Originally Posted by
ManiacQuilter2
I had no problem quilting under my Bernina small harp. I just carefully managed quilting from the center out on each side. I had a real nice set up with an insert for support on my left side and support for the quilt behind my machine. Probably would be a good idea to get to a major quilt show with a small practice sandwich to test drive the machines there and see if there is anything that will suit your requirements.
I can quilt a large quilt on my regular machine also, but I don't enjoy it. I also have a large table with plenty of space to the left and back. It's really not a matter of test driving machines. I'm happy with my sewing machine. I'd really just love to have a quilting machine with feed dogs that can raise and lower, along with a large harp space. My current machine is 10" I believe, while a quilting machine could easily be 16".