I have a Janome 6600 and the throat space is 8-3/4"...depending on needle position....and I make lots of quilts that are 100" x 100", doing either fmq or straight line quilting on my 6600 ....I have found that the biggest help for me is to find extra table space to the left of the needle to support the quilt (I use my ironing board or cutting table)....any time the quilt drags against the needle, the fmq is more difficult.