nursie76

Does anyone know anything about a Bailey Home quilting machine. I would consider it a mid arm as the one I saw is 13". Just wondering if they have a good rep.

butterflywing

i don't have one, but the people that i know who have them, love them. i have the tin izzie, which is 18" and i consider that a mid-arm, even though i call it a long-arm.

Prism99

You might want to join the homequiltingsystems list at http://groups.yahoo.com . Quite a few people there have Baileys.

JJs

I have the 15" which I LOVE...
they recently started selling a 17" model...

nursie76

Thanks everyone. I found out that they are made in NY state. I am going to explore this as a possibility.

JJs which frame do you have...or do you use it as a sit down?

rivka

I have a 15", which I generally love. I'm still pretty new to using it, and there have been some growing pains, but when it's working correctly, then it's awesome. ;) The thing to recognize about the Bailey is that it's very no-frills compared to a true longarm, and is somewhat cobbled together (it's a stretched machine, technically). It has two major selling points, IMHO -- the price, and the throat space. If you're willing to put up with some initial frustration and a bit of a learning curve, you'll probably be very happy with it. And whenever I hit a snag with my quilting, I just tell myself, "This is a heck of a lot faster than hand quilting!"

One thing to keep in mind as far as cost is whether or not you need a stitch regulator -- I personally wouldn't try to quilt without one. Some people manage to work just fine without one, but the learning curve is substantially longer without one, from what I've heard.

I'm running my Bailey on a Little Gracie II. If I were to do it over, I'd probably get a bigger frame -- I'd like to be able to do king sized quilts; also, I'm probably losing about an inch of quilting space (in the throat) because the frame isn't quite big enough. It would probably be perfect for a 13", though.

nursie76

Rivka, Thank you so much. I really want a mid/long arm, but am struggling with spending that much money after just spending a lot on my used Bernina. But I am seriously interested in this machine because the price is more in my reach...eventually.

JJs

I have the little gracie II frame which Bailey's sell as a 'deal'...
I do not have the stitch regulator and see no need to get one -
you do have to remember that the machine runs slower that a high priced long arm and move the machine accordingly
I did a few 'practice' pieces then a quilt...
I've done quite a few since then -
I wouldn't call it "cobbled together"
call and talk to Mr. Bailey - he's there on Tuesdays on (not there on Mondays) - he will be happy to answer any questions you have..

rivka

JJs, come on now. It has PVC pipes for handles :) You may not call that cobbled together, but I do ;) When people are considering making such a major purchase, it's important to be as forthright as possible about what they are actually buying.

I'm not saying it's not functional -- it certainly is -- but don't expect to be getting something that looks like or works exactly like a true long-arm.

JJs

and you "come on now", in this day and age, a 15" "mid-arm" machine AND frame for $2500 is NOT a major purchase - get real...

if you want "Major purchase" AND a "real" longarm AND a fancy metal frame - don't think you are going to get all that for twenty five hundred....

accept that $2500 gets you 'what you pay for' or plan on spending more