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Old 09-14-2017, 04:34 AM
  #8  
feline fanatic
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
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I have a 26" LA on a 10 ft frame and I have a difficult time with any quilt over 100" wide. Most CA Kings are 108" to 110" wide. I find I don't have enough room at the sides when I load anything over 100" on my rack to test tension, put the side clamps on and have space to get at my machine head to change the bobbin.

If you mostly do Queen and CA King, I would strongly recommend going bigger than a 10' frame. If I had the space I definitely would have opted for a 12' and in a dream studio I would have 14'.

Frame setups vary greatly in price. You can get an unregulated machine like a Bailey Home quilter and a grace frame or a used set up for a few thousand. Here is a link to used machines to give you an idea: http://www.longarmuniversity.com/Mac...rSale.html#M4S

The prices go up from there depending on how many bells and whistles you get. A computer guided setup can cost tens of thousands.

Most people research for about a year before purchasing. I recommend attending a major quilt show and test driving as many different models as you can get your hands on. Maybe make a weekend of it and invest in a couple of classes to determine that you will actually like frame quilting. Your profile says Southern Illinois, so Paducah might be a show you want to attend. All the major manufacturers will be there with demo models.

There are many sad tales out on the net about people who thought they could LA quilt, invested in a machine only to be surprised that it wasn't as easy as it appeared and why doesn't my quilting look anything like the quilting my professional LAQ did. There are also many tales of elation and instant gratification and people who took to it like a duck takes to water. My best advice to you is do your homework and don't rush into anything.

Here is an interesting article: https://craftnectar.com/2009/10/16/s...achine-do-you/
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