Hey Grace MooreLinker -- how clever is that! But wait a minute . . . where do you stand? Where is the foot pedal? Please give some specifics.

I have no interest in a longarm (it just looks way too confusing) but I would love the sweet 16. I have done large quilts on my janome machine. I don't pin it either. My best friend is spray basting and I either roll the quilt up to fit or just squish it. I also have a janome 350e embroidery machine that I've used to quilt with and that works out fine also. Good luck

suziequilter
 

One thing that I find is very helpfull is to place tables all around my quilting table so the quilt stays up on them all at one level. When the quilt fall over the edge is when it pulls and the tension gets off. I have been quilting my quilts this way on a home machine for many years. I'm getting pretty good at it if I don't say so myself.

I've done 2 king size and several queen size on a dsm with 6.5" harp. The hardest part is managing the bulk between me and the needle. It's best to start in the middle and work out. SID works the best for me, and I often use one of the decorative stitches rather than a straight stitch. When doing SID I like to roll both ends toward the middle and hold with rings, then start stitching in the center, unroll as I go. A tight roll will help get the bulk through the harp.

I've been using an old door for a base! Now I DO want a dining room table. NEVER did I think of creating a "sewing" leaf. Keeper Husband, for sure! I have a 48" Flynn frame, but that means my "giant" quilt making is done in sections. This idea means it could be done in one go, just have to PLAN where I'm going. Thank you all for the ideas.

Oh, I have a "normal" size computerized Kenmore (Janome in all but name) AND an 11" throat HV Sapphire 835. More throat space is nice, but it took me a year of working with it, before it's all coming together. I used the normal for Twin, Baby and Lap quilts, mainly, because that was my only option besides the floor and tying the quilt!

I've done many queen sized quilts and I've also done 6 or more king sized quilts on my Janome 4000. It can be a struggle, but working from the center out helped me. The very, very first quilt that I machine quilted, I did a king size basket quilt where the basket blocks were set on point with sashing in between. I was a very, very new quilter then, and since no one had told me I couldn't do it, I did it. On the first quilt, I did SID on the sashing, then SID on the basket blocks. I might never do another king size basket quilt again, I learned so much, plus it went on our bed, so no one saw it, and I had made it larger 110 x 110 so that I got some of the quilt at night - you know - one good turn deserves all the covers. It can be done, but be patient and take your time, you can do it.The class on Big quilts on small machines from Craftsy might be a good idea for me to sign up for, even an old quilter can learn new tricks.

Sounds like that Craftsy class would really benefit you AND me, LOL ... I stay away from large quilts like that cuz I also don't want to have to pay to have it quilted and I don't like doing them myself either. The few larger quilts I've quilted on my Janome6500 make me so hot and maneuvering them is no fun

side note ... I have a very large sewing table 4ft x 8ft, and yes that helps, no drag etc but I still don't like quilting on my machine, LOL

I tried and it was a mess. I worked and worked and is was NO FUN AT ALL. It turned quilting from a fun hobby into real work. I' d quilted for a quite awhile, not hand quilting (I don't do hand work) and then wanted to save money so gave it a try. To me it's not worth it for a large quilt, You might have more patience then I do and best of luck. But to me the LAQ is worth it. And I give all my quilts away.

Yes, I have quilted several q quilts on my Singer 401A slant needle. The prep work takes time, but it certainly can be done. I use an ironing board with a piece of plywood in front of my machine cabinet and an ironing board with a piece of plywood to my left to catch the bulk of the quilt moving that way. Make sure the ironing boards are level with the top of your cabinet. Take your time and smooth out the area in front of where you are going to quilt. Start in the middle and work out. Keep trying and you will get it right. I trace coloring book pictures on the quilts for kids and quilt them into the body of the quilt.