Cost of LA quilting

I have quilted (SITD) several king size quilts on a Brother CS6000i purchased at walmart about 9 years ago for $150.

Lisa, I hit a wall too when I started FMQ. I thought my quilts were a failure and I was so frustrated that they didn't come out looking like what I see in books, shows or online. I was really discouraged so I put it aside for a while. Then I started in again and followed my aunt's advice: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Straight lines and easy curves look great. Then I got more adventuresome and tried feathers and wood grain patterns. It gets better and we've all been there. Unless you are showing your quilts, no one is going to judge your work as harshly as you will, and if they do stick 'em with a pin. :icon_heh:

I say start with some smaller projects that are easier to maneuver - you can get great practice that way - also there are many quilt as you go patterns - I love piecing myself - I hope you learn to love it again.

How about quilting in sections? Did you know that rag quilts are quilt as you go? You don't have to keep it simple either, you could quilt a quilt block making sure you have a wide enough sashing around it to rag it.

Marti Michelle's Quilting in Sections is an excellent book - highly recommend it. She even mentions just putting batting in the center, quilt it, then add more batting and quilting until you have the whole quilt done. Or even doing row quilting then attach the rows.

And I find that the serpentine stitch (wavy stitch) is a lot easier than stitch in the ditch. Just aim and stitch! Or stitch one fourth inch from the seams all over.

Have you tried the Long Armers on Ebay? I've heard people who have had good luck with that and they are very reasonable.

I totally understand - I am extending my skills but at what cost.

My thing about LAing by someone else is that the quilt is no longer "mine" so to speak. If that and the cost do not bother you, fine. It does me(on both counts). I do FMQ and it is OK. I hope to improve by practice and more Crafsty classes. Perfection is not seem in my quilts and most likely never will be. The idea of purchasing a better machine to help do a better job makes sense to me. One thing I have done lately is to visit little out of the way shops. Sometimes the drive is long but the shops have all been worth it. Most have a LAer who does their work for them. Some of the prices I have been told are less than the material to do a quilt! You might want to give these a try.

I understand what you feel. We are also limited very much by funds, and I rather my money go to fabric then anything else. Last year I was looking for a sewing machine I could FMQ on. The dealer showed me some regular machines, but I explained that I needed something bigger. I ended up with a Janome MC 6300. It has a 9" throat space.

For a long time I have just been finishing off quilts with my walking foot. I would experiment with FMQ on mini quilts, but nothing large. Just last night I bit the bullet and started FMQ a large quilt. It's a loopy all over design. The quilt measures about 95x73, which is the largest I've ever done by far. I am working on it in quadrants, which has made it really, really, easy. It actually looks pretty good, I am really surprised. It looks like my practice has actually paid off.

So don't let the money part get you down. Finish your quilts in a way that satisfies you and doesn't stress you out. "Finished is better then perfect", really is the best saying.

Do any of the quilt shops near you have a long arm they rent out? When I was going to different shops for Row by Row I noticed several that offered this with a lesson.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coffeebreak

IT can get expensive. I worry about that all the time. But I make things for gifts and for my house and figure... "how much would I spend if I bought it at a store?" Then I NEVER buy regular price... I always wait for a sale and ALWAYS use coupons. Joann's is the only place in my town that has fabric (Walmart has it but it just doesn't seem good quality). So I buy when on sale at 40% off and the coupons are 40/50% off a regular priced item. I buy only Kona and Legecy Studio for solids and Calico keepsakes for prints. My limit is $8 a yard...and with a 50% off coupon, that makes the fabric $4 a yard so I get 2 yards for 8 bucks. Sometimes I go with specific fabric reason to buy, but most of the time, I just take my coupons and buy what I like or think I will use for one thing or another and I figure $4 a yard is cheap as its going to get! I haven't done the math as to how much fabric is in a twin size quilt (60x80) which is largest size I make as my machine won't FMQ larger than that... well it will, I won't! I also use sheets for the back which work great and I can get a twin flat sheet at Walmart for around $8. Batting, again, I just wait for the 50% off sales and buy twice the amount. I do have a limit there too of $8 a yard... and then with the 50% off, I get it for $4 a yard so I will buy double... instead of 1 yard for $8, I buy 2 yards for $8, or 4 yards for $16...then use it wisely and conservatively as possible. I buy my thread at Connecting Threads. I did the research and tried different brands for what works best on my machine and CT is the cheapest for the best. Not a single problem with it! Watch on Cyber Monday and stock up.. .It was 40% off last year and I paid $25 for about 15 large spools and I have not had to buy thread since!
I went to this new sewing store.. vaccums and sewing machines and they ahd a bit of fabric... $14.99 a yard! Are you kidding me? Who can afford that!?!?! Not me!!! Even at Joann's...$10-13 a yard...Forget it.. I would have to stop sewing if I paid that much. I dont' see why it is so much better. I did the test with the solids of Kona, Legacy STudio and Country Classics at Joan's...the 100% cotton fabrics and CC was tad bit the thinnest , but I couldn't tell a difference between K and LS... I pre wash everything and once out and pressed... I couldn't tell the difference! and the Kona is $2 more than the LS and the CC is $1 less than the LS. So I stick with LS. Plus, the Calico Keepsakes.. prints...they are $5-$12 a yard and I don't see a difference in that and the more expensive designer brands either!

So.. stick with sales, and make a budget to spend. I did the coupons at Joann's every month.. the one near me takes multiple coupons as long as the scan code is different. I get some on line, some in the USPS mail and as long as they have different codes, I can use them all (watch dates) and I have used 10 coupons on one purchase! Plus they will use 1 from other competitors, so I use 1 Michael's and 1 from Hobby Lobby.

Just find the fabrics at the price you want.. thing is.. with piecing, you usually only need a yard or less of each color or print. The most is use in sashings and backing. But... sheets for the back are acceptable and even if you use a cheaper batting (Joann's has one for $5 a yard and it is 54 inche wide. I have used it often and never a problem.

Stick with it tho. If quilting is something you really want to do, there are ways to get around the high cost. Sure, I'd love to just go in and buy what I want...dont we all!?!??! But, figure out your limits and then you can go in a buy what you NEED! You can do it!

---

Lisa-I've been feeling the same way! Thanks for all the reminders of how to keep cost under control Lisa-lots of good ideas!!