Longarm 101
Confidently quilt with your longarm quilting machine
Is this you?
You realised that you enjoy stitching your quilts more than piecing. Now you’ve added a longarm quilting machine to your sewing room, but you’re afraid of the change from domestic sewing machine to quilting on a longarm.
After several years of tug-of-war with quilts on your domestic sewing machine, you’ve taken the plunge and purchased that longarm quilting machine you’ve been dreaming of. You started a quilt, but found that the tension is off, or something else is wrong, and your quilting doesn’t look like it did on the domestic machine. The frustration is overwhelming.
You love quilting, and you’re looking for a supplementary income. You joined the two together and now you’ve got this longarm quilting machine but you’re not sure where to start.
Any or all of the above, but you haven’t purchased that longarm quilting machine just yet. You first want to understand what this is all about.
You send your quilts to a longarm quilter for quilting, and you always have these wonderful conversations – but secretly you don’t understand half of what they’re talking about.
This class is for any quilter who wants to have a strong foundation of knowledge to grow their quilty skills, regardless of the brand of your longarm quilting machine. And also for anyone who wants to know what a longarm quilter is talking about!
You are ready, set, go!
Join me as I show you the things that I wish I knew when I started on my longarm quilting journey. From dealing with those freakin’ tension issues, floating a quilt (what the heck is that?), loading methods, and choosing free-motion quilting designs that will build your confidence to try different techniques. I also show you how to choose thread colors for your quilt.
(you’ll be taken to the online store to add the class to your basket)
What you’ll learn
Whether you’ve had your longarm machine for a while, or it’s a recent purchase, this class will help you build your confidence to become a longarm quilting genius. Over the course of a month, you’ll go from a new longarm machine owner to confidently discussing quilting options with a client, knowing what you’re talking about!
What notions do you need?
Some goodies you need, and some goodies you don’t really need just yet! I’ll show and explain what you cannot do without, and why.
Parts of the machine and how to take care of them
Your new baby has different requirements from your domestic machine. We’ll also look at your frame and why machines go walkabout!
Saving your body from trauma
Paying attention to your position will save you time and tears! I also share my exercise tips – because quilting on a longarm is a sport, you need to do some training.
Loading a quilt
There are a few different ways to load a quilt. I’ll show you the standard, and the way that I prefer plus a time-saving (and back-saving!) method.
Quilting different types of quilts
Tips and tricks for stitching a variety of quilt types.
A quilty sampler
My go-to design motifs for all-over quilting – all beginner friendly and some can be adapted for something a little more advanced.
(you’ll be taken to the online store to add the class to your basket)
Why Longarm 101
Your machine
Going to a quilt studio and learning with friends is super social, but you really need to get comfortable in your own space with your own machine.
Your time is your own
Pre-recorded sessions mean you can watch in your own time and watch it multiple times if you want to make sure that you get it just right.
Your questions answered
You have the opportunity to ask me your longarm questions.
Access to the recorded material remains yours!
(you’ll be taken to the online store to add the class to your basket)
About your teacher
Hi, I’m Gwenn Murphy (you also know me as Aggie 😉). I started quilting back in 2007 on a domestic sewing machine. I purchased my first “longarm” quilting machine in 2017 and soon found out that it wasn’t really a big upgrade from my domestic sewing machine. Sure, there were some advantages like a moving frame (supposed to give you a few extra inches on the throat space) and the movable machine, but it was the wrong machine for me. When I decided to change my system (and persuade my hubby that it’s worth every penny) in 2019 I did my homework, and now I’m super happy with my machine.
I learned by watching others, reading whatever I could find on the internet, and then trying it on my machine. In this class, I’m going to share all the things that I learned and help you to avoid the mistakes I made on the way.
I’m not affiliated to any brand (even though I do have a favourite!) – this means no sales talk or trying to get you to buy a million extras. Just what you need to get started, and what are nice to haves.
(you’ll be taken to the online store to add the class to your basket)
