Lotti Longarm is up and running

Monday 2nd March was a very exciting day for us, as it was finally time for the installation of our brand new Handi Quilter Amara 20 longarm quilting machine.

From the first slightly dangerous “shall we?” moment — a wonderfully spontaneous idea that popped into Lynne’s head in the shower — to the day the machine actually arrived and began stitching for real, the whole experience has felt like a whirlwind. One minute it was a dream, and the next it seemed to be happening.

For now, Lotti Longarm has taken up temporary residence in our conservatory while the studio renovation continues. It may not be her forever home, but it has certainly been an exciting place to begin.

The story really starts the evening before installation, when Cherry and Simon arrived to stay at our Airbnb, Ashley’s Shack.

They are, quite simply, lovely people. Within minutes of meeting them, we felt completely at ease. The sort of people who instantly make everything feel calmer, friendlier and more manageable — which is exactly what you need when you are about to have a very large, very important machine assembled in your home.

We dropped them off, tried not to spend the entire evening talking about quilting, and headed to bed feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves.

The installation itself was fascinating to watch. The machine effectively comes in two main parts: the frame and the Amara machine itself.

The frame took around three hours to assemble, level and set up correctly, with another hour or so to complete the machine setup. It was one of those processes that makes you appreciate just how much engineering sits behind something that, when finished, looks so elegant and effortless.

Of course, no memorable installation story would be complete without a small hiccup.

During the initial test runs, the top thread kept snapping. Not exactly the dramatic first stitch we had imagined. But this was where Cherry and Simon’s professionalism really shone through. Calm, methodical and clearly hugely experienced, they worked through the problem step by step, testing and adjusting with total confidence.

There was never any sense of panic — just careful troubleshooting from people who knew exactly what they were doing. It was immediately obvious that Pinhole are not only incredibly friendly, but also genuine experts in their field.

Eventually, everything was running properly and ready for our first training session.

Once the machine was up and running, we moved straight into training.

Over three packed hours, we were guided through the essentials: loading a quilt sandwich, threading the machine, winding and fitting a bobbin, and beginning some basic freehand quilting. After that, we had an introduction to the Pro-Stitcher software, just enough to get us started without overwhelming us completely.

What really stood out was how thoughtfully Pinhole approach training. New owners are encouraged to learn the fundamentals first, spend a few weeks practising, and then attend a foundation course at Pinhole HQ, which is included in the cost of the machine. A few weeks later, there is also a live six-hour Zoom course that explores Pro-Stitcher in much more depth.

It is such a sensible system. Rather than leaving customers to muddle through alone, or trying to cram everything into one exhausting day, they offer a structured path that builds confidence over time. That level of support says a great deal about the company.

That evening, we collapsed into bed completely exhausted, but also absolutely buzzing. We had both booked the following day off so that we could practise everything we had learned.

Sadly, the top thread had other plans.

Every time we tried to do anything, it snapped.

To make matters worse, this was Cherry and Simon’s wedding anniversary, and they had been planning to spend the day enjoying the South Hams and having a well-earned rest. But as soon as they realised the problem was continuing, they immediately stepped back in to help.

What followed was an impressive display of customer support and technical know-how. There was testing, fault-finding and diagnosis, including a four-way conversation with Pete and Liz from Pinhole while they were travelling in Scotland. Between them, they narrowed the likely causes down quickly and arranged for replacement parts to be sent by overnight courier.

The following day, Cherry and Simon fitted the part and resolved the issue.

We had already thought that Pinhole seemed a very customer-focused company, but this really confirmed it. Their expertise was clear from the start, but so too was their care. They were generous with their time, determined to put things right, and endlessly reassuring throughout. It is one thing to sell a machine; it is quite another to support your customers with that level of commitment.

Once the issue was sorted, we were finally able to start experimenting properly with everything we had learned.

Then on Friday — less than a week after installation — we decided to take the plunge and load a king-size quilt that Lynne had been working on.

We chose an edge-to-edge oak leaf pattern using the Pro-Stitcher repeat function. It is fair to say that our performance was not yet exactly polished. There were bobbins running out, accidental switch-offs halfway through, moments of confusion, and several pauses where we simply stared at the screen and hoped the answer might present itself.

But slowly, steadily, we made progress.

We left the quilt overnight and finished it on Saturday. And although it was not perfect, it looked wonderful. To have completed our first large quilt less than a week after installation felt like a huge milestone, and we were absolutely thrilled.

Sunday brought another layer of excitement, as we were also celebrating Neil’s rather significant birthday.

That meant a steady stream of visitors, all of whom were treated — willingly or not — to demonstrations of the machine in action. By the end of the day, we had shown off both freehand and computer-guided quilting, and had produced a cheerful assortment of quilted tractors, rabbits and ducks.

As birthday entertainment goes, it was perhaps a little unconventional, but it was great fun.

It has been quite a week: exciting, exhausting, slightly nerve-racking in places, but above all inspiring.

We are so pleased to have started this journey with Lotti Longarm, and even more pleased to have had the support of such a knowledgeable, professional and genuinely lovely team from Pinhole. Their expertise gave us confidence, their training gave us a strong start, and their kindness made the whole experience a pleasure.

For now, Lotti may be living in the conservatory, but she is very much part of the family already.

Tomorrow, we are onto quilt number two.

Wish us luck.