Decent throat size machine
 

Can someone please tell me which machines have an appx. 9" throat? I want to upgrade my machine on my quilt frame - I have a Singer 401 (aka the Tank) that just doesn't do well - the tension is out of whack and I'm tired of ignoring it, perhaps time to rehome it, haven't decided. My main machine isn't a really high level - a $300 Joann's special, and it does well on the FMQ on the frame, but is a pain to transfer back and forth. So I would like a dedicated machine with a decent throat for the frame, then perhaps I'd actually use the frame - haven't used it in over a year!!!

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Juke's but other manufacturers are now making some sorry don't know exactly try brother , janome and I think pfaff.

The Janome 6600 has a 9 inch throat.

The Brother 1500 has a 9" throat, I think. It's a workhorse.

I have the Brother 1500. It's a no nonsense nice machine and reasonably priced.

Hands down, the Brother 1500!!!!!!!!!!! My girl is almost 10 years old now....she has never skipped a stitch ( I clean her once a week ).....sews only forward and backwards.....no computer.....does fantastic FM without a frame, I've done up to a King size quilt....one of maybe 200 quilts over the past years. Other machines have come and gone but this girl has always been my ''go to'' machine. About 800.00 new but check out a re-furbished machine (trade in ) at your local store but then I never understood why people would trade in this workhorse!!!!!!!!!

Viking Sapphire line has a 10" throat.

I would recommend a used Pfaff Grand Quilter, had one, its a champ for on frame quilting. I also pieced with it, but this model doesnt have the Pfaff IDT (aka built on board walking foot) so I still preferred my regular Pfaff for that. This machine and the Brother are cousins...very similar.

Im another Brother 1500 believer!!! A workhorse for sure :)

My Babylock Jane and Juki TK 98QE both have a 9" throat. They are straight stitch only machines. A bit more costly than the Brother 1500.

Another vote for Brother PQ1500S machine. It has a 9" throat and will sew at a very high rate of speed. I have it on my home made quilt frame (10') and it does a wonderful job. I am still in the learning curve with it as far as machine quilting but I do like it for what I am using it for. This machine was highly affordable and appears to be very well built. No frills with this machine, just a heavy duty sewing machine, it does have an automatic thread cutter and needle up and down control. I did add the Grace speed controller to it so that it would be more convenient to use it on my frame carriage. Before I mounted it on the frame I did piece several quilts with it just sitting on my sewing room counter and it was wonderful. So either for piecing or using it for machine quilting I feel it is a winner. Good luck finding a machine that you love!

The last email ad I received from Allbrands had the Brother for $569 with free shipping. :-)

Wonderful machine. Use mine daily.

I love my Sapphire; but haven't used it on a frame...

I have a Brother 1500s and a Janome 1600, basically the same machine with 9" harps. I had the Janome on a frame and used the Brother as my "daily driver" for piecing. I purchased both machines used for $400 each. If you want used (or "pre-loved") machines, don't stop at checking with your local dealers. Put the word out amongst all your friends (including the non-quilting ones), your local quilt shops, and your guild that you're in the market for a good, used machine.

I strongly, strongly recommend you get the largest throat that your frame and budget will allow. I ended up being very disappointed with the 9" harp, because once you get the quilt partially quilted and rolled up in that harp, you end up with only maybe 3" or 4" of quilting space.

I looked at a Brother INNOV-IS VQ3000 Dreamweaver today. It has an 11.25 throat and is 5 inches high under the arm. I will sew over 1000 stitches per minute, is laser guided. It can even thread it's own needle. Has more bell and whistles than I can even imagine using and all for less than $4000. Well if I am going to dream I should dream big.

Brother PQ1500S
Juki 2010
Babylock Jane
Janome 1600P

I have a Baby Lock Jane on my frame and do not like it. 9 in is just to small to really do anything.
So it sits until I can afford at least a 18 in throat.
These machines are not made for long arm tables so threading is a hassle, I have to move it all the way to the end of the frame to thread it. You cant bring the bobbin thread up cause you are no where near the needle. Bobbin thread running out is also a problem and it runs out fast and you dont know when it will run out.
I even have a stitch regulator on mine which I love.
Just learning to use a frame is a big learning curve so with a small machine it is just not worth the hassle.

I agree with the statement that 9" is too small, but there are a few things you can do to make quilting with those machines less problematic:

If you switch to Bottom Line bobbin thread, your bobbin will last a lot longer. Because Bottom Line is finer, I can get a lot more thread on the bobbin.
My machine has a needle up/down button, so I am able to bring the bobbin thread up. This might be something to put on your list of things you HAVE to have.

Don't know the Babylock Jane but I have the Juki 98QE & it is a workhorse. No bells & whistles but a very hardworking, sturdy machine with a 9" throat.

Here is another vote for Brother 1500. Bought mine this fall and have no regrets whatsoever. Great piecing and quilting machine.

I recently bought a Juki 2010Q and it's a quilting machine. I love it. Huge throat space, beautiful stitches, wonderful FMQ and it's so strong it hems jeans like it's sewing through butter. Not computerized, no zig zag, and is very reasonably priced (under $1000). I LOVE mine!

I love my Brother 1500 also. Just wish the tutorial online about it was in English, but the instructions are still easy to understand as they demonstrate the machine.

salederer
 

I have a brother Q1000 and love it! It has the 9inch throat you are looking for and quilts like a dream. Not cheap though. Good luck.

Viking Sapphire. Mine has a 10" throat and I love it

7 years ago I bought the Elna 7200 and has a trouble free time with it so I have just upgraded to the Elna Queens 720, now made by Janome, as I wanted integrated dual feed system, don't know how I have lived without one.

I would really recommend this machine, it has a generous 9" throat with really good height, mega lift on the presser foot and besides having the knee lift, a necessity for FMQ IMO it has a really good fault free thread cutter. It is not cheap but you get what you pay for in buckets load. Oh did I mention that you can have 2 full size mega cones on the spool holders, wonderful, do you think I love my machine :)

http://www.schillersontheweb.com/pro...tm?id=t1r3b80j

Love the Brother PQ1500s. I thought I was going to do the frame, but I love the machine for piecing. I get most accurate scant 1/4" on that lovely machine.

I have a Pfaff Grand Quilter and a frame. Can you give me any information on how to load it . I have no information and am scared to try anything. Any information you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have a Pfaff Grand Quilter on a grace frame.. I have an instruction booklet on how to load it ...If you send me your address I would send you a copy of what I have. [email protected]

I bought a Janome Horizon It has an 11 inch throat. Like it lots.

what is the height and length measurement of the throat of the juki 2010Q? I've found it is several places on the net but it doesn't say what the throat size is.

I bought the Janome Horizon 7700(they now have upgraded that to 8900) because or the 11" harp space to allow more ease in machine quilting.

I bought my Viking Sapphire 830 at the local sewing center as a new to me it is 10 inches and can handle any size quilt thought the largest I have dine is 120 x 120 inches (do quilts come much bigger than that?) :)

I was in the market for a machine with a 9" throat a couple years ago. I think the Brother 1500 had just come out and I couldn't find it for less than a thousand dollars. After going to every dealer and shop in town I figured I'd never be able to afford such a nice machine. Then I met Raquel. She is a 1954 Singer 66. Her throat measures 9 inches wide and 6 inches tall. She's a dream to quilt on. I've never been so satisfied with my machine quilting. I haven't started FMQ on her yet, but I did start piecing on her so I can get used to where her 1/4" is. I got her as a Mother's Day gift and the machine, all the attachments, & walking foot was less than 250.00.

I have the Juki 2010 and I love it. I have it on a grace start frame. it has a 9" throat and the height is close to 7"
It is a work horse I got mine from sewingmachinesplus.com I think this is the web very nice people to work with

I'm not sure what your budget is or how long of a machine your frame will allow, but have you looked in to Bailey machines? They are workhorses and have a strong following. http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/test.html