karensue

Hi
I, was looking at the Bernina Q20 table model, but after trying it out, don't think that table version is for me. So after looking at Bernina (table model at dealers today) and Gammill (saw at quilt show last week), I am more confused than ever.

My husband thinks that the Gammill is a better deal. Am looking at the Vision 2.0 22 inch.
The dealer is about an hour away so that is a problem for me. But they will deliver, set up and train me on the machine.

My other concern is that we think we have better room for an 8 foot frame (special order) instead of 10 foot frame.
We were told that we should still have at least 7 feet from front to back for the machine.
Is that what you ladies have?? I didn't expect to have to have that much room - we are putting it in the unfinished part of basement.

Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.
thanks
karensue

newbee3

I do not have that big of machine I have a 18" throat and a 12 ft. table I only have about 3 foot in the back and that is where I work from to do pantograph designs. You probably would need a little more than what I have but I don't think you would need 7 ft

QuiltnNan

yes, 7 ft. front to back is a good space. i think i have just under that, but i have to turn sideways to move around it sometimes. i have my grace frame set up at 7 ft... it can go 5, 7,10, or 12.

feline fanatic

I have a bedroom dedicated to my longarm. I have an innova 26" on a 10 ft frame. I can tell you I wish I had gotten a bigger frame. But like you my dedicated space to the machine was small as it is small bedroom. I probably could have squeezed in 12 ft frame and in hindsight I wish I had. The widest quilt I can do on a 10' frame is 100" quilt which most king size are bigger than that. You may regret going with a smaller frame. An 8' frame will only allow you to quilt around 76 to 80" wide quilt which is only a twin. If you are going to make the substantial investment of a longarm on a frame don't go that small, I guarantee you will regret it. Especially if you decide to quilt for others.

As far as front to back my frame is 55" deep. This includes the table at the back for pantos. I have 19" behind the frame which is enough for me to work from the back doing pantos but I stand next to my machine and guide it with one hand. I have 28" in front of the frame for working from the front. That is a grand total of 102" which is 8 1/2 feet. So I would agree with the dealer that you need at least 7 feet width if you plan on working from both sides of the machine, which most people do.

I know of many longarmers who have their setup in a basement. You need to make sure you have good ample lighting. My longarm is in an upstairs bedroom with natural light and overhead lighting. I have added more since getting my machine. I feel you can't have too much light.

Gramie bj

Table length really depends on what size quilt you want to work on. you will want to leave some open space at the sides of your quilt after it is mounted so you can reach the bobbin area without crawling under your machine or removing the quilt. (I change my bobbin at least once per quilt) I have a 8 fit wide space for my LA and some times it really feels closed in.

dunster

I have a 26" Innova on a 12' frame. The frame itself, front to back, is 52", and when the machine head is all the way to the back it extends about another 12", so that's 64" that is required just to fit the machine in the room. Now the distance you need to work depends somewhat on your size, but I would suggest at least 24" on the front. Most people will need to walk behind the machine even if you aren't doing pantos. You need to be able to change thread, clean the rails, clean the encoders, etc. You could probably do those things from the front or side of the machine, but it's much easier from the back. So another 12" on the back is nice to have (since you already have 12" beyond the frame because of the machine's movement). That's a total of 64+24+12=100 inches, which is 8' 4". I have more than that on the front, and the back looks out onto a large room, so it doesn't feel closed in at all.

I would not be happy with an 8' frame, but you might be if you do only lap size quilts or art quilts. I have used almost every inch of my frame on kingsize quilts.

I highly recommend Innova if you're still looking.

Prism99

How long have you been researching frame quilting? The rule-of-thumb is to spend at least a year on research, including trying out different setups at quilt shows, before making a decision. It sounds to me as if you have not yet done enough research to make an informed decision, and it can be costly (in more ways than one) to jump in before you are ready.

The first step is to determine whether you prefer moving the quilt, or moving the machine. It sounds as if you find standing up and moving the machine better for you than sitting down and moving the quilt. (Me too, but there are others who prefer the opposite!)

If you prefer a frame setup, then you *must* have enough room for the frame -- both width and depth.

What sizes of quilt do you plan on doing? The bigger the quilt, the more room you need on the frame for frame quilting. The 8-foot frame is a special order because not many people want to be that limited on their frame quilting. Understand that out of the 8 feet, you need somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 to 18" on one side (preferably on each side) so you can "park" your machine for maintenance, bobbin changes, etc. When you load a quilt, you also need about 6" on each side to allow for excess batting and backing.

If I were you, I would take a step back and spend more time learning about quilting options. This is a big purchase, and an expensive one if it doesn't work out for you.

quiltingshorttimer

I have a 14' frame with a 28" Gammill that I love. I bought it used from a deceased friend's family, but in my research had decided on a 12' frame and a 24" arm-at least. I think you will be disappointed in the 8' table for the reasons others have given. One of my friends with the same Gammill as me but a 12' frame has her's set up diagonally in the bedroom she uses--allows her plenty of space front and back and able to move around one end. Another friend also with same Gammill and a 12' table has her's in basement and since she dislikes doing pantos and rarely works from the back, has very little space in the back and one side.

Don't worry about the dealer being an hour away--with a long arm set up (think this may be true of a sit down machine too). You rarely would take a long arm to the dealership--they are so bulky that the techs either walk you through the repair (I've even replaced the power source chip in mine with the Gammill tech "holding my hand" via telephone) or they send a tech to you. What's most important is how responsive they are to help calls! Gammill does a very good job at that--both my "local" dealer (3 hrs away), my "local" tech--20 min. away, or the Gammill factory.

PaperPrincess

I agree that you would need at least 7' front to back, and additional room on one side to walk around. As far as the frame width, I would get the widest one your space can accommodate. Remember to add an additional 3 feet or so to the width so you have room to walk around to the back. The sled the machine sits on takes up some room, so when it's moved to the extreme right or left, you will loose at least 6-8 inches on each side, possibly more. SO a 96" frame will accommodate a narrower quilt width, possibly 80" or less. It does depend on the type of quilting you do. If you do mostly twins and throws, then it might be OK. You can always long arm the quilt in sections and join after using a QAYG technique. Not the most convenient, but it can be done.
My machine is located in the basement. Have overhead lights installed prior to delivery, and make sure there are multiple outlets available. I would set the lights up so that you can either dim them or be able to turn some off rather than all off or all on. Sometimes you need light coming from the side rather than above. The concrete floor makes it easy to get the machine level, but it is really hard on you! Remember, you will be quilting for hours. I have one of those cushion mats that fit together like puzzle pieces. On top of that I have a gel mat and wear Crocs, hot pink of course, and take frequent breaks.
Do lots of research. It's a big purchase.

lfletcher

I have the Gammill Vision 18/8 and it will be 5 years in June since I got it. I love it. Gammill is a very good company to deal with. My husband enclosed our back porch for me & though not a giant area, it is adequate. My machine and porch are pictured in my avatar. I have the 10 foot frame and I do have 7 feet (barely) from front to back. I didn't get any extras with the exception of casters for the frame. I am glad I did, because I can push it up against the wall if I need to. I would recommend the 10' frame over the 8'. There have also been a couple of times that I wished I had gone with the 12' frame. I also have the batting bar which gives me storage for two rolls of batting under the machine. I wouldn't have had the space to store this batting without the bar. I agree with your husband on the Gammill. I don't think you would regret it!