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Old 02-12-2016, 04:38 PM
  #7  
Prism99
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
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If you fell in love with standing up to quilt on a frame, then likely that's the type of quilting you will enjoy forever. I never "loved" quilting on my domestic machine but, the first time I used a frame machine at a quilt show I was "in love".

Personally, I wouldn't go with a Juki. If you do a search on the QB here you will find a few threads about it. Juki is too new on the frame quilting scene for me. Plus I heard their foot design is a problem for ruler quilting.

You don't have to invest $9,000 to start frame quilting. I bought my Voyager 17/Hinterberg frame setup used from a quilt guild member for $3,000. Someone else on the QB bought my setup with a stitch regulator for $2,500. What you do need, though, for frame quilting is space. If you don't have enough space for the frame width required for the largest quilts you like to make, you have a problem.

If you have a local quilt guild, join there and you may find someone who wants to upgrade from an entry level setup to a better quality (more expensive) setup. That's how I got mine, and the seller even volunteered to spend a day or two at my house helping me get used to it. I had done so much research online and on Youtube, I really didn't need her help. Her husband and mine put the frame together for me, and my husband has since helped me install a used stitch regulator and done other minor adjustments on the machine for me. Not everyone needs a dealer close by for help, although if I didn't have my husband to help that might be a deciding factor for me.

Some people simply prefer quilting on a sitdown to frame quilting. Certainly if you cannot stand for a couple of hours at a time, sitdown is probably a much better bet for you.

Please do not get fixated on the Juki so early in your search. A quilting machine is a big investment, and you want to make the best choice when you purchase. Some quilters who have jumped in too early have regretted it and ended up selling their first choice and buying something else. The rule-of-thumb for purchasing a quilting machine is to spend at least a year fully researching options and costs before making a decision. That's what I did. The Voyager is not my "dream" machine, but it is a great machine for the budget I set. If I ever come into a lot of money, I will invest in an Innova with lightning stitch but, in the meantime, I'm happy with my Voyager.
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