Dawn Mason of Angelic Quilters in Birmingham, UK posed an interesting question on the Linkedin Quilting Enthusiasts forum. She asked,

If you had the chance would you like to quilt your own quilts on a long arm machine by “renting” it off someone OR let someone else do it for you?

I think it sounds logical and affordable to have several people own the same machine and then they each have the right to use it on specific days of every week…year round – with the person housing the machine getting something extra for her floor space and electricity! However actually renting an expensive machine such as this – does not work out.

Those who have no idea how to use such a machine can damage it and this becomes insane!
I’d love to have one for my own use or even co-own one with others who are trained to use it correctly. I used to own one, hired two ladies to quilt the quilts turned in and found out they were using my batting, electric, floor space and sewing for others – taking all the profit as if they had not seen the quilt! The hundreds of yards of missing batting were the clue…their excuse were that I had told them they could quilt their own quilts for free – their liberally stretched that to be other friends quilts too. They even picked up quilts dropped off at several quilt stores for my account and then took free fabric from the store owner in pay “for themselves”…none the less I sold the machine to another woman and ended my nightmare – she is a professional and doing well with it.

If you’re not a Quilting Enthusiast member, you should join us on Linkedin!

Quilt Creations

See amazing quilts created by Marilyn and her students

Quilt Retreats

Buy Online

Explore our online store with Rulers, Books, Patterns and More

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Meet Marilyn