Best econimical large throat quilting machine for a beginner
 

Hello, I just started quilting and I love it. I just purchased a Brother CS7000i. I really like it, but, I want to be able to FMQ large quilts and the throat size on this machine is way to small. This seems to be a great piecing machine. I am wondering if anyone can give me ideas on what is a really good big throat economical quilting machine. I do not want a long arm. I want a table top. Thank you for any help you can give me.

for others to give you reliable advice it would help if you let us know what your budget is.

Well I really do not want yo spend anymore than $3,000. Thank you

Welcome from Southern Indiana! I know you'll get lots of good advice about the machine. Personally, I have a sit-down Tin Lizzy, so I can't help with a table top, except to say that if I were looking for one, I would look for a Juki.....

I bought a new 20" sit down Bailey for around $3,000, I love it!!!!!! Juki's have a good reputation also, although I don't know the price range. Other than that, I would say a vintage Singer, you can get them fairly reasonable and they usually have more throat space than most new machines. Plus, they're easy to maintain yourself.

You can get a Juki TL2010Q for less that $1000. That's a great machine.

Yup, I got my Juki 2200 QVP Mini (same as the TL2010Q just different badging and a few feet added) for $1000 and it's a great machine to FMQ on. I've done a few quilts on it. One of which finished about 60 x 80 and had no problem at all.

I quilt on my regular machine so no ideas for you. Welcome to the board.

My machine - Elna Excellence 720 - has a wider throat but I still quilt-as-you-go and quilt larger quilts in sections. Before you spend on a new machine, why not see if you enjoy FMQing? I have had quite a few FMQ classes over the years and finally decided I don't like it that much. I do it sometimes, but find it stressful, and I really prefer to use my walking foot. If I feel I want the look of FMQ, I take larger quilts to a long armer. Just a thought! Good luck!

Welcome from Michigan!:)