Help.. Sit down quilting machine, front or side quilting?
 

I am looking to buy a sit down quilting machine and was wondering which would be the best, a front or side quilting machine or isn't there any different?

I seen some machines that you have the head facing you when you quilt and some are just like a sewing machine.. which do you think would be best or doesn't it make a difference..The Bailey quilts like a sewing machine where the sweet sixteen quilts with you facing the head.

which would be better.. Thanks

Good question. I'll be interested to see the responses, too.

I think that it is a matter of where you will place the machine and where you have room for extra tables.
When the machine is oriented facing you, the quilt is to your left and right.
When the machine is oriented as a normal sewing machine, the quilt is to your left and in front of you.

I chose an APQS George and kne reason was that i needed to have the bulk to my left and in front of me rather than in one plane to the left and right.

You should visit dealers & try out different set ups to see what works for you. What might be my preference you may hate,it's a personal decision each of us have our own ( comfort zone)

I agree with ckcowl.

My two cents...I tried fmq on my DSM and while I had some success, I was still frustrated with the results. I bought a HQ Sweet Sixteen with the orientation being perpendicular to me. It was a liberating experience! I no longer ran into the right side of the throat space on my DSM machine, which even tho it is about 9 inches, if you are doing a bigger project, you have to try and move the quilt within that space. So the quilting machines oriented like your DSM, while they give you more width, more than the 9" on my DSM for example, a lot of them are still very similar in height space in the harp. This also affects your field of view. I admit, I cannot quote measurements of those machines, but I can tell you that my DSM harp height is 5". So even if I now have 15" width on a quilting machine, you might find that the height is still a limitation, in terms of how much quilt you can cram in to the harp space and then how much freedom you have to move your quilt around to fmq. I believe the harp height on my S16 is about 9-10" (it's away for service at the moment, so I can't measure it), and the harp width is 16". So by comparison, I have a lot more room to move the bulk of a queen or king sized quilt around. Furball makes a good point. Bottom line, it is what works for you. I've never tried one oriented like my DSM because my brain had a hard enough time adjusting to fmq where I can move the fabric any which way I want , whenever I want after nearly forty years of only going forward a reverse. I just found with the perpendicular orientation, it was easier as I think it broke down that resistance to move in any direction, because there was no physical barrier to the left or right.

Other considerations when comparing the various machines would be bobbin capacity, stitch rate, price vs budget, service, stitch regulation options, and so on. Sorry, it's not as straightforward as orientation of the machine, IMHO.

BTW, my hat is off to the many quilters that turn out those beautiful, intricately machine quilted masterpieces on their DSM's. While I can do a decent job of a placemat on my DSM, anything much bigger is beyond my capabilities and patience on a DSM!!

The advantage of the front-facing machines like the Sweet 16 is that you can center your quilt instead of arbitrarily having a small section on one side. I have one extension on the side of my table (and old computer desk) and one extension on the front (put together by my awesome husband) to give me even more room. I just finished a queen sized quilt without any problems.

Good question. My friend has one and she has it facing her like a LA. It depends I guess on how you set up support for your quilt and what is comfortable for you.

I think the ones that face you with the machine to the back are easier. I have tried both but have not purchased. You are limited as to how far back you can go due to arm length. Side to side is free to sway as much as you like.

Kwiltr, I love your use of the word "liberating" in regards to the Sweet Sixteen. That's the perfect description of that set up. You don't have to twist your head this way and that to see the needle with the machine at the back. It's like having a wide open space. My preference - machine to the back. Glad we all like different things so manufacturers will keep churning out wonderful new products for us to love.

I have the HQ Sweet 16 and used my DSM before that. I much prefer the HQ setup because like someone else said, you have a full range left to right and I very rarely have any issues with the throat space. Honestly I don't even notice it, but it would really bother me when it was to the left/right rather than at the top. And what that does is it gives me three sides "open".

And I tend to turn my quilts a lot! Depending on which way I want to go. I don't always work well upside down and that's one reason why I will never buy a long arm. The other is I don't want to constantly be having to roll up or down -- I like being about to squish the quilt wherever I want to go.

I've never even considered trying to change my orientation 90 degrees, but could on the HQ16 except that the table leg would be annoying!

you need to go and test drive there is not one that is best for all it depends on you so go test drive and then make a decision

All excellent advice.

First ... get to a large show and try as many machines as you can, with both orientations. Just like regular sewing machines, and long arms (on frames), you need to get and like the feel of the machine.

Consider the space where you are going to set the machine up. Will you have space at the back of the machine for an extra table or extension? If so, a horizontal (i.e. like a domestic) machine could work. Will you have limited space to the back, but ample space on both sides of the machine? Then consider a vertical orientation.

And yes, there are other considerations as well. If you think you will need support, a dealer local to you will be important.

Also consider ... bobbin size, lighting, availability of a stitch regulator (try them with and without), and other features like ease of speed control, ease of needle up-down switch, ease of threading and inserting the bobbin (some of those bobbins are deep inside and may require longer fingers or smaller hands!! So YES ... make sure you try taking the bobbin out and putting it back in), integrated bobbin winder (preferably with a separate motor), and yes ... cost.

I had done all of my homework, tried several machines (6 or so), and did my comparison spreadsheet. In the end, I purchased the Juki sit-down and I love it.

I had never considered the differences between machines such as this....now I have more knowledge to consider.

Thank you all for your advice..I'll try and find a quilt show soon..

Yes to all of these, and also the ease of using the foot pedal, I was fortunate to go to a large show, spent 3 days trying all the sit down machines, one machine that I really liked (can't remember the brand) loved the stitch regulator system but the foot pedal was small & took much effort to press it down. I knew with my bad knees I could never use it for more than a couple of minutes. The rep was there-I explained the problem, and that it would be a problem for many of us older women. He understood and said he didn't think it could be modified.
I bought the Babylock Tiara, love it! (same as the Sweet Sixteen & a Pfaff-made in USA in same factory, just different name painted on it)

I love my Tiara III
 

I really like the machine on the back side. It didn't feel right to me when I tried them all out at different shops. Having it in the back seems to give me more freedom with my Tiara III. Good luck!