Old 01-28-2016, 09:59 PM
  #6  
cathyvv
Super Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Posts: 8,095
Default

Sounds like it could be a good deal. Does it come with leaders and a carriage to put a sewing machine on? If not, those will need to be purchased.

I don't know what your budget for a sewing machine with a larger throat is, so that will influence your choice of machine.

Find out the maximum throat size that will fit on the frame and carriage.

I have a HQ 16 that I bought used and I love it. It gives me about 11 inches of usable throat space for most quilts. For smaller quilts (lap, baby), i get about 12", larger quilts as little as 9". There are machines that have 13" or 14" throats that are fairly reasonable to buy.

After a while, a 9" throat feels very confining. So does 16", but, in my case, that's caused by the usual lust for bigger and better, not necessity.

Consider a used mid-arm machine. Bailey makes a 13" and a 15" machine, and seems to be reasonably priced. I've never used a Bailey, so you now know what i know about them.

No matter what size machine you decide to buy, you will want handles to attach to guide the machine on the frame, so add that to the items you will have to get.

If you buy used from a private seller, make sure that the machine works before you make the purchase.
cathyvv is offline