So you think you want to start up a Longarm Business

Do you know what that entails?
Do you have the stock, inventory of thread, machine and standby machine, patience and a supportive partner?
Are you an on line junkie who can create your own website?
How will you advertise?
Are there grants available to you to start your own business?
Do you know how to write up a business plan and how to follow it?
Are you curious enough to do your research, contact gov't bodies for funding, try out free diy website creation
What type of business will you conduct? Will you sell your wares of top stitch other's creations
DO you know how to charge and what to charge?

These are a few questions that you should be asking yourself and hopefully you will find the answers
There is a lot of information on line for small businesses and how to set up

http://www.longarmuniversity.com/Bookstore%20pages/longarm_pricing.htm


http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/06/starting-a-longarm-quilting-business

Not to forget the Tax information on how to charge it to your business.......

http://forum.apqs.com/index.php?/topic/11922-tax-tips-for-longarm-businesses


And of course another yahoo group to join
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Machine_Quilting_Professional/join


Check out this blog at the bottom of the page is a link " business of machine quilting"

http://www.quiltingismytherapy.com/quilting-portfolio

Robotic Helpers

From time to time there is some question of what type of an automated system can I use with my Bailey. There are several out in the " Marketplace" but only one maker that will work with the Bailey.

PC Quilter

http://www.pcquilter.com

Now there are two versions of the PC quilter. The older of the two is the Carriage Robotic system which is controlled by your home computer The computer software controls the pressure gauge on the foot pedal which starts the machine to stitch. The carriage itself is also controlled by the PC quilter program which swings your carriage to and fro to complete the pattern. Through the computer program you can resize, flip , rotate, repeat and digitalize patterns. But I won't bore you the website above will offer their insight into the product they make

The pc quilter side mount
http://www.pcquilter.com/longarm.htm



This is really the optimum unit that allows you to use the robotic quilter and has the ability to push a larger machine using a motorized side mount. Because of it's size it allows you more travel in the larger quilting area compared to the unit above. The side mount is just that a system that attaches to your current carriage and when not needed it can easily be removed. Where as the PC quilter has it's own carriage ( pictured above) and you would want to swap it out it for your original carriage and handles if you want to free motion

Competitors may tell you that the Bailey will probably work with their system. Be very careful, I have not to date found any other system that has proven to be compatible. I do own the PC quilter that I quite like and works with my Bailey< I was lucky enough to purchase an older model for a cheap price and it does accommodate my Bailey. I do not get the larger quilting surface because of the model I have but it is a trade off for the benefits. I have had no problems with tension or broken threads since acquiring this equipment. I am not trying to tell you to purchase such an add- on but I did think it important that I reveal the info to you so that you are aware what is compatible with your machine.

And the next question is.... Where do you get patterns to use with the PC quilter
The pc quilter website has a user password secure website that you can download patterns. Digital patterns are easily purchased through auto downloads via their webpages and he prices vary. Last but not least the PC quilter yahoo group has a large number of archived files free for download.

If this is what you are interested in , keep your eyes opened I found mine for $100 on a community " for sale" website. One never knows!

Puck lights and be careful how you say it!!

Do you want more light over your work area but not necessarily be like a deer in headlights?

Wander into your local $ store and look for led lights that have a flat profile, much like the same in the picture below



These are all battery operated and being LED lights will last for a long time. They can be adhered to the harp of our Bailey with mounting tape. I suspect that the two way tape will be too light because of the machine's vibration but if you have some in your stash give it a try. Remember to mount them so that they shine down onto your fabric, not on the back of the harp which will eventually cover them as you roll up your quilt.

Now you will have light at the needle and light over the immediate area that your machine is traveling. If you remove the lights and you have stuck them to your machine with mounting tape, don't fret-- peel it off and then with a little goop gone the sticky residue is gone. In a pinch you could use gasoline, but with all that fabric in the immediate area.................. all I can say is I hope you are not a smoker!

The good news is if you are not sure you want them there you have only waste a few dollars and are able to use them elsewhere in the house, for instance your fabric closet!

Even better if the power goes out, you have a light to sew by and if you have a generator............. Well need I say more!

Note to post

Another Bailey owner ( Carol) tells me she added the strip led lights to her Bailey, cutting them to length and adding and 12v ac adapter...

Here is the website to copy into your browser

http://www.environmentallights.com/led-strip-lights/sample-kits-led-strip-light/kits-single-color-led-strip-lights.html?dir=asc&order=price

Pantograph continued

http://stitchesnstoriesquilting.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2013-06-17T20:00:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false

I am enclosing this website link that demonstrates one person take on paragraphs from the front of her quilt. I have seen this technique done more than once, but simply laying the patnograph across the quilt top . However this appears to be a more stable way to adhere your pantograph. While there why not visit the rest of the website to see what the topic of the day is

You are near completion

You have stitched your masterpiece, stuck your finger with the needle as you finish that binding, inspected the quilt for any forgotten misfortune. And now it is time to label your art

Labels can be handwritten with fabric pens, have patchwork accents, created on your laptop and printed through your home printer. What ever the style here is what you would want to consider:

The name of the quilt
The name of the quiltmaker
The name of the Longarm artist
The location where the quilt was made
Who the quilt was made for
Signed with the year and date and special occasion
Even a favorite quotation or a little ditty

METHODS OF MAKING LABELS:

1) Freezer paper

Design your label and text on your computer, once satisfied with what you have your are ready to proceed. With a 8 1/2 X 11 freezer paper sheet iron your fabric ( quite often muslin) to the shinny side of the paper ( make sure it is well adhered) Insert this into your printer making sure that the text will print on your fabric. Now you want to set the ink either with a hot iron or Bubble Jet Set . To finish up trim the border of the label

2) Fabric Marker

When I’m making a quilt, I keep the leftover fabrics to make a label for the quilt back, even an extra block would do. Using a permanent fabric marker to write the information on the label, I then support the label with another piece of fabric behind it to act as a stabilizer. One can make a little strip border around this label, Turn under 1/4″ all the way around the edges of the label, baste it to the back of the quilt, and hand stitch in place, sewing through the backing fabric only.

3) Embroider a label

Whether you use an embroidered motif or hand stitch your label, it is still an extension of your creativity, Stabilize the back of your fabric, making sure to iron it well first. Place yoru design or text onto the sized label you require then turn under 1/4 " on all edges, place on quilt back and stitch it securely to the back of the quilt

4) Paper back pre treated label fabric

Specially suited for your printer. Using a Word program create the text for your label, making sure you do a paper proof before printing on the fabric. Once satisfied with the outcome, print onto the Quilt label sheet, trim as you would like and then add strips of your left over quilt fabric to all four sides. Turn the edge and hand stitch to your quilt


Looking for a tutorial?

http://blog.spoonflower.com/2013/03/market-yourself-march-quilt-label-tutorial.html


Looking for downloadable label formats?

http://www.junetailor.com/Creativity%20Center/CreativityCenter_InteractiveTools_QuiltLabels.htm

SO you think you are done? WRONG

After your quilt has been taken off your frame it is time to square it up before adding the binding. Making a center point in your quilt top, measure the quilt on the X & Y axis ( or horizontally vs vertically). Check that you are measuring through the center of your quilt and at each end. By this I mean - when you measure the length of the quilt measure from top to bottom on both selvedge edges as well as through the middle. Record your measurements and now you can trim your quilt so that all measurements are equal. Turn your quilt 90 degrees and repeat this measurement assessment so that you are now actually working on the width measurements. Don't whack off too much look at the quilt pattern if you need to cut off more than you wanted, perhaps you can fudge it with your binding. Using a wider binding hides a lot of sins................. And no I didn't tell you that!

Your quilt may have been perfect before your quilted it, however with the added thread and top stitching the first squaring up will be affected. This is especially noted if you heavily quilt your work of art.

** Please note if you have an over sized quilt and a small cutting mat this may not be easily squared. However you might be on the lookout for a nice sheet of wood such as subflooring with a nice square edge that till make your squaring of the quilt easier. If the wood has a nice straight edge place it on top of your quilt.Then just slip your cutting mat underneath so that you don't cut your flooring. Then again if you hate that flooring OOPS!! AGAIN I am not responsible...................

Happy quilting

Bailey Sew Control

Bailey Quilting Machine offers a Stitch Regulator as an additional option to their machines. They have prepared instruction below to assist you in your installation.

The Bailey yahoo site address is :
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Baileyquiltingmachines
This site can be accessed when signed into your Yahoo email and once you have requested membership
In the photo file on the above site, individuals have posted 1)photos of how their stitch regulator is attached to different frames. Not to be forgotten is the message/conversation portion where hints and tips are logged and responded to.

Lea from PodunkPretties http://podunkpretties.blogspot.ca offers some advice in her experience of operating the stitch regulator I was recently contacted privately about stitch length consistency when using the SR. I had to go to my machine to see just how I go about it because it's just become habit for me and I don't really pay attention to how I maintain consistency. As everyone here knows there's a learning curve to the SR. Lightening response isn't the Bailey SR. So here's my best explanation. Now most of the time my SR is set up to its slowest speed, I feel like there's more control at this speed. And my stitch length is around 8 o'clock on the dial. Its like excelerating in a car. Slowly apply the gas until you reach 60 mph. If you step on the gas you're going to leave rubber on the road, with the bailey you'll leave long stitches. Start moving slowly, not to slow or your stitches will pile up (like cars behind a 90 yr old sunday driver) due to the fact that the Bailey never completely stops. Gradually increase your speed, and just like with driving, slow down before getting to the stop sign or in our case the stopping point. I'll admit that I've also learned that I don't always need to slow down for the stop as long as I have my finger on the button and can shut it off one or two stitches before my stopping point and it continues stitch ending in just the right spot. For those of you with the wafer switch I'm sure you've mastered this technique. So there you go, driving lessons 101. I'd also like to say that I think there's some variations to each SR, so play around with different techniques to see what works best for you. There's loads of advice here on the forum, just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it's not right. Also oiling the bearing behind the bobbin housing often helps the SR to work better because it reduces the amount resistance on the machine. I do this between each quilt only because I quilt most quilts to death. Sometimes I do it in the middle of quilt if I notice a lag in my machine. Please visit the yahoo Bailey site to gain more insite into stitch regulators and is it something you would like


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1MaRuASFkvdajJOY2Ryb1p4eWc/view?usp=sharing

Be there or be Square!

Squaring up a quilt back before you place the fabric on the frame lessens headaches later on!


* Make sure all the wrinkles are pressed out of your backing fabric.

**Fold your backing in half, selvedge edges together . Smooth it out so that the fold is nice and flat and there are no wrinkles.

***Continue to fold your backing in half and smoothing the fabric of any wrinkles until you get a width that is small enough to fit your cutting mat.

**** Place your cutting mat under a non-selvedge end of your folded backing, and using your ruler and rotary cutter, make a nice straight cut to even up the edges. Repeat for the other end.

*** Now the raw edges are trimmed do the same for the selvedges

*** After squaring your backing, measure it again to make sure that it is a total of 8 inches larger than your quilt. You want to make sure you have excess so that you have wiggle room to attach the quilt to the top leader and once fully quilted you will not be short at the distal end. This is a common mistake for newbies the first time they use a frame, unknowingly realizing that as the quilt rolls onto the poles of the frame, the top and back rolls at different rates causing the backing to be short if there was no planned excess.

Pantographs you say?

A selection of tutorials and pantograph information that may make you ponder before your purchase

http://quiltnotes.wordpress.com/tag/apqs-tutorials/


http://www.longarmuniversity.com/pdf%20files/Pantograph%20Instructions%20.pdf


Pantographs can come in many forms. From loose leaf, to books or rolls of patterns
Here is one company that shows some of their selection




Here are some ordering sites for pantographs to give you an idea of what is out there in the world of pantographs. You might even want to create your own but this will give you an idea of what they are


http://www.quiltscomplete.com/Departments/Paper-Pantographs.aspx

http://www.urbanelementz.com/



Pantographs in book form......... Here is a sample

I hate to recommend but .. I have this book and really like it, It is available in many sites and even at some local libraries, I chose this site only because it gives you an idea of the interior of the book. I waited awhile before I made my own purchase, twirling my pencil and drawing my own and then I bit the bullet, LOL



http://www.goldenthreads.com/shop/product/quilting-dot-to-dot-book/

To Mark or not to Mark that is the question ?

http://www.longarmfinishingtouches.com/quilt_marker.pdf

Leslie French has written an excellent article for which I have included a link. It is a rather lengthy and complete article and as a result it is far easier to read from the site above rather than have me cut and paste the whole article. The review talks about the right tool for the right condition. Whether you will be laundering your finished product afterwards or you require a marking tool that when used the residual can easily be removed.

Quilt storage and preservation

Like every great recipe there are versions on the original. There are numerous variations of how to store your most precious quilt. I have found three sites that you may want to visit and develop your own method of storage. I must say that when i purchased my cottage there were two lovely quilts, one quite badly stained from an accumulation of moisture.

Personally I display my quilts and only have two that are folded in an aerated closet with some charcoal/ puddy liter in the closet to act as a moisture whick. They are just as fresh as the day I put them there.I also don't layer my quilts on a bed, unless I move them periodically - learned the hard way when one quilt trapped the other and it smelled slightly musty, I good airing out in a windy day solved that problem




http://www.quiltmuseum.org/quilt-care.html

http://www.soyouwanna.com/preserve-handmade-quilt-3010.html


http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/resources/caring/index.cfm

Batting and Bearding

I have listed below several websites that detail the benefits and characterization of battings. From loft to soft, bearding and draping I think these sites may answer your questions~

www.daystyledesigns.com/batting.htm

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/sites/allpeoplequilt.com/files/uploads/pdfs/BattCharact%20Chart.pdf


The site below is a comprehensive description of the available types of batting

www.connectingthreads.com/tutorials/A_Guide_to_Batting__D88.html


Comparative shopping:

Here are some online purchase sites, I do not promote any of these stores. simply providing these sites as a resource, Also note that often there are reviews on the products, even if you are not purchasing on line you can read the comments and see if these battings would interest you .

http://www.joann.com/fabric/batting/

www.warmcompany.com/wnpage.html

www.batt-mart.com

www.connectingthreads.com/cfbatting/batting_home.cfm?media=PPC_Batting&gclid=CMadgKnhnrkCFUJlMgod_FEAcw&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=PPC_Batting&utm_content=GOOGLE%20%28Search%29%20Batting&utm_source=www.google.ca


Did you know that some batting have a right side?
Here is some info to share:

http://www.apqs.com/blog/2013/01/22/batting-has-an-up-and-down

To BLEED or not to BLEED

Years ago we washed our fabrics in cold water adding a cup of salt to a tub of cold water, some even gave vinegar a try. Sometimes the home made solutions work other times the outcome was not what we expected.


With evolution came the Color Catchers. a product made by Shout. Looking familiar to a dryer sheet you simply add it to your wash. The sheet attracts the free dye molecules and they adhere to the sheet. I have noted on a really poor dye I would repeat this twice, I had a quilt all put together and decided to wash it, something I rarely do before sending it out the door. I was horrified, but I had those Color Catchers on hand, while the quilt was still damp I thought it back into the washer and I used 23 color catchers. Both came out red and I mean red. but the quilt was fine. Previously the red had bled into the white fabric that joined it in the quilt top, I was lucky and for me it worked


http://www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Products/Pages/shout-color-catcher.aspx


Now lets look at this are you up for the challenge? Pretty economical and does the same thing apparently. I will give it a try when I finished with the ones that I purchased

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/08/make-your-own-laundry-color-catchers.html

Others have found products like Retayne tooted as a fabric fixative.

http://www.joann.com/retayne-color-fixative-solution-4-ounce/prd56691/

I am sure there are other products out there. These are two that keep appearing on online searches and when you are on a time clock you need something fast and something that will work for you. Luckily I have decided to try not to use too much red or at least wash the dickens out of it before I sew it up.

Don't be shy to leave your comments below if you know of other products