I purchased the Gracie quilting frame and the Janome 1600. I am unhappy with the 9" throat because I cannot quilt a whole block and have to roll it up to finish. I regret not getting the Bailey with the 13" throat. This would have enabled me to do an entire 10" block at a time. It's worth a little extra money to get the Bailey. I wish I had. I've heard good things about the Bailey.

Thank you for the Bailey idea! I have been searching for quite some time for something that is reasonably priced and never came across that. Do you know someone who has one? How did you come across it?

I own a Bailey! (and I think I posted in this thread about it already, LOL) It's a 15", and I love it. As I mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, I started with a 9" Juki, and ended up hating it -- you just can't do very complex patterns, especially as you get towards the end of the quilt. I learned about the Bailey on Yahoo Groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homequiltingsystems/ (devoted to general home quilting setups)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Baileyquiltingmachines/ (just for Baileys)

I've only done one quilt on it so far, but it turned out really well, considering I'm a complete and total newbie to quilting in general. With the 15" throat, I would easily be able to do 8" - 10" patterns. I did a pantograph pattern on my first quilt, because I find the idea of free motion quilting intimidating, and I like having a set pattern to follow. I practiced the same pattern over and over for a few hours before starting, and then did the quilting itself probably in about 5 hours.

Pros: large throat that allows for larger patterns, very reasonable price for what you get. Relatively easy to use once you get the hang of it (I had some issues initially, but I've got everything straightened out now). Great customer service from Mr. Bailey himself.

Cons: not a lot of bells and whistles like you would get with a true long arm. Things are a little jerry-rigged together, although they are functional. Extra cost: the stitch regulator -- some people can function fine without it, but I personally could never do quilting without it.

I bought mine used for a very reasonable price that included the stitch regulator. If you post on the Bailey Yahoo Group in the Database->For Sale or Wanted section that you are looking for one, then people who are selling will contact you (doesn't hurt to do the same in the Home Quilting Systems group, either). There's also a couple of complete systems available for sale in the database as well, but if you're not looking for a frame, that won't be much help to you.

I'm happy to answer any questions about owning a Bailey -- I'm no expert, of course, but I'm getting the hang of using it now, and am really happy with it.

[quote=hulahoop1]I purchased plans for a machine quilting frame (http://www.buildaquiltingframe.com/) and my husband built it for me a year ago. My only regret is that we built it only 8 feet long, so I cannot do anything larger than about 90 inches wide.

Hulahoop,

How long would you build it. I too have purchased the plans, and my dh is going to make one for me. Also, what kind of handlebars did you use. I want him to make this as inexpensively as he can, as money is tight.

[quote=hsquiltingmom]If you've got the room, make it at least 10 feet long. The plans have it made out of 2x4 pine. My husband made mine out of mahogany because he wanted to, I guess. The handlebars are made out of 1-inch pvc sprinkler pipe and they work great!

I've got a section on my blog that has more info in detail. Go to: http://hulahoop1.blogspot.com/

Let me know if I can be of further help. Have fun.

I found out about the Bailey from someone on this board (sorry, I can't remember exactly who) and have had mine up and running on a Grace Pinnacle for about a month now and I love it. It was the most affordable quilter I could find. It is a very basic model, but it does the job beautifully. The Bailey now comes in a 17" throat as well (just my luck it came out about a two months after I had ordered my 15"). As someone else wrote, Mr. Bailey is very helpful if you have any questions about the machine.

NOT HAPPY 5 IN IS ALL I GET LOOKING FOR A LONG ARM 26 IN PRICES ARE GOING DOWN,

GOOD LUCK
MEMATHOMAS

My friend just bought the stretch frame from Hinterberg. It can be used for a home machine or a mid arm. they also have a smaller one for home machines. She loves it.
http://www.hinterberg.com/machine-quilting-frames.aspx