Originally Posted by Jkobler

I'm a newbie at shopping for a long arm. I won't pay $35k and I don't have room for a 12' table. I do, however, need a stand up machine that's in between. I cannot quilt trying to wiggle my fabric sandwich under my sewing machine. It just doesn't work for me. And I can't quilt sitting down. I need to be standing up and seeing what I'm doing. It seems every new person I send my quilts out to to be long armed disappoint me. I get it-it's the nature of the beast. It's a lot of work and time and they need to make money. My only solution is to quilt them myself. I love to quilt and yet when I finish my sandwich, it sits there because I just don't want to send it out to be quilted. Hence my dilemna. I need some type of quilting machine!
I'm going to take a class on the Gammill at my LQS shortly. I'm hoping that will help me begin my journey. I would love to hear your opinions and experiences with your long arms-regardless of the size. Is there such a thing as a 6 or even 8 foot table vs a 12 foot table? I have a wonderful sewing room that is 12 X 20 but it's crammed full! No room for a 12' table-perhaps 8' I could do. Thanks so much!!!