Old 06-26-2018, 12:50 PM
  #2  
Prism99
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
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I find that stand up quilting on a frame is *much* easier on my body than sitdown quilting. Posture at the quilting frame is not a problem for me; it was a bigger problem when I was sitting. There are a few concerns I have about your post.

Your hands fall asleep? Only when quilting, or at other times as well?

Have you looked at other standup longarm setups? A good rule-of-thumb is to spend a year researching and trying out different setups to find "the one" that is best for you. It is an individual decision. If this is the only standup longarm setup you have tried out, I would definitely recommend spending time shopping around before making a decision. My personal standup "dream machine" is the Innova.

I found this website for the Eclipse: http://www.eclipsequilter.com/#reasons/ . My problem with its being new is (1) you will find very few actual user reviews of this setup, and (2) newcomers to the longarm market often have flaws, whereas setups that have been on the market for a long time typically have been able to correct major flaws. There are other choices available in this price range, so I would strongly recommend that you check all of them out before making a purchase decision.

One thing I noticed on the Eclipse website is the Grace frame. Some of the Grace frames have had a problem of the rollers being too weak, so that they bow in the middle. It seems to me in the photo on the website that the belly roller is bowed in the center. It's not enough to have a good machine; you need a sturdy frame as well. I would definitely research the specific Grace frame being sold in the package you choose. At least the frames have been around long enough to have user reviews online.

Personally, I knew as soon as I tried out a standup package at a quilt show that I wanted one. This was because it was instantly more fun for me, whereas sitdown quilting always made me tense. There is a learning curve involved with using a standup frame, but it was worth it for me.
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