BKrenning

I started with the Janome 6500/Elna 7200 they have listed. Their figures for quilting space are a little misleading because by the time you have 5" rolled up on the take up roller, you are at the end of a large queen or king size quilt.

Quilting large quilts with a 9" machine can be done but the quilt designs have to be adjusted or re-designed to do it with the limited space. You can stop, needle-down, and roll the quilt back & forth; some designs you can break in half and quilt it in 2 passes; you can do 5-6" passes up until the middle of the quilt--baste to the end--turn the quilt and start from the middle back toward the takeup roller; simple meanders, loops, puzzle pieces, stipples, etc. can be done easily--you just have to roll the quilt more often with the smaller machines. It is a pain but paying a longarmer is a pain in the wallet for simple quilting. Crawling around on the floor to tie or baste a quilt is a pain in the knees & back.

For me, hunching over my sitdown machine and pushing/pulling a bed size quilt was a pain in my shoulders & hands. Even a baby quilt, which I will still occasionally do on my domestic machine, hurts me but not as much now that I have the 9" domestic & it is set into the cabinet and I learned to put tables and books all around me to help support the weight. Where there is a will---there is a way!

For quilting on a frame, there is also I gizmo I used called a Max Throat which you might be able to find used. They don't make it anymore but I know there are still a bunch of them out there. It would roll the quilt back & forth on the take-up roller for you allowing you to get up to 16" in a single pass with a 9" machine. I loved mine but I will admit that it takes constant vigilance to make all the parts work together.

I have seen similar fabric/quilt advance gizmos but they have all been on the true long-arm machines. I'm sure there is some tinkerer that could figure out a similar idea to Max Throat for the home users.

Yarn or Fabric

Janome has an 11" machine - the Horizon. It's a sit down. I am not sure how much they go for but that one would have feed dogs. I know it isn't what you were looking for though... it is a smaller necked machine.

I have a Bailey 15" machine on a frame. I do not enjoy frame quilting as much as I hoped I would but then I haven't really pushed myself far with it. I will make a point to really get in to it this summer... maybe I can designate the boys' reading time as my Bailey time... maybe it will grow on me.

It is a great workhorse of a machine. It does not have feed dogs so it is free motion only.
You CAN stretch your own machine. There is a tutorial online to do so. I would suggest getting a cheap machine from a second hand store to do it on though just in case There is a pdf in the homequiltingsystems yahoogroup that shows you how to do it yourself- It's in their files pages called stretching a machine - it's the Purple Monster. If you are handy, you could give it a go but like I said, I'd get a cheap kicker machine that works from a second hand store before doing it to a better machine.....

drgranny

The George. I'm not sure who makes it.

Sue Halter

I currently have a Grace Start Right frame with a Juki 2010. Space prohibits getting a larger frame, but I am testing the waters for a longer/higher throat space. So far, the 2 that interest me the most is the Nolting M.A.Q 14 and the Bailey's Home Quilter 13. Big price difference. The Bailey's looks like it has a regular sewing machine tensioner system, while Nolty's has the industrial tensioner system. My Juki has a more industrial tensioner and it works really well. The Nolting also has an 8" harp height, which I think will give more quilting space toward the last rolls. (and it's purple, which is so cool!!) I live in Central Texas and there is a dealer within about an hour's drive for the Nolting. Not so with Bailey. Then there's the money aspect. I quilt only for myself and am just getting into frame quilting. So much to think about. Glad I found this Quilting Board.

patski

I bought my Sweet Sixteen "used", it was a store demo and half the price. I have never had a problem with it!s