Boot Camp Training

Learning the basics of your longarm machine is crucial to the enjoyment and success of your longarming journey. This three/four day event is held at Quilts on the Corner, with each quilter and optional guest on their own dedicated machine. Class size is small so that each student receives the individual attention necessary to learn all they need to know to quilt with confidence. Classes are taught by Renae Haddadin, national quilt instructor. Renae started quilting for hire in 2002. She understands quilting for hire, every day use type quilting and quilting for show. Since that time she has taught thousands of longarmers to quilt, traveled nationally and internationally to teach, and won numerous top quilting awards, including Best of Show in Paducah, KY two times. Her methods have been proven time and again to produce both beautiful and well crafted quilts.

Check the calendar for upcoming classes and check back often as we are always adding more classes. Classes do book out months in advance, so if you don't see a class you are looking for just send us a message. The three day training course is $600 per person. Four days, including Autopilot training is $800 per person. We will pair you up with your guest so that you can work together throughout the week - This $1600 training is our gift to all of our new INNOVA longarm owners.

DAY 1: The first day we will cover basic longarm skills. Students will learn to load a quilt on the frame, set up an Edge to Edge design quilt, learn to start and stop stitching while quilting. You will learn to adjust stitches and how the stitch control panel functions. We also cover some good business practices, workflow and techniques for dealing with wavy quilts etc. If your machine is computerized, you will do this on your computer. Free Motion students will do a pantograph.

DAY 2: On day two, students will have practice doing edge to edge again as well as focusing on how every Autopilot tool works. We will use those tools to quilt various blocks on another lap size quilt. Freehand students will create border designs, block designs and learn to use acrylic guides. We will discuss machine maintenance and learn to change the hopping foot.

DAY 3: On the third day, students will use a multi-colored striped quilt into several rows and use various threads. Numerous designs will be taught for freemotion, but the focus will be on learning to balance tension with any thread combination. Students will use many thread types and colors to create a sample that will serve to remind them how various thread combinations look. By the end of the day you will feel comfortable threading the machine, winding a bobbin and making machine adjustments to achieve a beautiful stitch. Students have the option to use it freehand or computer driven.

After completing the three days of personal hands-on training, students feel confident to move forward with their longarm quilting skills.

With the purchase of AutoPilot Mach3, we include fourth day of training to ensure you get started on the best foot possible. We will work through designing custom borders on a custom quilt top. We will continue to use many of the tools you learned on day 2 and any of the computerized tools that weren’t used on the second day of class. Each student will have their own project and get a full day of hands on practice.