The longarm of quilting is at Grant County Extension | Grant County News | pmg-ky3.com

What costs over $20,000 but is about priceless for preserving a potentially dying heritage skill? A “20 inch Handi Quilter Amara Longarm Quilting Machine.”

Asa Conkwright, Grant County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Science explained the machine is designed to “bind the top, batting, and bottom of the quilt together.”

A highly specialized and large machine, it can cost upwards of $25 to $44 an hour with a minimum of two to three hours to rent a longarm. Add to that, some rentals will require hours of training for the machine costing upwards of $100 or more, and it becomes apparent using a Longarm Quilting Machine can be a drain on a limited budget.

The materials that go into a quilt-the “batting” “top and bottom” fabrics and threads-and the pasttime becomes a major investment.

Conkwright saw the community need and “requested a longarm quilting machine” be purchased by the Extension Board for use by the county’s many quilters. He said he wanted to “empower our quilters to complete their projects independently, without the added expense of hiring a third party.”

Conkwright said the longarm machine “need is especially critical for members of the homemakers’ ”‘Cultural Arts’ program, which requires participants to complete every step of their quilts on their own, from start to finish, in order to qualify” for the program.

He said the “high price point puts such equipment out of reach for most individual quilters, creating a barrier that not only limits participation in important programs but also discourages the continuation of traditional quilting skills.”

To make things worse, he explained, “Local quilt shops are closing across the state, including major retailers like Joann’s, reducing access to essential quilting resources.”

Conkwright said that “by providing a longarm machine, we can help preserve heritage craftsmanship, increase access and encourage more people to engage in and carry on this valuable art form.”

Conkwright plans to eventually rent the machine to Grant County citizens. He said this would “provide an affordable version of an expensive service and in turn increase the numbers of our extension groups and preserve the heritage skill.” He said the machine can “open up opportunities to participate in programs such as “Quilts of Valor” or a KEHA (Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association) statewide initiative where twin sized quilts are donated to “The Center for Courageous Kids.”

As well, he wants to “be able to expand on the education programming” offered at the extension office.”

For the foreseeable future, Conkwright, along with family and consumer science volunteers will be being trained to use the machine before it can be offered for public use. However, he said, “Once we start, rentals can be scheduled at the Grant County Extension Office.”

One caveat, the “quilter will be required to quilt with myself or a volunteer until we see they are capable of running the machine and will be allowed to use it by themselves after that.” While there will eventually be a rental agreement and cost, he said “I will ensure it will be cheaper than utilizing a third-party service.”

The machine was received at the Extension Office on June 10.

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