Thank you! $6500 is out of my price range right now. Oh well, maybe in a couple of years I can get a second hand one.

Thanks from me, too on the price. Not in my budget either at the moment.

I just went to the quilt expo in Madison and saw the Tiara there. The woman who demonstrated it to me said the price "at the expo" was $5000. Lot of money, but I was VERY impressed!

Just my two pennies here, but WHY waste the dealer's time by going there and kicking tires to find out the price? I wanted to know about a Pfaff and even tho I only have $90 saved up right now, I want an idea of how much they cost, so I had to go to my dealer to find out. I told her right up front that I was just window shopping and just wanted to know how much one of the machines cost (I already knew features and didn't need the "sales pitch" or to take up her time on a busy Saturday morning). She not only had to pitch all the machines to me, she also tried to talk my friend (who never saw a sewing machine until then) into a sewing machine and high end embroidery machine and why we needed to buy one from her and not online! Why don't they just put the price on the machine? Why don't they put MSRP online? I wasted a half an hour there and felt bad because she put all that time into us and didn't get a sale.

$5000 is better but no can do right now.

AshleyR - that's why I did not want to go to the Babylock dealer here. The last time she tried real hard to sell me a serger and an embroidery machine and even insisted on showing me the finance rates/papers even though I kept saying "No". At that time I just needed a few items for the Babylock Espire that I had bought at a quilt show. They were upset that I had not bought it from them but I got it for half price - slightly used class machine. That was $1700 and that's the most I have ever spent on a machine. I do love it and it's easy to use and I really like the button feature on it. It's just aggravating that I have to go through a bunch of sales pitches to find out info so I can't be rude to them - they are the only dealer within a reasonable driving distance and the only ones to service my machine.

I am also interested in the Tiara. I have not seen the Tiara; however, it does look like a HandiQuilter. I have been renting time on a Sweet Sixteen and do like the sitdown - table version and I definitely like the size requirement. My HandiQuilter dealer will offer the machine I am renting for a discounted price in December. So, I was seriously interested in purchasing it.


I am a Babylock Elegante owner and have the Gold Standard warranty. The warranty and the dealership I bought it from are absolutely outstanding. I told my huband if Babylock came out with anything like the Sweet Sixteen and they offer the Gold Standard warranty, I was going to get it. Guess what Santa is bringing me this year? :)

Both the HQ Sweet 16 and the Tiara were running at about 5100 at the Madison show. Of course, both said that was the "show price". They both included the exact same things (the HQ Sweet 16 now has stitch regulator too). Both offered free shipping (which they said was about $300 normally). To me they were identical (ran both) and I wanted one so bad. (Both were quick to offer financing, you know.) Sigh.

I just called a local dealer and over the phone was quoted $6,499.00. Today the price (and probably a long time) is $5,499.00. She is calling me back in the morning with information about the stitch regulator.

If you wouldn't mind sharing, I would be interested to know what impressed you?

Handiquilter sweet sixteen is a great machine but I am on my third stitch regulator. The store I bought the "package" from thought it was my surge protector. I bought a new surge protector and the same thing happened. It works once and then it never works again. I went to a class on the Handiquilter and another woman complained of the same thing. Wish I had gotten her name. I love the machine but am not happy about almost a $1000.00 stitch regulator not working.