I have a Bernina Quilt frame and love it. I have a Bernina 430 on it, and don't love it. The machine is great but the space is very limited, and then so is my creativity. My choice of machines is limited because the size of the platform. I have priced the Bernina 820, it will give me 5 more inches than I have. A nolting fun quilter will give me 10 more, but do not know if it will fit. If I go with the 820, I still have a great machine when and if I go long arm. Is there anyone out there that has a 820(830) setup and a Bernina quilt frame?

My 830 is called Elly and she is sitting on her frame right now! I Love it! Not sure if the Nolting will fit or not, but the decorative stitches and the embroidery on the 830 make it very versatile and practical for me. Elly is very slow to respond to the foot pedal so I do not use her for piecing. It's more of a short arm but its a great setup. The jumbo hoop for the embroidery can quilt individual blocks too. It really does everything!

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough room at the end of a quilt? Do you use your BSR?

I got the Bernina quilt frame with my new 820, bought in June. I haven't set up the frame yet, but my thinking was that if I didn't take to frame quilting, I'd still have a superb, luxury sewing machine. And it truly is just that fabulous and worth every cent. When I have the space and time, I'll set up the frame, but I might end up putting a 9" straight stitcher on it, because it'll be hard to give up the 820 from sewing.

Your frame looks like it is a Grace Pinnacle which will take a machine with up to an 18" throat unless Bernina has ordered the carriage to be modified somehow but I don't know why they would do that.

I do have to say that seeing the picture of the high end sewing/embroidery machine sitting on a quilt frame is a little startling. You really only need a straight stitch machine for machine quilting. I thought my Elna 7200 was overkill but I bought it to do both frame quilting & everything else which it did very well for 5 years before I got a Voyager.

I don't know what other advantages upgrading your 430 to an 820/830 might give you but I would use the money for a used Nolting or HandiQuilter unless you really want some of the other features on the 820/830.

Because Bernina has a software package that allows the 830 to do computerized quilting designs on the frame!! That's why it's not startling to me .

The Bernina dealer in Duluth, GA had two quilt frames set up. One had the 440QE and the other was a Babylock Crown Jewel. The Babylock is much larger than the 440QE so I don't think you will have a problem with a larger machine on the Bernina quilt frame.

I have a viking sapphire on there right now, but a voyager 17 on order. (refirb units are available at a nice price)

I've seen the 830 on the Bernina frame and it is SWEEEET! She had the computer hooked up to it and it stitched a perfect feathered wreath in about 5 minutes. If I was more computer savvy, that's one I'd love!

When you go to set up your frame, contact me I can save you a lot of headache. The set up itself is great, but the directions for attaching the quilt itself are terrible. I think a man wrote both. I have learned some tricks through trial and error, and it is really easy. I will share those tips with you when you are ready.

I have a Bernina Frame, not a Grace. I am a Bernina Die Hard and have been for 25 years. I still have my 930 and have never had it in the shop or adjusted the tension. I am afraid to step out of the box as you cant beat the tension. Also, there will come a time when I will want a bigger frame, my thoughts are I would still have a good machine. I appreciate your feedback, It is a tough decision on which way to go.

I have the 830LE and the Bernina/Gracie frame. I have done one quilt so far and it was wonderful! I had used a Juki on a frame before, and the extra room with the 830 made such a big difference. The 830 is an awesome machine. That being said, if you love you 440 for piecing, and don't want to use it to trade up to an 830, then perhaps one of the starter long arms might be the way to go. The 830 does so much and I love machine embroidery, so it was the best fit for me. The frame is 120 inches and the quilt I did was about 100 x 110".

Oh, the Bernina frame is made by the Grace company. The Bernina site has video on loading the quilt on the frame. It was a big help for me.

Bernina makes sewing machines but they don't even "make" all of those. My friend's Bernette embroidery machine is nothing like a real Bernina and it didn't cost near as much as the real thing. My guess is it is really a re-branded Brother or Simplicity. Berina used Grace to make frames for them. Grace makes frames and darn good ones for the most part. Check out the Grace Pinnacle at http://www.graceframe.com/site/machineframes/pinnacle

Viking did the same thing with the Inspira frame (now known as Gold Standard) by New Joy when they introduced the little Mega Quilter. For the 18.8 Mega Quilter--they used Tin Lizzie. Many of the manufacturers have partnerships like this. It takes scads & scads of money to develop new products. It is much cheaper to contact someone who all ready makes a product you want to develop and pay them to put your brand on it.

I have the Pinnicle and it took the professional installer 6 hours to put it togather. Way to many pieces and the rod that goes inside the throat is large and takes up alot of room if you use a strait stitch machine with just a 9 in throat.
The rods are not that sturdy and I have to be careful not to lean on the one that you have a tendency to lean on.
I did get a good price. The frame and a Baby Lock Jane machine was only $1500 at my local shop.