Originally Posted by anewchapter
I am trying to decide between 2 machines.. a 13inch or a 15 inch. Can, anyone tell me if there is a dramatic difference in the 2 inches, or would the 13 inch give me enough quilting space. I am a home quilter and only do as a hobby. The price difference is pretty great, so I am trying to find out if it is worth the money for the extra two inches.
Thanks, Danielle
Well, I am a newbie to longarm quilting, having gotten my LA in April. I got a Viking 18/8, meaning you have an 18" area under the long arm to quilt at a time and the 8" means there is 8" clearance between the quilt and the height of the throat space. If you are doing a large quilt this comes in handy when you have the quilt nearly finished and rolled up on the takeup roller (or whatever it is called). As far as I am concerned the larger the quilting area the better and faster to completion. I know that I would not have been satisfied with a midarm, which is what you are considering, I believe. When I buy a new machine, be it a sewing machine or anything else, I try to buy a step or two up from what I think I want because I know I would wish later that I had gotten something better. Cheaper is not always better. Just make sure you do lots of homework. It is a large purchase, and not one that you want to regret.