I quilt on my Brothers. I use Machinger gloves and it works fine. I do have a mid arm but haven't learned how to load the quilt yet.

I quilt all of my own quilts (over 300 now) on my Regular size Bernina. I have quilted 9 queen size, lots of doubles and mostly lap size. I have a king size quilt that I will start quilting FMQ on here soon for my daughter. It will be a killer on my shoulders and will take quite a while but I will get it done.

I have a Juki TL98Q and I have been machine quilting since 1999. I do meandering or stitch in the ditch, or straight quilting diagnonally. I have done 3 or 4 king size quilts and many queen size, but I find as I am getting older, and the tendonitis in my right arm flares up more often, that I am not doing as many of the big quilts anymore. I also use gloves to do the meandering. I use "16" Schmetz needles and one of three types of batting: 100% cotton; 80/20 Hobbs, and occasionally 100% polyester.

I have LA but I quilt on both.
.MaryKatherine

I do all of my own quilting on my Bernina 440QE with the BSR I also do large quilts in sections love my machine but one with a larger throat space would be wonderful

I have a Janome HD3000. I piece and quilt with this machine. The machine does sit down in a cabinet with a quilt table that folds out of the back of the table which works great! If I need more space to hold the quilt I move Margaret (my Grandma Margaret's sewing machine/table over and use it too to help hold the quilt.) I've quilted lap size, twin size and regular size on it but haven't tried a queen size yet. When I try one that large it may have to be done in sections.

I've quilted three king size, two queen size, and goodness only knows how many full size quilts on my domestic machine. I've done free motion, stenciled patterns, and about any other combination one can think of. If you have adequate support to the left of your machine and in front of it, you will have no problems quilting on your regular machine. I've tried different methods to support the quilt and have zeroed in on the 2 x 4 folding tables that are adjustable height to get the height exactly at the level at which you're sewing. Tables are available at Sam's Club, Amazon.com, and I've also seen them at WalMart. Enjoy quilting on your small machine. You will learn to love it.

I quilt on a regular machine but am just beginning to do FMQ. Thinking of investing in one of those magnetic hoops one of these days http://www.dzgns.com/products/*/*/7926

I quilt on my Bernina 820 machine that has one of the biggest throat openings for DSMs & there are times it gets a little frustrating but it can be done. I love my Bernina & can't imagine quilting on a DSM with a smaller throat opening than mine but I know others have done it & they have my utmost respect because I am sure it would test my patience. I have done 1 queen & several double size & twin size quilts.
If you have the skill
& the patience almost anything is possible. Good luck deciding which DSM you buy.

I have quilted several queen size quilts on my domestic. I do have a Janome-Horizon which has a larger throat area. However, I have done one on my Babylock before I purchased the Janome. So much easier with the wider throat. So, it can be done.

Mimmy:I quilt on my sewing machine .. I wish I had a Tiara for sure .. but oh well the "Lottery Gods" have not smiled down upon me yet !LOL

I only piece the tops and have a wonderful LA quilter who does the quilting. I know this is not what most call making a quilt but it has been the greatest time filler I could possibly find for the past twenty years. I do not know how many I have made they are such useful gifts everyone seems to enjoy them.

I have a Janome 6600 and do quilts of all sizes on her. The largest quilts can be difficult, but can definitely be done. It's all a matter of supporting the weight of the quilt on the left side (I use my ironing board) and knowing what design needs done in that area.

I bought a Janome Horizon and quilted lots on it. I've since moved up to a HandiQuilter Sweet Sixteen. Don't regret any of it.

You can quilt any size on a regular machine if you want to. Obviously, larger quilts will be more difficult to pin baste and manipulate through the machine depending on how you want it quilted, but it certainly can be done. I wouldn't start out with a queen size if you're just new to quilting, but you'll get there if you want to. I always did mine until the LA trend came around. I am happy to pay to have it done, because I really did not like the process of preparing and quilting a large quilt on my home machine. I love to free motion smaller quilts , wall hangings, table runners, that kind of thing. But sending it out to be quilted now, to me, is a real luxury and a treat!

I quilt on my sewing machine. I mainly do SID, as I really like the way that looks when all is done. I find the quilting process very satisfying. I haven't done anything larger than a twin sized though, so I can't speak to one that size. I think I would just have to be more patient, but I could do it. I have been quilting 3 years and just finished my 50th quilt. (Can you tell I really really like this hobby?)

It really all depends on what you enjoy doing.

Dina

I use a Baby Lock Quilter's Choice Professional. It has a deeper throat than a standard machine and it's great. No long arm here, but maybe someday....

I recently free motioned my first quilt on a Brother 1500S. The quilt was 96 by 96 and I had no problem moving it through the nine inch harp. I think I could easily do a larger quilt. As others have said, a large table to the left and back of the machine is invaluable. I also use gloves, forgot and left them off, could not figure out why the process became so hard. Duh! This time I only meandered but I hope to get more creative. Love the process!

I do all my quilting on my Viking Sapphire 830 - it has the larger throat space and I do up to King Size 120 " x 120" regularlyon this machine. I do not do it in sections and havenever had any specific instructions other than what I have read here at the QB or on the internet. I use one of three methods to sandwich my quilts.
1) Spray baste with 505 in the red can
2) Use Elmer's washable School Glue to secure the sections together
3)Use Hobbs 80/20 Fusible batting and iron it with a slight steam setting

By using the above methods, I can start quilting on the outside edge and work in towards the middle. No one told me I couldn't start on the outside and work inward and it works the best for me. It makes it easier for me to hand the larger quilts and because my layers are so secure there is rarely and I mean rarely a pucker. I always wash my quilts prior to gifting so the glues wash away and everything it clean and ready to go. I made a few scrappy doll quilts to practice on when I started my FMQ and gave them to the granddaughter to play with. I don't do anything fancy mostly meandering, micro stippling and I am expanding into stensils.
Good luck andpractice makesfor almost perfect :)

I have a Brother cs6000i and I have quilted everything from a mug rug to a king size quilt 120 x 120..I just did it in quadrants! I have never had anyone else quilt for me! Hope you find a great new machine! Happy quilting!

I also quilt on a dsm. I just don't have the money for a mid-arm or long-arm and I don't have the money to send a quilt out to be quilted. Most of the quilts I make are with baby quilts, lap quilts, or throws, but I have quilted twin -sized quilts on my dsm and right now I am quilting a queen sized one and will have a king size one to quilt after it's pieced. I do simple quilting, nothing fancy and sometimes I hand quilt, which I find to be very relaxing.

I do all my quilting on a regular machine, and I've done everything from doll quilts to large king size quilts. Yes, sometimes it feels like a wrestling match to work a complete king size quilt in such a small area, but you can learn what works for you. I have found it is a combination of the right quilting motif and a large flat table to work on. It works best to get your machine down so the harp (sewing surface) is level with the table around it - this will go a long way toward preventing the "wrestling" match. After all, you are only quilting one small area at a time, regardless of how big or small the quilt is.

I quilt on a Viking Mega Quilter. It has a 9" throat. I have it on a homemade frame. Not a lot of space but works for me. If I want I can take it off the frame (well, I don't but I call sweetie to come move it for me) and use it on a table and I do this at times if the design I am quilting is larger. For smaller items like wallhangings and table runners I quilt on a cheap brother from walmart. All my piecing is done on vintage singers, my 201 and 401's being my go to machines.

I've been quilting for about 15 years now and every quilt has been pieced and quilted on my home machine (I have an Elna 7200). The largest quilt I've done is an oversized queen for my daughters bed. My inspirations have been Diane Gaudynski http://dianegaudynski.blogspot.com/ and more recently Leah Day http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/

This just works for me, my space and my lifestyle. But I love that there are many ways to quilt and each of us does what works for us. :)

I normally hand quilt but I have quilted large quilts on a regular machine. It's tricky and you really have to watch the bunching, but if you take your time and keep an eye out for bunching it's fine. TBH though I don't think I'll ever do a large quilt on a regular sewing machine again.

So does anyone here use any sort of frame to quilt on a regular machine? Nancy's Notions has one listed at: http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...rame+system.do , but I wasn't sure if it's worth the investment or not?

Donna

I free motion with my Bernina 1530 (circa 1992) and I use a walking foot on a computerized Singer for straight stitch quilting. Both DSMs. I have never quilted anything bigger than a lap quilt or twin size quilt.

I made a King size, dividing it into halves and then joining them like a quilt as you go.

my first quilt I free motion quilted on my Viking Ruby machine--I learned some things from that--like quilting in quadrants--I plan to do another one soon--I make queen sized quilts--main thing is having the quilt on a large enough table--nothing hanging over the edge

I have quilted a queen-size quilt on a Singer Red Eye, but admittedly it was a challenge. I have quilted smaller items on a Singer 15-91, and it did a great job. I got a mid-arm last year, and I prefer to quilt larger items on that. If you are about to get a new machine, try to get one with as large a throat as possible. For tips on quilting on a regular machine, check out Leah Day's website. She does all her quilting on a regular machine.

You can quilt on any machine, I have done around squares for years, but it can get hard if there is a lot of bulk. If I were going to buy a new machine I would get a mid-arm. There is also a class on Craftsy.com that is just for quilting big quilts on a small machine. Good Luck.

A Sample of Machine Quilting
 

I have been quilting for a little over two years now after I retired from teaching. I have several older machines, Singer 301,301A and a featherweight that get most of my use ( I have 3 new Singers and several other older ones) however, I use the three main ones for machine quilting. I create the quilts in 3 sections - top, bottom, and the middle. I piece them then I get the backing ready and the batting. I sandwich the three sections and quilt on the machine - in the ditch or around the squares or triangles or the pattern. Then I machine sew the top section and middle section together on the front of the quilt on the machine leaving the backing open - hand sew the backing togther, then put machine sew the bottom top to the middle, and hand sew the backing together over the backing.
And I sew the binding on the top of the quilt by machine and hand sew it over to the back. Now I have also done several "quilts as you go" because we were traveling and I could take sections of the quilt with me to hand quilt in the car. Here is a picture of a section of my latest quilt.

I just did my first large(between a queen and full size) on my home machine and wished I had rubber tipped gloves. I spraybasted it and it works wonderful. I found as long as I worked insie my hand span it went well, but if not it was a
little sloppy. Tried different motifs and stipped alot too! I found it really fun after the initial first hour. Take your time also, dont get in a rush. I watched a quilting a big machine class on CRafty that actually made me brave enough to try it. You can do it!

Ok, I received this exact machine for Christmas and I absolutely love it. I decided to machine quilt my first quilt recently. I needed to free motion quilt it and when I did, the tension was waaaaaaaay off. I switched to a metal bobbin and increased the tension to an 8 just to get the tension almost right. What bothered me most was I could hear the tread stretching as I sewed and after a long time without cutting the tread, when I stopped, the thread would break because it was so tight. Even after a short section of free motion, whe i cut the thread it would be completely untwisted. How did you adjust your machine so it would free motion with the correct tension? What kind of thread do you use? I was using regular coats and clarke thread. I would love to be able to use this machine to free motion, but the tension issues are going to force me to use my old White machine. I didn't mean to hijack the thread, PM me if you can help me. Thanks.

I quilt all my quilts on my regular sewing machine. I have only hand quilted one quilt - a full size "heart quilt" for my daughter - she picked out the pink and aqua fabrics, and I pieced and hand quilted it. I've actually forgotten the name of the block, but it was one of the patterns from Georgia Bonesteel's quilt as you go quilts. I then made a med. blue and black Irish Chain quilt for my son, which I machine quilted after taking a class. Then, probably because no one told me I couldn't do it - I machine quilted an over-size king size quilt on my regular sewing machine. I made pieced basket blocks that I did SID on each block - far from perfect but I learned an awful lot about machine quilting with that quilt. PS - with all the basket blocks my husband told me I had become a "basket case". Yup - you guessed it - the quilt label said "Basket Case", the name of the quilt. I will, however, be sending the family reunion quilt I will be making shortly, then sending to my niece who just purchased a long-arm last year. She offered, and I accepted, one less thing on my Roundtoit List.

I'm really interested in quilt as you go because I want to start machine quilting a little more (I hand quilt now) and I know I don't want to wrestle a whole quilt. I made a king size quilted duvet cover and learned my lesson with that. What does a quilt as you go quilt feel like when completed as opposed to a regular quilt? Is is blockier, or as smooth as a regular quilt? I will use the method where you join the top, then hand stitch the backing. Thanks.

There is no way I would wrestle anything larger than a baby quilt on a domestic machine if I could get the quilting done for that price!!!

I have quiltied all of mine on a sewing machine, from lap quilt to queens. I have a Viking (base model) and a Pfaff; I will use which ever one is on the table.
I quilt in sections, usually 3 sections, then attach the tops together on the machine. I hand sew the back together, almost like a Quilt-as-you Go method. Yes, I would like a mid-arm or long-arm, but I don't the room for them right now. Just the two.

I agee with all of this. Leah Day is a wonderful teacher and she inspires me to do what she does.

I use my domestic machine all the time. I also agree with those who have mentioned quilting gloves. Truly a MUST! and make sure your chair is a comfy height, and take breaks every so often to stretch those shoulder muscles.