Originally Posted by
sewplease
Those of you with short arm machines on frames, how essential do you think it is to have the Sure-stitch or Grace stitch regulator, especially when getting started? I have a frame, but no machine for it yet. I know some people say to get as big a machine as you can, but I really want to get good at this and I've also heard that the stitch regulator can be very helpful. A nine inch machine with stitch regulator is comparable in price to a 13 inch Bailey without a stitch regulator. What do you think?
I would go for the longer arm and see if you can get a speed adjuster. I started my freemotion journey with a 9 inch arm. As you quilt, the take up roller takes more and more of your quilting area. Pretty soon you have about 3-4 inches a pass. See if you can find a Bailey user group on Yahoo or Google. They will be able to tell you what works. You might find one used on there with all the bells and whistles you were eyeing. I never regretted that 1st set up tho, it taught me that yes, i AM a freemotion quilter and yes, I CAN do it to my satifaction. I like my stitch regulator, but after quilting awhile and finding my comfortable speed and rhythm, I don't HAVE to have it.