Originally Posted by QuiltnCowgirl
Good to know that it may be more the machine than me LOL. Sounds like I have a reason to buy another machine to add to the collection? :D Too bad my Featherweight has such a small arm area - it has the vertical bobbin.
Uh-oh - sounds like a vintage sewing machine collector in the making. You already know how lovely two of them are. ;)
Yes, if you're going to do FMQ, I think you should absolutely have a machine that's well-suited for it. (I am a practiced enabler! ;) )
The vertical end-loading bobbin will give you a beautiful stitch, even flying through loops and sudden turns. (It sounds like we could be up at altitude any second doesn't it? ;) )
Some front-loading vertical bobbins cause trouble, but my Lady Kenmore 89 has a front-loading bobbin and she is a great machine for FMQ. Same thing with my Kenmores from the 70's - an 1802 and an 1803.
The open area under the arm is much smaller than the Singer 15, though. I did a queen size quilt on the Lady Kenmore, but it was a real struggle at the beginning - the middle of the quilt. The 15 is way easier for that, although it's still a struggle.