I want this?
 

I have almost decided to get this frame: http://www.graceframe.com/site/machi...quilting-frame

I have the Brother 1500 machine and I think it will be a good beginner set up. Not much money invested if I find I not cut out to be a long armer. LOL. If anyone has any first hand knowledge of this frame I would like to hear pros and cons.

Before you buy a new one, check your local (and surrounding within driving distance areas) for a used frame. You can usually pick one up fairly cheap if you wait a bit. I wish I had waited to get one used...
I think that would be a great frame but it's really pretty costly imo. You would be able to use it with a bigger machine which chances are you would end up getting after seeing what you can and can not do with a 9" throat.

I live in an area that I didn't think I'd see too many quilting machines come up on Craigslist and I have seen quite a few in the last year alone. I'd keep an eye on the boards, join the Home Quilting Systems yahoogroup (people list their machines & frames fairly often as well) Just don't rush in to a big hefty purchase ;)

I have a super quilter pro flex frame that I used with a juki and now an Innova longarm....it was way less that his one as the rails are conduit you buy at lowes or home depot. Very simple and easy to use.

I have a grace frame, looks very similar to the one in the picture, but the take up roller does not have the crank. I have it set up at 10 feet. It is very sturdy, I have no vibration and the join in the rails is very smooth, no jerk when I go across it. Having said that, I think the movement on my frame is stiff. I can do SITD without a ruler because the carriage really wants to go N-S or E-W. I can do a large to medium curve without much of a problem, but recently, I've tried to do finer quilting, like small stippling and pebbling. I've had lots of problems with pebbles with square corners and jagged stippling. I tried a bit of the same style quilting on a friend's top of the line, high end machine and was much more successful. She has a quilting business and her frame cost as much as my whole set up. The wheels on my carriage (the thing that holds the machine) look identical to the ones in the picture in the link. So, I guess my bottom line is that on the whole, I think the frame is just fine, but is slightly limiting. Is there any way you can try the frame out at a dealers? Even if you have to drive somewhere and make a day trip out of it, I think it would be worth it. There are always lots of posts on which Long Arm to get, but very little is ever mentioned on the frame, which I think is also very important.

The Majestic is the top of the line and it takes quilts from crib to king. I ordered mine as a part of Baileys LA package and it should be here any day. I can let you know how big the beast is once I set it up.

There's a Tin Lizza for sale that I noticed earlier today. Look under for sale.

If your interested in a used system.

Thanks everyone. Tashana I'll be waiting for your review. I'm not in a hurry to buy. I have read too many bad reviews about customer service on a Tin Lizzy while still under warranty, I'll pass on that brand, especially a used one. I have used a high end Gammill so know the limitations of the less expensive ones. Heck, I like my John Flynn set up and do pretty good on it. Just in the mood for something new and a step up from that.

If I had the room for any long arm set up. I would buy a machine meant to be used with the frame.

I have the Imperial frame with a Baby Lock Jane, its the same machine as the Brother 1500.
Do not like the machine at all. Its just not meant to use on a long arm frame. It is useless for doing anything over 4 in wide.
Its a problem to thread and pull up the thread to start sewing since you cant turn the wheel as you cant reach it.
Save up your money for a machine thats meant for the table.

I checked into the Grace Start Right and they are under $700. I would think this to be a good beginner frame. I have never done longarm quilting, but I can't see spending a lot of money for something I might not like doing. I hope you can find a used one and try that.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

It is not easy at all. I have the Grace Pinnacle frame and a Babylock Quilters Choice Pro Professionel. Great machine till you put it on the frame, then it sews the biggest mess. I can quilt FM all day long off the frame but put it on the frame & it goes nuts. If your throat is not real deep on machine, you are going to be advancing it every few inches. I can work faster off the frame. This frame you picked out looks pretty good. Like the wheels to turn it with. I don't know Bell, think I would go practice on one somewhere first. If I ever buy another machine, I am going to get that new Babylock long arm Tiara. It would fit my frame great. I wish I could buy the Inovation. I think that is what it is called. It is made here in Texas. Good luck girl. Hope you figure it out.

My Bailey is 17" and I think that is plenty of space for the size of quilts I do. I got the Majestic frame because it is sturdy and it gives me an option to make a really large quilt if I choose to. I will never, ever have enough money to invest in a machine that cost almost as much as my car and does as good of a job as Bailey. Bailey does not have all the bells and whistled like other more expensive machines have but I know it will do what I need it to do. I have several very simple sewing machines. Two are vintage/antique treadles and I make great quilts on them. The only thing lacking is throat space. That is what I am getting with my Bailey plus customer service that is second to none and it is made here in USA. I think that my Bailey baby and I will be friends for a very long time. When it comes to the throat size, every inch counts. Same is with bobbins, the bigger the bobbin the happier I am. And I know that some people will think I am nuts, but I have never ever tried any long arm machine. I did lots of research so I know what I am getting myself into. I can hardly wait for Friday to have this whole contraption set up and loaded with practice sheets.

I meant to address this earlier...I have the Grace Majestic frame. It is well made and there is no way the rails will bend in the middle. It is capable of handling machines with throats ranging from 9 to 18 inches. It handles projects all the way up to king size. It does take a while to assemble the frame and it is really a two-person job in terms of interpreting the instructions and the DVD. There was a problem in turning the rails for some reason. The Grace Company was contacted, and the rep graciously sent us replacement parts right away. After that, the rails rolled like a dream. Putting the leaders on is very simple. The only negative as far as I am concerned are the clamps...they were too heavy for my taste. I ordered a pair of Feather Light clamps from www.quiltshop.us, size 15.5 inches. They just arrived today. I used smaller ones on my old set up and they are great to use. Hope this helps.

Good luck Tashana and be sure to post pics once you get it set up and make your "practice sheet".

I agree with Marie -I also have the Brother Innovis 1500 D --thinking it would work I bought a John Flynn frame
used from someone on QB last yr about this time. Been disappointed because the harp space is not big enough.
Paid two thousand for my machine few yrs ago but it does everything else I wanted and I already had a serger and other machine.

I bought the Brother 1500. I wanted to get the Grace Start Right quilting frame, but had to postpone. I did not want to invest alot of money. Want to make sure I like it as well can do the quilting. I plan on getting the frame in spring of 2013. Let me know the pros and cons when you start using yours.
Good luck.

Big frame small machine
 

I really like my carraige, it glides smoothly but the machine is just to small, only a 9 in throat.