Vintage Machine on a Quilting Frame (301 photos)
 

I had a friend who only used this frame a few times and sold it to me. I know it's not something that I will want forever as it's very limiting in size (0nly 6 ft.). So, I can only do smaller quilts on it. I got it set up today and thought I'd try my 301 on it. It did a very nice job. I will have to double the cord length on it if I plan to keep it on the frame as it's too short. It was mainly a trial and error day and it's just a simple, circular meander so I could get my feet wet. I've never worked on a frame like this before. I plan on a longarm some day, but with two kids in college this will have to satisfy me for a while. I chose the 301 because it's lighter than the 15 and it has a smidge longer throat space than the 15. So, for anyone who's thinking about a vintage machine and frame quilting, it can be done as long as you can work around the throat space limitations, weight of the machine and no needle up/down. I have a Pfaff 362 that has an even larger throat, that I'm going to experiment with.

Looks like a good setup. Is the 301 a long bed, short bed, or does it even still have a flip-up bed on it? And would it make any difference one way or the other as far as meandering?

CD in Oklahoma

This is great information! I've always wanted to try my hand at long-arm quilting as well but do not have the resources for the $$s they command. What type of quilt frame is this and of course, would you consider doing a tutorial, I'm sure there are other folks who could benefit from your experimentation. Great job!

I love the experiment and have looked at a frame like this but my Elna has such a short bed I haven't tried it. I should know that it's always worth trying something before deciding. I'm surprised the frame took the weight and still moved smoothly. Thanks for posting. (I thought you were posting 3 hundred & one pics;),I'm not awake yet!)

Awesome, your quilting looks beautiful!!!

This 301 is a short bed, and it wouldn't matter a lick if it were a long bed. It's the measurement from the needlebar to the pillar of the machine that's important. The pillar is what bumps into the frame and stops you from quilting further. The longer the throat, the more area you can quilt. The flip up bed does help with bobbin changing. It's preferable to have a 9 inch throat machine on this frame, the 301 is only 7 1/4".

The frame is a Ultra Quilter from Bradley company.

The 301 is only like 13 lbs. so it does very well. I chose it to try for that reason. I plan on trying my 15 and Pfaff 362 eventually. I want to finish the current panel and then give other machines a shot. I suspect the heavier machines will not be as smooth.

Thanks. I still think my FMQing is better, but the frame does save time in that you don't have to pin your sandwiches together. Pinning is such a pain! I do a lot of charity quilts, so this may be a set up that's worth the space commitment. I'm still trying to decide if it deserves a place in my house or not:> I'm thankful I was given the opportunity to buy it at a very affordable price so I can play...

Here's a link to their site. http://www.bradleyquiltco.com/Bradle...o/Welcome.html