jodiemarlin

Does anyone use a vintage machine on a Grace quilting frame? Anyone have experience with this? I would love to hear opinions and thoughts on a setup like this. Could you? Would you? Pros? Cons?

I'm thinking of getting a Grace quilting frame and I have a Brother PQ1500S that I could use on the frame, but some of the vintage Singers have a throat space that is nearly the same. I have a 1941 Singer 15 that I love to sew on, it's so smooth and quiet and has a beautiful stitch. So I'm wondering if a similar machine would work on the quilting frame.

Now that I have a couple of vintage machines, I prefer the over my "modern" machines.

Thanks!
Jodie

Candace

Some people do but you'd have to contend with a smaller throat than a long arm or mid arm and that's a real pain. It really limits the quilting space when it's rolled up on the rail. Also, they have small bobbins compared to a long arm.

miriam

My sister uses Kenmore 12 machines on her frame - they are light weight and open the bobbin in the front. not a big throat area though

jodiemarlin

I realize I will be limited with the throat space, but my Singer 15 has about the same space as my Brother PQ1500S, so I was thinking of getting a vintage to use on the frame and save the Brother for other uses. (I will eventually get a larger quilting machine, but money-wise, it's one step at a time. )

Would love to hear from someone who has actually used a vintage on the frame.

Wanabee Quiltin

I know that not all sewing machines work on a Grace Quilting frame. I bought a Janome 6500 from a woman and she said it originally came with the Grace frame but it never would work. She told me all this before I went to see her and I googled it and found out that people who bought the two together were very unhappy with the combination. That makes me think there must be something about the Grace Frame and the machine that has to click, I have no clue what it is, just letting you have one more opinion.

sew4nin

I have wondered about using a vintage machine on my Grace frame. I actually have 3 machines I could try this with. I have a 401A, a 500A, and a 66-16. Anyone have any thoughts on which one might work better? I have been meaning to give it a try.

sewplease

Here's something you may be interested in - on the yahoo homequiltingsystem group, someone has written a file called Machine Quilting with a Singer 66. Go to the files section, then click on Frame or Machine or Accessory Operations, and then the link I mentioned. She used a GMQ pro frame. If you aren't a member of this group, you have to join first. I also remember reading posts from someone on the hinterberg yahoo group who used a Singer 201 on her frame, but this was several years ago. Give it a try!

Candace

The 401 and 500 are poor FMQing machines, so I doubt you'd be very happy with the results. The 66 would probably make you rip your hair out less. But the throat size is so limiting on a frame....

miriam

My sister likes to use a Kenmore 12. It's bobbin opens in the front and she can change it out without moving anything. It is also a light weight machine.