I have a Singer Quilting machine, which really is just a sewing machine with a ton of stitches and such. So, I read on here about y'all doing free motion quilting and machine quilting on your machines. Here's my question... Am I the only person left who not only does not own a long arm machine, but will never be able to afford one?
Okay, enough whining. My biggest problem is I hand quilt all my projects because I only make bed quilts. I've tried a few times to machine quilt, but it just doesn't work for me. For one thing the throat on my machine is like eight inches and I can not figure out how to roll up a queen sized quilt and stuff it into that small space. How on earth do you all quilt on your sewing machines?

I am in the same situation that you are and I am looking forward to seeing the post from others. Thank you for asking this question.

That makes 3 of us.

I don't have a longarm either. Have read places where they quilt in quarters for large items. One quarter at a time, then attach them to each other.
Some machines have a longer throat space which makes doing large projects easier.

4 here

No, you're not the only quilter who doesn't have a long arm, but we can still dream, can't we? There are affordable "long arms" out there, and in a few years we'll hopefully have the money and the room for me to get one.

I do have a fairly large throat on my machine(10") but it's still a bear to manhandle a king size quilt through it.

I have seen some quilters add the batting as the progress in the quilting. This is different than a quilt as you go , inthat the top is completed in the traditional manner. So if you are working from left to right on the quilt , the rolled up part under "the arm" is thinner becauase the batting has not been added to the backing and top. I Have tried this on smaller projects just to see if I could mange the technique , and I have to say they are on to something. I found adding a few feet of batting as the quilting progesses to be much more favorable than trying to STUFF and manage that whole quilt.
I use warm and natural batting so adding the batting via a long zig zag stich is really easy. I cover the area previously quilted , and do use spray as I am adding to the batting.
It far from the capabilites of a long arm , but it gets me further than the "stuffing" , rolling , and frustration techiniques of working with the whole quilts top , batting and backing.
It is still my preference to send out a full or larger top,as they ( long arm pros) can get better stitch regulation , and do more curves ( easily) than I can manage with only about 6 inches from needle to machine. But for straight lines , stitch in the ditch, or just a gentle curve this is not a bad option.

me, too, I use my Elna 7300 for all my quilting. Long arm is not on my budget or horizon.

I have done a big quilt on my regular machine. I used a single decorative stitch (like a diamond shape) to "tie" it or tack it in the center most places. When I got more to the outside where I could move the quilt easier I did some FMQ & some hearts in the borders. There are at least 2 different tutorials in the tutorial section of the board that show Quilt as you go- square by square. I was just looking at them yesterday & they are on my to do list.

Oh, heck no!!
I'll never, ever be able to afford one (although I do dream of winning the lottery), so I only hand quilt. lol, it's much less effort that pulling and tugging one through a machine :D
Take heart, lots of us in the same boat and paddling right along with you.

Would love a long arm but no money and no room is causing a problem. I have the Janome 6600P and it has a 9" throat sp and I have quilted a 95x95 on it. I used round clamp like things that I bought at my LQS (some people call them bycyle clamps) to roll up the side next to my machine. It look OK but I am still learning to machine quilt and everyone keeps telling me practice, practice, practice. I still love to hand quilt since it is so relaxing. I ma finishing the borders on a 108x108 for a friend's wedding gift in June

I found I was spending more time "rearranging" than actually quilting. Drove me nuts, and I know I wasn't doing a good job because of it. I can do little things like placemats and table runners, but everything else I will send out. A shame ... and it seems there are no answers except quit whining.

when i first started quilting i did so on a small singer also.

i found the best way to quilt is from the side.

you always see people machine quilting from the front but this limits ease of movement for both you and the quilt.

you will have much greater success if you turn the machine to its side like the frame quilters do.

you should either sink the machine into or table or build a base around it out of foam insulation.

here's a link to make it out of form - just set your machine on its side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAS25v3ZTk0

then spray the area with sullivan's silicon spray to eliminate quilt drag.

use machingers gloves and you can try the quilt halo.


i used all these products for a little over a year before i got my frame and had great success quilting this way.


also you might find that a frame isn't out of your reach. they are very inexpensive on the used market.

i got my grace pinnacle with all the extras (a $3000 cost) for $600 and then i just put my sewing machine on it.

I quilted more than a dozen full size quilts on my 7" throat Viking 415 before I purchased the long arm. Rolling the quilt, and adjusting the fabric to get the area you want to quilt are concerns. If it is too much of a pain, I agree with you. Just hand quilt the larger items. Machine quilt the smaller items. (Or ask a long armer to do it for you). All the best!

For one thing the throat on my machine is like eight inches and I can not figure out how to roll up a queen sized quilt and stuff it into that small space. How on earth do you all quilt on your sewing machines?

I am like You Don't expect to ever have the money for such an exspensive item..unless my DD's buy me one :wink: Miracles do happen.. :-D I have a kemore,no more throat space than you do and I still freemotion..You can puddle it under your needle.. now I have only done stippleing or outlining things like flowers,animals ETC. in the middle going out. The broders are an easy one to get under the needle on a domestic Machine. My Sister has a midarm I tried it out 2 days ago. I was in FL for those days. I live in Ga. so I don't get to use Hers But Boy did I have a good time on it while I was there. Nothing like it. :thumbup: But I am back home no midarm just my Domestic. :thumbup: Love that too. :lol: BillsBonBon

Nope, you are not alone. I will never own a long arm. I do not at all enjoy the quilting process, but cannot afford to send it out to be done.
I solved my dilema by buying an inexpensive Brother SE400 Sewing/Embroidery machine. I use that for the quilting and am very happy with how it works. Many of the online Embroidery sites have outline stitches available for quilting.

i dream of a long arm but no way will i ever be able to afford one. thankfully, i enjoy hand quilting. i figure the time it takes for me to hand quilt helps me save the money for the next quilt.

Your not alone.

I do not have a long arm. My sewing machine that I do my FMQ on is a Juki. I love it. I an starting to do very intricate quilting. Will post some pictures in the very near future. I have been machine quilting only over a year and just love what you can do FMQ.

I have never completed a large quilt but on the small ones I have made, I have done a mixture of hand and machine. Yes, it's allowed! In the centre (which is probably the most visible) you can quilt in a hoop and when you get the edges, which are easier to machine quilt and less obvious to the eye, you can save some time and effort and machine them.

You are not alone. I know I'll never have a long arm quilter unless I win the lottery or something. However I am now starting to favour 'quilt as you go' projects and quite enjoy that process. Much easier.

Sounds like we are not the only ones without a LAM. Would love to have one but funds are low.

Don't have a longarm, and would rather have a new car. Besides, a car takes less room.

I do all my free motion quilting on my tiny vintage Featherweight. I baste very well, and only use a nice thin batting, like warm & natural.
The quilting is done in the lower right quarter.
My quilting surface is raised to the level of the sewing bed by way of a couple of sheets of foam insulation atop a dining table, giving me a large areas of support.
I start by rolling my quilt. As I get into the project, it becomes more of a fan fold. I posted pics here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-62061-1.htm

No desire to have a long arm! At all! At least at this point anyway! My neighbor & friends say "you need a longarm". I am happy with my old singer 15, got tables set up beside it and behind it to support my quilt. Works great at least for what I do for now!

Mee too mee too, I don't have a LA, and will probably never get one. I can't warrant the money it costs for the quilts I make so will never have one. If I would ever get good enough then maybe I would dream, I am older so I don't seeing it happen and if it did, I would want a horse, my first dream first. I have done a king size on my Bernina not saying it was that good but I was proud of it. Also nothing fancy SID.

There are several great books on machine quilting with your home machine. Heirloom Machine Quilting by Harriet Hargrave is one, and another is Machine Quilting in Sections (can't remember the author).

I took a class in machine quilting with my home machine, and the instructor told us that she sends anything bed-sized or larger out to a long arm quilter. She only does wallhangings. So she gave us "permission" to do the same.

I have machine quilted a few bed-sized quilts myself, but I have done them in sections and then put the sections together. Works for me, but it still takes lots of practice and patience. Do what makes you happy.

I would really like a LA but I can buy a lot of fabric for the price of one. There may be LQS in you area that rent a LA so you can do you own quilting especially on a larger quilt. I do my own FMQ on a Singer Confidence Quilter machine. No it is not always easy, your arms and hands get tired, the quilt is not always as smooth as if done on LA but I can not aford to send out to LAQ so it is good enough. I know someone who has quilted for 20+ years and only does SID on her quilts. The basic object of quilting is to hold batting to top and back so quilting can be simple or complicated. I personally like simple quilting like large meanandering or SID that lets the quilt pattern and fabric be main attraction not the quilting.

Very carefully!!! Not only do I not have the money, and never will have the money for a long-arm machine, I wouldn't have a place to put one, either! I've done a large bed quilt on my machine, and it was a royal pain in the butt, but I got it done. It just takes lots of patience, and lots and lots of checking and double-checking before sewing, to make sure there aren't any extra pieces of fabric under the needle that don't belong there. Not an easy thing to do...

I don't have a long arm either. Can't afford and don't have room for one. I have quilted several king and queen size quilts on a machine with 7" throat. I stayed with stitch in the ditch and started in the middle. I rolled (very tightly) the side that was going in the machine, and used metal bands just made for it to hold the roll tight. I now have a machine with a 10" throat and I'm learning to free motion with the quilt puddled around the machine. Where there's a will there's a way. If you are happy with hand quilting, go for it. I love to handquilt, but I'm also loving machine quilting.

I fluff up my quilt and stuff it through. The fluffing allows the ease so that I can glide my quilt under my needle without feeling the weight of the quilt. Take a class and then practice practice practice on small projects

No, you're not alone with not being able to afford a long arm. Please check out the information and the videos at the following link by Leah Day:

http://daystyledesigns.com/articles.htm

Hope this helps someone.

Pam M

No long arm in my future either. It really is a struggle to quilt those big quilts on a regular machine. It's too bad we don't have quilting bees anymore, that could alleviate some problems.

I've wrestled quilts around on my Juki TL98Q, a great machine for FMQ but I use it for nothing larger than a twin size. It's just not worth the struggle. To me, sending quilts out to a longarmer is money well spent. and usually not as expensive as you might expect. Saves you loads of precious time and you can check their work before you give them your quilt, for prices, turnaround time, etc. Get references from friends or shops if you can. Oftentimes the batting and sometimes even the backing is included in the price. I'm a convert!


As for owning a long-arm machine, they take up HUGE amounts of space and are quite complex to use. I bought one thinking my extremely handy husband could put it together and it was just impossible, so we sent it back.

As I always tell my husband, "Do it the easy way, not the hard way!"

i do mine like Lori S suggested and it works for me on my small sewing machine just start your quilting on the middle section first and work out
if you need more help or expanations PM me

NOT SURE WHAT # I AM BUT, I DO NOT OWN A LONG ARM NOR CAN I AFFORD ONE.

Wow... thank you! I will have to try turning my machine sideways... That's got to work better than quilting from the front. I don't think there is any easy way to quilt a big quilt on a regular machine. Very tough... But I still try because I do not want to hand quilt, and I really don't love the look of long-arm quilting. It looks too machine-made. I suppose if I ever need to make a huge quilt I will have to have it long-armed.

No longarm in my future either. I use my old viking on a Gracie frame which is very limiting. What I like about it is no more basing. I keep looking for one that I can afford, but so far, nothing.

I have a domestic machine with a 9" throat. I have done many large quilts on it including a king x-long. I don't roll, I scrunch. It takes a little work but it is doable. No long arm in my near future and I love to quilt so I manage.

I don't have a LA, don't yearn for one, don't plan to ever buy one-
I have quilted many large (even a king-size) quilts on my Vikings, which don't have large throats, sometimes you just have to fight with the quilt! Lol
Now I use a vintage Singer that has a larger throat, and it's wonderful for FMQ. You can get one on ebay or Craigslist for a couple hundred dollars or less. NOT a featherweight-

Sharoney, I've been looking at the old Singer 27's... they seem to have ENORMOUS throats! What model are you doing your FMQ on?