Originally Posted by athenagwis
I never knew such a thing even existed!! And here I was looking for a recessed table, and this is so much better cause it can go with you!! :) :)
Rachel
I've had extensions for two machines for several years now. I really like them when I'm piecing. All the pieces can be stacked to the side and snatched up quickly when chain sewing. Also, if you take it to a class, the extension sort of defines your space (not that I've found fellow quilters to be space greedy) so you don't overflow into someone else's area. (Both of my extensions are the larger ones; I'd probably get a smaller, 12"?, one for classes, now that I've used them for a few years.) When I use them at home, I tuck some of my tools, thread, and bobbins underneath the extension to keep them handy.
However, I don't really like the extensions for the quilting step. No matter how I rolled the quilt, flung it over my shoulder, or pushed it onto a side table, it would still get hung up trying to push it up and over the edge of the extension; i.e., unless I kept the quilt really elevated, it caught. It also, sometimes, got caught in the space between the extension and the body of the machine (and these are custom made for my machines so they fit it well).