I just bot a Pfaff GrandQuilter 1200 long arm from a friend. I have made one muslin sandwich to practice on. When I get to the end I just re-roll the whole thing, change top thread color (using up all my old spools!) so I can see what I am doing and keep going. So far I haven't had any trouble with thread breaking or needle issues. Guess when it gets tooooooo thick, I'll make another "sandwich" and keep going until my confidence level allows me to do a REAL quilt.... practice practice practice...... most important HAVE FUN !!