HQ sweet 16 --my review!
 

Well I finally got the sweet 16 from ups man today. Ive been playing on it all day thought I'd let u all kno my personal reviews so far 4 all of u who are thinking of purchasing one. First off the table is very heavy and u really need two pple to maneuver. The midarm slides right in very easily & the actual set up is pretty fool proof. The threading wasn't bad at all & I've got that down pat. The computer software is touch screen & very straight forward u don't need a lot of computer lingo to work your way around it I love the fact that it has diagnostic for trouble shooting too bad none for the tension lol!! I did have to mess with a little bit with the tension but I'm sure some of u pros can get it faster than me! Overall I'm really happy with I'm not 100 percent happy with the table the legs do not want to lock in place easily & I had a near disaster.. But all is well. I do think I will stick with the heavier king tut thread it sewed better to me than the silk brand they sent with it. I must say I'm a complete novice to Fmq but in just an hour I was making circles with it so I'm soo excited about the possibilities !!

Congratulations on your new purchase! Hope it gives you many hours of enjoyment and saves you on having your quilts sent out! God bless...:thumbup:

Congratulations on your new "baby"! Have you named "him" or "her" yet? I'm sure you will really fall in love with it once you get used to it. All that extra throat space will make it easier for you to quilt. Looking forward to seeing your work. Make some "practice" pieces and just try a little of everything.

Woohoo! Just last weekend I tried it out at a sewing store and really liked it. Have fun!

thanks for the review. sounds like it will work out very well for you. congrats

Enjoy!!
Suzy

I have one and I agree with what you said. I don't worry about the table because I don't move it and I had help setting it up so it was not a problem at all. It does like King Tut and after spending quite some time playing with cheaper thread I decided it wasn't worth my time so went directly to King Tut and Superbob bobbins. It's all good. I just love mine. Just wish I had more time to use it. Enjoy your new sweet 16.

Thx 4 mentioning super bob bobbins I will keep with those.. Don't want to rock the boat lol

I struggled with the decision of a longarm actually & went bk & forth a lot but I can honestly say I'm really happy with the sweet 16. The standing with the longarm wouldn't have bothered me & I had the room but the longarm brand I could afford had very mixed reviews & I wasn't willing to take that chance & I know handiquilter brand is amazing! And their customer support as well. I think u would really like it! I ordered mine from sewingmachinesplus.com & did the no interest payments over 48 months so it's affordable & they did free shipping & even threw in a 2000 yd king tut thread. I ordered the optional side tables as well & it makes the table 6 ft. God Bless!

Congratulations! I'm glad you like it. I would love to have one but don't know where I would put it.

Congratulations! Thank you for doing a review as I too have been contemplating one day buying a sit down HQ sweet 16 but will thoroughly do my homework to ensure it is what I want as it is expensive..I got brochures etc from the last quilt show I went to but did not sit down to use it as then I might have weakened! I watched the lady demo it and it seemed wonderful..
I have a couple of questions..can you let me know how it handles thicker materials and bulky seams?
also does it have a bigger bobbin?
Did you get the stitch regulator?
Initially I fell in love with the Janome Horizon but after extensive research and thinking do I really need it, I decided that a straight stitch only machine with a big throat is what I need...ok want!
Also could you if you wanted to just sew with it? Does it come with additional feet or do you only use the one foot?
Keep us updated with your progress and what you love about it and also what you dont..happy quilting you lucky girl!

So happy for a fellow Missourian in getting a new "toy" to play with! Where are you located? I am in Lebanon - just off of I-44.

Thanks for your review. I've got my eye on this machine also. Still a little to high for my budget. Have fun creating on it.

winder
 

They arrive with a really nice bobbin winder, but I haven't tackled it yet. Don't know if I will. I like the SuperBobs. Easy and fast.

The bobbin winder is very easy to use ! Looks complicated but not!

I have a long arm machine, and the frame can be raised or lowered so you can sit or stand. Just get a desk chair
with rollers on it, and you can keep moving along.

Handiquilter has great customer support and a great website with lots of tutorial videos.

Congratulation! God is good all the time, i wish you bless quilt design

Congratulations! It sounds like you are already having fun. Please post a picture of the first quilt you FMQ.

What kind of machine do you have?

Lots of great info - I'm happy for you - bet you'll have lots of fun with the Sweet 16. I always play with them at the quilt shows, just did yesterday! Also tried a Sunshine 16 that was really nice to run, never saw one of those before.

Congratulations on your new baby. Happy stitching.

I've narrowed my big purchase down to the Sunshine 16 or a Bailey. Unfortunately, the only thing I can test drive is the Sweet 16, and it *is* sweet!!! Every dealer I've found for the the Sunshine no longer sells it. Did the Sunshine compare to the Sweet?
The company is about 5 hours from me, it would be a do-able "road trip" to try one and purchase, but I'm trying to narrow it down further. Only have heard good things about Bailey! Haven't heard much about Sunshine at all. Do you recall the show-price of Sunshine?

Thanks for your review. This machine is a consideration for me and a couple of my friends. I really want something bigger and computerized but the $$ and the fact that I have shoulder and knee problems may make me go for a sit down model.

I have had my Sweet 16 for about a year and I still love it! I only want to quilt my own quilts, and it is so easy to use. I played with some long arms, but the space and cost led me to decide on a sit down. I have use all kinds of threads from a metallic to king tut to water soluble (for basting) and the machine loves them all. It isn't too hard to learn how to adjust either the top or bobbin tension. You just have to give yourself time to ge your FMQ rhythm down.

Pam

I have had my HQ16 for about 12 months now and I still love it. I have just bought the stitch regulator for the machine and am playing with it. Earlier this year I quilted a Super King quilt on the 16 for my son and the quilt came up quite good. The table supports the weight of the quilt and you can see what you are doing. I have been messing around with some trappunto using rayon thread and found bring the thread to the horizontal feed (at the front of the machine) and going through only two tension holes, the thread fed fine. It really is playing with the tension and placement for each thread but the machine is great fun.

I love that machine. The dealer where I shop has it and I love to sit and play with it.

I have been debating about the stitch regulator down the road in your opinion do you think it's worth the $?

I'd love one but my pocketbook is stopping me, lol

I just ordered mine with the TruStitch on Friday. I am so beyond excited - I am busting at the seam.

Congrats on your new toy!

I have an HQ 16, and I love it! It is a great machine, and you will have such fun learning on yours! :):)

I want the trust stitch eventually!

I think u will like it , the tension stumps me sometimes