this so you can make your best decision. Because if you are reading this, you are probably considering having a longarm quilting business, either part-time or full-time.

I gathered a lot of questions, which I will try to answer based on my own experience in the next few blog posts and from talking to a lot of longarm quilters.

You do not have to be a quilter to own a longarm quilting business. In fact, some of the most prolific longarm quilters, do only that and do it very well, and have large clientele lists. How can that be?

Here’s the deal. If you LOVE the piecing aspect of quilting, and start up a longarm quilting business, you’ll lose some of your piecing time. That’s one thing to think about before deciding to buy a machine for a home business. My friends who own quilt shops, started them because of their love of quilting, but guess what? They don’t have a lot of time to sew, because they are running the shop.

My longarm quilting machine, the only machine in my house with a name, which is Gertie, is out in a room that gets pretty crisp in the wintertime. I didn’t quilt any quilts between mid-Dec and February. Fortunately, it’s not my business, so I could use that time to piece. This is one reason I chose to have a different business, so I can sew whatever I want, whenever.

Some people think because the machine is computerized, you can set it up and walk away. That’s pretty much not true. I’ve run into the house to grab some water or go to the bathroom when a complex design is stitching, ON MY OWN QUILT, and I know it won’t get far while I’m gone. But, setting your Gammill Statler to stitch and walking away, is like putting your new Tahoe in drive, and going back into the house.

Things happen. Threads break, bobbin thread runs out, the foot might get caught on a thick seam and so on. Best practice, is at the very least, be in the room. If I have a really well-pieced quilt top on the frame, no bumps or thick seams, I can step over to my desk and catch up on blogs, read a magazine, watch a recorded training, or even do my online coaching. I have fitness bands next to my machine, so I can stretch and get in a little resistance exercise. You learn the sounds of your machine, and the more you quilt, the more tuned in you become to possible problems, if you have turned away for a bit.

So, I guess my first question back to you, if you are thinking of starting a longarm quilting business: Do you want to give up your own piecing or sewing time to finish other people’s quilts? Because you will have to, if you want to quilt enough quilts to pay for your machine. I still think it’s a fabulous opportunity to have a service oriented home business, but there is a large investment, and a learning curve, to consider. And time.

In the next blog post, I’ll talk about the time required from my own perspective as a hobby longarm quilter.
Why do longarm quilters charge a minimum, no matter the size?
How much time does it take to learn how to use the Statler Stitcher?

Feel free to pop other questions that you would like me to answer, below.

Your friend,
Anne Dovel