Learn to use a long-arm quilting machine

Several months ago I set out to learn long arm quilting. My motivation: I’m terrible at quilting on my home machine! I haven’t gotten through much of the straight-line quilting, and after many struggles with free motion, I managed to get my machine back to the repair shop.

My first chance for us as a long arm came when a friend offered to let me use his machine. It was all play and loops, but it was fun! I loved driving the giant machine over the top of my quilt, watching in pleasant surprise as my quilt was completed in a matter of hours. And while it wasn’t fancy, I loved the end result because I made the entire quilt myself.

I got hooked! But how to keep padding the long arm? Borrowing one machine at a time was not going to be realistic. And while I hope to invest in my own machine one day, buying a long arm is not in my immediate future either.

With a little research, I found some options in my area to rent time on a long arm. And I loved it right away. It’s a quilter’s dream studio complete with gorgeous light, open-plan walls, huge cutting tables, a variety of household machines, and of course a long-arm quilting machine.

To use the long arm there, as in many places, you need to take a class and successfully quilt a full quilt. The class covers the basics of operating your big beautiful long arm, including how to carry the comforter and the basics of free-motion quilting. The cost of the class also includes 2 hours of quilting time to complete that first quilt. Once the course and quilt are complete and approved, you will be certified to use the long arm.

Since my certification, I have used the long arm for various quilts, each time I keep learning, I keep playing, and I keep ending up with something that I love from the experience of doing it. I know I’m only at the beginning of my longest journey to developing my quilting skills, and I’m excited to keep going, enjoying it every step of the way. One of my favorite parts of using the long arm is the experience of finishing my own quilt from start to finish.

I encourage anyone curious about wearing a long arm to go out and give it a try. There are many quilt stores and businesses that offer training on long arm machines and allow you to rent the machine to finish your quilts.