newbie

Welcome Newbies!!!

Welcome to the "Newbie Phase 1" section of LongarmChat.com. It is here that I (and with the help of many that have posted to the forums) would like to consolidate some information on what is needed or suggested after the big decision is made to purchase your machine. I've been asked many times after I sell a machine what are the most important things to have on hand when the final day arrives. Below I will list the items that seem to be mentioned the most on our forums and are from my own personal experience. Phase II (under construction) will be devoted more on the business end and some of the steps you need to do to actually open for business. Eventually there may even be a Phase III for more advanced suggestions regarding daily operations of running a longarm business. This information is not all mine. I have gleaned it from many of the wonderful members on our forums and I want to thank all of you for your input and contributions to make this area of LongarmChat.com possible. Let's get started .... I will attempt to list these in the order of importance but keep in mind this is my opinion.

This article was written about 5 years ago when I was still a machine dealer. Please keep in mind that many of the items listed below are still available but there might be a resource that is not. All in all, I think the general article is still useful so we have placed it back up on LongarmChat.com for anyone that is interested.

Linda Lawson

Blue Ribbon Quilt Co.

Tools and Accessories For Your New Machine

There are many, many, many gadgets out there for the longarm quilter these days. Some are new, some are not so new. It is very easy for the newbie to get very confused on just what tools and accessories are a must and what are just nice to have. Let's begin with the basics.

First of all you will need a few tools for maintenance to your machine. I like to keep under my machine one of those rolling plastic carts. On the top of this I place the things that I will need to keep in easy reach at all times. Most of these carts have at least 3 drawers. Below is how I have things arranged.

Top level - Scissors (if not attached to me in some way), bottle of oil, pins placed in a magnetic dish, seam ripper of some kind, marking pens and a small brush for cleaning out bobbin area.

First drawer - pre-wound bobbins, empty bobbins, extra bobbin case, needles, small screw driver, emery paper and emery cord, flashlight and thread nets.

Second drawer - Marking pens, chalk and pounce pad, smaller rulers

Third Drawer - I use zippered leaders and this is where I store the ones that aren't in use.

As you can see by the shopping list on the right, there are quite a few things that are essential to have on hand when you first get your machine. They may not be the more *fun* things to purchase but you will use most of the items on this list daily.

Usually a machine will come with some type of thread. A-1 comes with a cone of Coats and Clark's Perma Core for example. It has been suggested that you start out with a few different types of threads ranging from 60 wt. to 35 wt. in both cotton and polyester. While you will need plenty of stock of different threads once you are in business, I would only start out with maybe 1 spool of as many different kinds you can afford. By doing so you will get pretty good at figuring out which ones run better in your particular machine, which brands keep the lint to a minimum and so on. It is very tempting to go out and purchase many different colors. There are so many great variegated, metallic, etc. out on the market today but for a newbie it would be a better decision to just stick with the basics while you and your machine are getting acquainted.

Reminder: Stick with the basics here in this phase. This is where one can get really side tracked and purchase many items they may or may not use later on down the road.

Threads

Battings - There are probably 20 different kinds of battings on the market today. Remember we are still in Phase I and we are focusing on what we will need when the machine arrives.

You might want to go out and purchase cheap batting at a discount store or use a coupon at a local fabric store for your practice in small amounts. At this point in time you really won't have to think about what your customers might like. This is practice and it's for you and you only. You might want to get a few varieties however just to see how each ones quilts up. You may find that you like one brand over another. You may like the cotton/poly blend better than 100% cotton and so on.

Practice Muslin - Buy a bolt. It's that simple. You will need quite a bit of this to do your practicing on. The best place I have found to buy this is Marshall's Dry Goods. Yes they are a sponsor of this site but I still think they are the best place to order it from. I have in the past bought muslin with a coupon at a fabric store but seemed to pay more for it even with the 50% off coupon. Marshals sells a premium quality muslin at $2.55/yd. 108" wide. I think that's a deal! When you reach Phase II you might want to continue buying bolts if you are considering stocking backing fabrics so even if you don't use the entire bolt you might be able to offer it as a backing fabric for future customers.

Additional Supplies to Purchase

Doodling - Okay, you've just put your down payment on your machine and it's time now to sit and wait. Let's get busy with pretending we have our machine and start practicing some patterns. Doodling is the BEST form of practice with or without a machine. There is something in the movement and getting your mind to tell your hand what to do next. This is not something that just happens. It is a process that begins with practice.

Some Things To Do While Waiting For Your Machine

First off get yourself a dry ease board and some markers. You know those boards that you write on with special markers and then wipe off with a dry cloth. I like a larger board size myself but any size will do. Next pick out a pattern to work on from either your own design or by choosing something out of one of the books listed on the freehand book list below. I would probably start with just a simple meandering for the first time. Now take your pen in hand and position your wrist up off the board. This is not the conventional way of writing but believe me it works. By keeping your wrist off the board, you are using your whole arm in the movement to create the design. Because these boards are usually slick, it makes the transition from doodling the design on a board to stitching the design with the machine that much easier. Practice everything from simple meanderings to feathers. Yes you heard me, feathers. You will be amazed that the more time you put into doodling with the dry ease board, the better you will be when your machine arrives. There is just something about that hand - eye coordination that needs to be developed. It is much better to develop it using an erasable pen then using up yards and yards of fabric, batting and thread.

Preparing your Studio - Whether your studio is going to be in a garage, basement, bedroom or special building there are a few things to consider about the set-up and design of your studio. Make sure you order the correct size machine for the space it is going to be placed in. I know this may sound obvious but in this past year I have been amazed at the creative ways people are getting their machines in the space they intend to call their studio. For one thing, make sure the machine can be carried into the space. For example, A-1 tables are all one piece and therefore require a space large enough to maneuver it into. One customer of ours had to go to the extremes of taking a boom truck and lifting the table up through the window of their second story home. Of course they found this out when the machine arrived that it would not turn the corner of their staircase.

Lighting is very important. Windows can be a great source of light but you need to be careful about to much sunlight shinning in. Sometimes the blue water soluble markers can get set just by the sun creating to much heat from the windows. Your lighting should be very adjustable. For example, when you are frogging (ripping out) you will need good light to make sure you clip just the sewing thread and not the threads from the fabric. But while you are quilting, there are times when you don't want to much light. You need to see the shadowing of where you are going. Side lights work well for this. You also want to make sure that your room can be darkened enough to use the glow powder chalk and marking pencils that many like to use. I guess what I'm stressing the most is variety. Don't assume because you have a couple florescent fixtures in the ceiling or on a track up above that it will be sufficient.

Flooring is another thing to consider. Many longarmers in business stand for hours at a time quilting. Concrete floors are very hard on the body. Even carpeted areas if they do not have sufficient padding can be stressful to the lower back. Many longarmers purchase anti-fatique mats. They are what you see in beauty shops and sometimes cashiers will be standing on them. Home improvement stores sell a form of "waffle" blocks which are also good to stand on.

Thread Storage - It won't take long to build up your supply of thread. Now is the time to start thinking of how you will store it. One thing to consider is that you really need to keep it from being exposed to air. Valdini brand comes in little plastic bags and I usually put a punch hole in the bag and hang it on a pegboard. Most other brands are not packaged like this but I would not buy thread based on it's packaging. You really could take any thread and put it on a pegboard and just place a zip-lock baggie over it to keep it from to much air. Currently I have the majority of my threads in plastic containers. This assures me it isn't exposed to air. There is a Sterilite container that is a great size for storing many brands of threads. These containers are able to stack on top of each other and you can arrange your thread by container.

Batting Storage - This will largely depend on if you plan on stocking batting or not (see batting information below). There are plans out there on making batting racks (check the teach me page) and so on.

There will be other things to consider for your studio but remember this is still Phase I. More will follow on storing customer quilts in Phase II or Phase III. I'm just trying to hit the basics here and nothing more.

View Videos - Sometimes it's just nice to sit and watch someone else quilt. There are quite a few video's out there. Whether it's about free handing feathers, tips and techniques or even a maintenance video, sometimes when we're waiting it just gives us a little idea of what is to come. I wouldn't get to many video's at this point in time however. There is actually only one or two that I think would fit into this Phase without overwhelming the viewer and they are Donita Reeve's Tips and Techniques and maybe one on maintaining your longarm. This last video I mentioned would largely depend on what type of machine you purchased. I think all major brands have maintenance videos that go above and beyond the manual on timing and things like that.

Helpful Videos

- Donita Reeve's Tips and Technique Video

- Some sort of maintenance video that corresponds to the machine you are expecting.

Read Books - Chances are you've already purchased the some of the books I have on the list to the right. But if you haven't I highly recommend getting a few of these. These books are reference books. They are not pattern books or how to books. The first two on the list are about buying a machine, setting up business and so on. Really one only needs one of this type of book. The next listed are books giving examples of quilting on different quilts. I like to have these around. If you study these types of books before hand you might remember where to look when you get that customer quilt in that you just don't know what to do with. Again, this is not a complete list. There are many, many books that have excellent techniques that can be translated to longarm quilting. Look for books about machine quilting in general and study those. Buy what your budget can afford but remember to stay focused. There will still be plenty of items to purchase once the machine has arrived and you are going to Phase II.

Okay let's review some things to purchase.

Tools and accessories list

A few freehand books

Variety of threads

Muslin by the bolt

Variety of battings

One or two videos

One or two reference books

In closing ....I hope I have helped some of you that are waiting for machines put things in perspective. These machines are expensive and sometimes newbies can become lost in a sea of information on what they think they need. I have attempted to consolidate some of the information out there but you are still an individual. What works for me or someone else may or may not work for you. Now is the time to sit back and enjoy your free time. Piece some quilts, dream a little but most of all stay focused to avoid information overload!

This article was written by Linda Lawson of Blue Ribbon Quilt Co. To read more about her history, please visit: www.blueribbonquiltco.com

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