
Hello, friends! Welcome back to the studio.
If you’ve been following along with my latest projects, you know how much I absolutely adore my quilting space. It’s usually my happy place, filled with the hum of machines and the vibrant colors of new fabrics. But today, I have to get real with you about something that every longarm owner dreads: a machine emergency.
I’m currently navigating a bit of a "quilt crisis" with my Handi Quilter Simply 16. It’s one of those moments where you have to take a deep breath, remind yourself why you love this craft, and figure out a plan B.
Are you ready to join me in the madness? Let’s talk about what happened and how I’m planning to get back to the stitching I love!
Why I Adore My Longarm (When It’s Working!)
Before we dive into the "surgery" part of today's post, I want to share why I fell in love with longarming in the first place. For those of you who have been quilting on a domestic machine, you know the struggle of the "quilt sandwich."
Owning a longarm machine like my Simply 16 completely changed the game for me. Here are my top three favorite things about it:
- The Sandwiching Process: There is no spray basting and no pins! I simply roll everything, the backing, the batting, and the top, onto the frame. It is a massive time-saver and so much easier on the back.
- ProStitcher Premium: This is the "brain" of the operation. I can program a design, and the machine executes it with stunning precision. It makes professional-level results accessible to everyone.
- The Finished Product: There is nothing quite like the feeling of pulling a finished quilt off that frame. It’s the ultimate "ta-da!" moment.


The Breakdown: What Went Wrong?
Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room. My $25,000 machine decided to stop behaving. It started when a thread broke during a filming session (you might have seen that in one of my recent shorts!). After I re-threaded, the machine just… quit.
After some troubleshooting with the wonderful team at Handi Quilter, we identified the culprit: a faulty encoder in the carriage.
The encoder is the little "child" that communicates with the machine so it knows where it is on the frame. Without it, the machine can't connect to the carriage, and the ProStitcher can't do its job. It’s incredibly frustrating, especially as a business owner, because when the machine goes down, production stops. I'm currently about three quilts behind!
Quilt Surgery: The Hardest Part
The "emergency" isn't just the broken part; it’s the logistics of the repair. Because the encoder is located in the carriage underneath the machine, we have to perform what I call "quilt surgery."
In order to reach the problem area, all of the poles on my 10-foot frame have to come off. That means my current project, the Big Spools Quilt, has to be removed mid-quilting.
"When it rains, it pours. This quilt is holding up the whole process for everyone!"
The real challenge will be putting it back on. Half of it is already quilted and sandwiched, while the other half will be "loosey-goosey." Trying to realign everything so the patterns match up perfectly is going to be a journey. We might laugh, we might cry, but I’m going to take you along for the ride!

The Repair Plan (Wish Us Luck!)
So, what’s the plan? Well, I have the new part in hand! Now comes the big decision: do I wait for a professional technician to come out, or do I trust a DIY approach?
My husband, who is incredibly smart (though I'll admit his patience for tiny machine parts can be thin!), wants to try and install it himself. We’re going to give it a go! I’ll be recording the process so you can see exactly what goes into a longarm repair. Send us all the positive thoughts and good vibes, we're going to need them!
Looking Ahead: Future Projects
Even though the machine is currently out of commission, my mind is still racing with new ideas. I have so many exciting projects lined up once we're back in business:
- A T-shirt Quilt: I’m in the middle of piecing this one and can’t wait to get it on the frame.
- The Patriotic Uniform Quilt: This is a very special project for a friend. Her husband was a veteran, and she wants me to create a quilt using his old uniforms. I’ll be using the star pattern I created years ago, and I think it’s going to be absolutely breathtaking.
Creating something meaningful like a memory quilt is why I do what I do. It reminds me that even when the machines break, the heart of quilting is still there.

Stay Positive and Keep Crafting!
Is it a royal pain when your machine goes down? Yes, absolutely. But the beauty of this community is that we figure it out together. Everything is fixable, and this is just a small bump in the creative road.
I’m so grateful for your support and for being part of The Crafty Author family. If you've ever dealt with a machine emergency, leave a comment and tell me how you handled it! We can swap stories and maybe share a few tips. And if you want even more behind-the-scenes quilting fun, be sure to join the Clubhouse waitlist so you don’t miss what’s coming next!
Check out the full video below to see the "problem child" encoder and the field trip behind my machine!
Watch the Video
Keep on crafting, and I’ll see you guys next time!
Bye-bye!
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