Tashana

BallaBoo, mine has just arrived in three boxes. Two boxes are 95lbs each. This is a heavy and large beast. I got it because i jusr
T do not want to be in sotuation that i have to upgrade any time soon. I will have Bailey's Home Quilter Pro 17e on it. Will be setting it up this week and I will let you know. I will post pics as well.

An Arm Long

I have had a majestic with a Baby Lock Crown Jewel for a year and a half. It is a VERY sturdy frame. I found that leveling it well when setting it up and then checking that it stays level is important so that you do not get it wanting to go in a specific direction. I can now quilt smoothly in any direction. It takes practice to gain the feel of your machine on the frame and to know how to get it to do exactly what you want. Half the battle was learning how to relax.
The Majestic comes with a DVD to show you how to set it up. It took me over a day to do it by myself, but I didn't want help because I really wanted to understand how it goes together and how it works.

Tashana

Thank you very much for your post. I am still not sure where to put it, in my living room right under the bay window or in my sewing room in the basement. Basement has no natural light and it tends to get damp in the summer. My dog puts his paws on the window in the living room and waits for my kids to get off the bus. I am afraid he'll do that to the frame with a quilt on it. Right now I am between a rock and the hard place.

jitkaau

I have the 1500 and I use it on my frame. Apart from the shorter arm, the other thing you need to get used to is that the 1500 is heavier to pull around. That said, I get reasonable results with mine.

JustAbitCrazy

If your intention is to see if you'd like longarming, I think your best bet would be to first do some longarming on a machine that is rented out by the hour, if there is one close enough to you. That way, you wouldn't be spending so much money to get your feel for longarming. Then, if you decide to proceed, I'd get the best you can afford, which usually means getting a used machine (to get the most bang for your buck). JMHO, of course. Good luck to you!

quilttiger

Congratulations! I got the same package last month, too, and I just finished my first quilt on it. It does take a learning curve to get used to the new machine (my old one was a shortarm) but I really like it! You will not reqret getting the Majestic frame. It is a lovely sturdy frame and so easy to use. It takes a while to get the whole setup done and once you get past it, you'll enjoy it. Feel free to PM me.

Tashana

Thank you very much. I will be setting the whole thing on Friday. And I may take you up on your offer of PM. Thanks a lot fellow Baily fan!

Michellesews

Two important things to consider....are the rails sturdy and will they bow in time? That is killer. Once you roll your quilt a few times, how much actual quilting room is left? The roll of the quilt take up quite a bit of room, and this can squelch any creativity you may have. I started on a Pfaff frame and viking mega quilter machine, and I became very frustrated very quickly. That was in 2006, when I purchased my A-1 longarm and never looked back. The home frames have very little quilting room once you get into the middle of the quilt...unless they have improved significantly.

Maire

I have a similar frame & the Brother 1500, I love the Brother & use it off the frame for quilting all the time. But do not like it on the frame. It does fine as you begin to quilt but as the quilt progresses & is rolled up there is just not enough space in the arm of the machine, after a few rows of quilting you can only have 3 inches of quilting space. I found it frustrating, very much regret buying the frame, at least I bought it used so wasn't out the full price, the frame will only take a machine the size of the Brother 1500. But I do love the Brother for fmq off frame, just finished another quilt yesterday.

bonnyh

Okay - you asked for it. I tried the Gracy Frame (probably 10 years ago). Bought it used for $500. It's hard enough being a LA, but I had to operate the machine with one hand and the peddle with the other. I tried for about a year and then sold it and got a Tin Lizzie 18. That means I have 18" of throat space to work with. I sometime wish I had gotten a Gamel or Nolty, but my Tin Lizzie has a stitch regulator. What ever you get, make sure you have a lot of support and invest in classes. Just saying, it's not as easy as the people in stores or at the shows make it out to be.