How will I know when I've had enough practice and am ready to quilt for customers?

Answer 1

While it's virtually impossible to tell you with any accuracy "You will
need X number of hours on your machine before you will be ready to quilt for
others." I can give you one bit of advice that has stood the test of time
in this industry;

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

The quilts you do for others will go out into the world and speak for you.
They will speak for you when you are not there to explain that this was the
best you could do because this border was three inches too long for it's
quilt. They will speak for you when the quilt's owner 'forgets' to mention
that you'd only had your machine for a month and you were doing her quilt on
a Trial and Error basis. They will speak for you when your catty
competitor from down the street is there to point out all of your errors (at
the top of her lungs). They will continue to speak for you for years after they've
been quilted, and will serve as examples of your work even when the
quality of your work has improved 1000%. They will speak for you loudly and
clearly and you had better do your best to make darn sure that you like what
they're saying about you behind your back, because everyone who sees them will
use them to form their opinion of you and the quality of your work.

This is a very small playground we play in, so there's not much room for
error. Quilters are (mostly) women, and women *love* to talk about one
another. Good news/gossip spreads fast but bad news/gossip spreads faster and
there's no better gossip at the quilt store than the tragic tale of how
So-and-So the Quilter wrecked Such-and-Such the Poor Quilt Owner's quilt.

I've been doing this for well over 10 years and have traveled literally all
over the world teaching others. You would not believe some of the horror
stories I've heard about quilters who've hung out their shingle too soon and
whose businesses never recovered from that hasty decision. Don't get your
cart ahead of your horse and sabotage your business before you even get it
started. Take your time and practice, practice, practice. You won't regret
it.

Happy Quilting!

Kimmy Brunner
Machine Quilting Teacher of the Year

Answer 2

My friend started her longarm business by quilting lots of projects for free.

She only did projects that were going to be donated to a charity.

Everyone who did this with her understood at the time that she was just getting started and needed practice.

It gave her an opportunity to meet a lot of quilters needing her services.

Many of them are now good repeat customers who appreciate her growth.

She still quilts all of my charity quilts for free.