What to do? Keep SD Longarm or upgrade to standing Longarm?
I'm in a bit of a quandry and hoping some long armers will provide advice on my next quilting dilemma!
I currently own - bought and paid for - a Janome SD Longarm 18" machine. I've owned it for almost 4 years and have quilted about 30 quilts, 20 lap quilts, numerous table runners and other projects. I like that I sit down at it. I still don't have consistent stitching down but it's not awful either. I use the Martelli quilting rings in lieu of gloves and can stand solidly by that product. I'm pleased with this machine but am wondering if it is the time to upgrade!
I was at a quilt show in Reno NV last weekend and happened upon a new longarm machine! The Eclipse. It has ram horns and for the table that I'd need, and it would be a stand up quilting machine. This machine seems to be the cat's meow! The gentleman manning the booth is the same man who invented this machine. It is all US patented and it has some really, really nice features. It made its debut in 2014 so its new to the quilting world. All the electronic components are on the outside of this machine, it comes with white lights and UV lights, very nice to operate. He was of course offering a decent sale price and I have to admit - it caught my fancy!
So longarmers - what am I getting into by standing up versus sitting down? My hands fall asleep (a condition I just live with) but I'm able to take breaks, shake them out, keep going. Is it easy to forget good posture while standing up? What is the learning curve going from Martelli rings to ram horns?What other things come to mind when someone is contemplating getting a stand up quilting machine versus sit down machine. All advice/suggestions/comments welcome!!