Watson

Can someone interpret this for me?

"2008 PFAFF grandquilter hobby 1200 quilting machine with a next generation 10 feet long by 32 inches wide quilting table. Quilting machine has a 19 inch base with a 9 inch throat. Perfect for Pantographs and Stippling on quilts."

Does this mean that you only have a 9" area the width of your quilt to quilt in before you have to move your quilt? Or is the 19" the width and the 9" the height?
And, as you roll up your quilt, does that area get smaller?
Is this comparable to a regular long arm?
Is it possible to do other FMQ than Pantographs and stipping?

They are asking $3000.00 Canadian for it. Reasonable?

Thanks!

Watson

kathy

if the throat is 9" that's all the room you have, it gets smaller as you rolled quilt gets bigger, that's really not much room at all

feline fanatic

Kathy is dead on, 9" throat means even less space for quilting as the take up roller takes up a couple inches right from the get go and only gets smaller as you roll the quilt up. Most people who have this kind of set up have to take the quilt off and flip it half way through quilting.

I would pass on this set up. Don't consider anything less than 16" preferably more. My LA has a 26" throat.

Edited to add this is not a LA, but a domestic size machine mounted on a rack.
Anything less than an 18" throat is considered a midarm
Anything 18" or over is a longarm.

cathyvv

It actually works out to about 4 - 5" of quilt space on an average sized quilt (lap or child). The bars the quilt is rolled on take up the rest. It also depends on your batting; high loft batting will take up more room, thus reduce your quilting space.

Do some research to find out what a comparable new frame and carriage will cost. If the frame and carriage will accommodate a larger throated machine, then you may want to think about purchasing the frame and table and acquire a larger machine later.

Also, look on Ebay or search for used long arm machines. Then you know what the going rates for used set ups in good condition are.

PaperPrincess

Sounds like you have received good info. That machine has a 9" throat, so deduct at least 3 inches to start to accommodate the take up roller. As you roll the quilt, you will have less and less working room.

Altairss

That machine is actually not a long arm but is often called a mid arm and can be used off a frame or on. Its basically not that different from the babylock Jane or similar Juki or brother straight stitch. Lots of people bought this machine and used it on a frame but they do have limited space to offer you. I see them with frames go for about 1200 to max 1500 around here.

You can get a new straight stitch machine in the mid arm range my Jane was about 1000 on sale juki 2010q runs about the same and is a great machine and a new king size Grace frame for about 1000-1400 here in the US. I would look around some more.

GEMRM

I'm from your geographical area - the others have spoken (and I agree) re the limitations of throat space on this....You would be able to do FMQ or pantographing, but over a small work area.
I had a similar set up and sold it, for much less than what you've quoted. When I purchased it, used, I also paid much less. PM me if you want more detail....GEMRM

JustAbitCrazy

I'm with everyone else here. Pass on this machine. You will quickly become frustrated with the throat size and want something bigger. Generally you can count on being comfortable moving your machine half the length of the throat. My Gammill has a 26" throat, and although it can move farther, I am most comfortable moving it about 12 inches, 14 at the most. If I had a limited budget, I'd be looking for a used Handiquilter, one which wasn't used alot. A lady I know sold hers for $3 or $4000 (I forget which). It was worth more, but she wasn't using it and wanted the space.

Belfrybat

I have a 15" Bailey Home Quilter and cannot do more than a 8-9" pantograph. I can't imagine trying to use a machine with a 9" throat on a frame. And $3,000.00 CN is way too much -- that's about $2300. US. You might want to look into the Bailey -- it's a good machine, although not a true midarm due to the height of the throat. But versatile and pretty cheap.

Watson

Thanks everyone. I wondered if I was reading that wrong. Even my machine has a bigger throat than that.

I'll pass.

Watson