Lorraine020

I could do with some expert advice please from anyone who has a 22" Innova on a 12' frame. First of all the 9" throat depth and take-up roller; is this big enough to cope with a queen sized quilt or are there limitations? In hindsight, do you wish you'd gone for the 26"? How deep is the frame on the 22" (front to back - my dealer is a bit vague on this!) And now a bit of a dumb question - if you're quilting a smaller lap quilt, does this have to be positioned in the middle of the frame or can you attach it to one side? I'd really appreciate any information that Innova owner's can give me. Thank you in anticipation.

PaperPrincess

Don't have this setup. I have an 18" machine on a 10' frame. I can do a queen (w & n batting) without a problem, still have about 10" of quilting room at the end. I do small quilts all the time. You can put them anywhere along the length of your frame, might need to do something to extend the elastic on the side clamps. A nice thing to do is get a couple small one pieced, put an extra large backing on and do them both at the same time. You can load them on the frame side by side or up and down.

mighty

I do not have that set up I have an 18 on a ten foot frame also and can do queen quilt no problem.I have also done small quits as PaperPrincess explained works quite well.

Prism99

You might want to join the innovalongarm group at groups.yahoo.com for more information. I have read that you should purchase the 26" if you think you might want to add computerized quilting at a later date. It might also be useful to have that size if you plan to use the machine in a quilting business. For home use without the need for computer robotics, many people are happy with the 22".

dunster

I have the 26" so I can't address your question specifically, but I can say that I am very glad I have the 26". Any extra width is especially useful when you are quilting blocks set on point, and it means not rolling the quilt as often. I'm not sure what the 9" reference in your question means. The configuration of the Innova frame means that you don't have the limitations when rolling a quilt that other frames have as the roll gets larger. I agree with Prism - join the yahoo group for the Innova. You will get lots of information and support there, but with Innova you have 24/7 support with a phone call to someone at Innova who will be able to walk you through any difficulty or answer any question.

feline fanatic

Welcome to the board. Another consideration between a 26" and a 22" is your reach. My reach is such that I really don't utilize all the space in my 26" throat. I have no regrets having the bigger machine but I find I tend to not use all that space simply because I don't have the control I want when I am quilting so far from me and I also have to stand on my tip toes when I have the machine head all the way to the back portion of quilting space when working from the front. I do most of my heavy custom stuff in an area equivilent to the quilting space of 22". So I suspect had I gotten the 22" I would not notice much difference. Dunster is correct the configuration of the Innova and frame with the deadbar and the take up roller high up is that you don't lose any quilting space as the quilt is rolled up. Or maybe I should say, I certainly don't notice if I do and I have done some quilts that are over 110" long with double bats. You have more than ample room to quilt a queen, even a king with the 22" on a 12' frame. I have the 10' frame and I can't load anything wider than 100" and even then, I am not comfortable because there is very little room on the sides for putting side clamps, testing tension and changing bobbins. I was limited by room space so had to settle on 10'. I would be very happy if I had 12'
The Innova frame is deep enough to accomodate the throat of the machine you have. You only need as much quilt exposed as you are capable of quilting. A 22" will be ample but if you are really torn and can afford the upgrade, go to the 26". It is my motto that it is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. If you go to ABM Innova website, I believe they have the dimensions.

When quilting smaller quilts I always line up in the center, it is just the way I do it. I suppose you could load the quilt to one side but my leaders are already marked with center points so I know by lining up on those everything will always be loaded nice and square and I can get even side tension by loading in the center. I really don't understand why you would want to load to one side. What is the advantage to that?

Other information... I have been a VERY happy Innova owner since 2010. My machine has done everything I have asked of it so far and I hope the trend continues. ABM customer service is indeed 24/7/365. Michael, one of the owners or one of the techs will always call you back and have un-ending patience in walking you through any procedure on the phone. I had an issue last year during Christmas holidays and they called me back. I believe it was the 23rd or it was Christmas eve day, but if it had been the 25th, I bet someone would call. However, I feel the holidays are a time for family and I would not dream of testing it on a holiday. I would resent the intrusion so I would never intrude on someone else.
I feel the Innova is the best bang for the buck in the LA market. I am probably biased because Innova is what I have but I can honestly say I am a happy owner and I have zero regrets making this investment. I would do it again in a heartbeat and if I ever upgrade I would definitely go with Innova or upgrade my existing machine with lightening stitch.

yel

i have that set up ....first of all love it .....king /queen /full /twin /baby i can quilt them all ....i used a friends machine last month when i was visiting .....came home and hugged mine

yel

oops I have the 12 foot poles ...

Lorraine020

Just wanted to thank you all for the great information and advice you've given me - I really appreciate it. Thank you everyone. Kindest regards

CarolynMT

I just bought the 22in with 12ft table this year. I tried all the machines at the MQX show and kept coming back to the innova. It is by far my favorite. I prefer workhorse machines, and this is definitely that. I have a queen loaded on mine now and never once thought about it not fitting. I just know it will work. Like feline, I work from the center of the machine, it just happens to sit right in front of my counter where I keep my tools so it works best for me.

If you are trying to figure out how much space you need, I would say at least 2ft on either side of the machine to walk around (so 16ft) and it is about 5 feet in width, from rollers to table front.

My baby is wonderful, I have the lightening stitch on it, and definitely recommend getting that, especially if you plan at some point moving to the computerized system. I dont make anything bigger than 12in blocks and I can easily quilt them on point with the 22in.