Long Arm Machines
 

A friend, of my niece by marriage, just bought a new Sweet Sixteen LA. She invited me to go today and 'play' on it. I had a ball! Would love to have 'something' with a long arm, deep throat. I was wondering what machine do you have? What do you like or not like about it?...I don't see one in my near future but I can still dream!

I definitely understand. The first time I laid hands on a LA (which did happen to be a sweet 16) I was in love and knew I had to do whatever it took to get one. A year and half later I got my Innova 26" mounted on a 10 ft rack. No robotics but I do have the lightning stitch stitch regulator which I upgraded to just about a year ago.

I love everything about it but if I could wish, I would wish it had the same wheel/rail system as the Bernina rack. I would change absolutely nothing else about it.

You should get one, Toogie! I also have a sit down longarm... the Juki TL2200s. It's the same machine as used in a stand up frame, just set in a table. Juki offers the same machine both ways. It has no robotics or stitch regulator, but I'm doing just fine without them.

I tried out stand up and sit down models, and greatly prefer the sit down. I think because I previously did my FMQ on a smaller Juki, so I had virtually no learning curve switching to the bigger machine. I like the visibility of my face being closer to the stitching as it is happening, and also feel I can control the movement much better by moving the quilt, rather than the whole machine on a trolley. Something about the weight of the machine/trolley just throws me off.

Try out some models to see which style 'clicks' for you. If you go to a quilt show, there are usually many types to play on.

I have an older Nolting with a 24" throat. I use mostly pantographs and can go up to a 15" comfortable. My dream machine is one of he APQS long arms. One of the most important things is to have reliable service, which mine has not needed in 5 years, and someone you can talk to if you can't make the darn thing work. For me, my husband is so mechanically minded that he can usually fix my problems. As you guessed, mine has no computers on it and that makes it much easier to work on and keep running. I would like a better table, and maybe one of these years will get one.

My best advice would be to go to a large quilt show and test drive every machine there. I went to the International quilt Festival in Houston. I had decided on an APQS machine which I would have had to wait several years for. Then I bought the 1999 Nolting from my friend for a super reasonable price. She had just bought a new Gammill. Hers did move smoother on the newer table and I thought the stitch was a bit better, but my cost was 10% of what she paid for hers. I'm okay with my deal.

In MN i had a big fram but a little machine... sold them when i left the state. here, i tried a friend's sweet 16. I found the large frame much easier to use for me. right now, i have a new Juki TL1020q... i love that machine for FMQ!

My wonderful husband gave me a 26" Innova on a 12' frame for Christmas this year. I'm in love with both the man and the machine. :D For the last couple of years, I have been looking at and testing longarms, talking to other quilters, and I took a couple of classes where I could test-drive the machine for hours instead of minutes.

I have a lot of quilting friends who have switched from Nolting, Tin Lizzie, Gammill, Homesteader, APQS, and a couple other brands to an Innova, and they are all very happy. That was reason #1 for me to look hard at Innova. Reason #2 was the impressive support - they taught me how to service my machine myself, and if I have any problems there is 24/7 support available, even on holidays, even at 3 am when I can't sleep.

Hubby was very thoughtful and I got the lightning stitch, light bar and the hydraulic lift, which I didn't think I'd use but boy was I wrong! I can lower it to a level where I can sit comfortably and quilt, or I can stand up and raise it all they way up to about my breast height and do micro-quilting close up. Love it.

I bought a Gammill in 2004 and sold it this past year. Loved that machine, however it did not have the computer. With a bad back I never should have bought it. . . . When I thought about getting one with computer, not just stitch regulator, it was too pricey. My Gammill could not be up graded and I was not going to put out over $25,000 for a different machine.
My best friend bought my machine so now I get to go see her and my gf will quilt the large ones for me just for the price of thread! What a deal.

I have had a 26" Innova on a 12-foot frame for about 9 years. I upgraded to the Lightning Stitch, which wasn't available when I first purchased the machine. I'm totally happy with my choice, and with the support Innova offers. I prefer quilting on a frame, but not everyone does. Try out a lot of different machines and see which ones make you happy.

I love to long arm--spent 6.5 hrs today working on a shop sample quilt. I had rented time on one at a shop not too far away and done a couple of quilts and fell in love with the process but the price was beyond what I could justify. when my Mom and I'd go to shows she'd sit and chat with the vendor while I played on their machines. When she passed and left me an inheritance, my DH said to buy something for myself for a change that my Mom would think was cool. Took me 10 seconds to say "I'm buying a long arm!". I bought a used 2006 Gammill Classic Plus on 14' frame. It's hand guided but does have a stitch regulator.

What I like--it's dependable, the frame is super sturdy, it's easy for me to work on and the tech support, both on the phone and in person is good. Plus they are getting more and more videos on their website showing how to do maintenance--I really appreciate that. They also are on the Gammill users FB site and volunteer ideas on repairs too. I like that it uses an M bobbin (large), where the on/off buttons are (I had an experience with another brand at a show that I had to walk to the back to turn on/off even though I'm 5'7"!). I like that I can use a drafting stool when I'm doing lots of ruler work. I especially love that on a long arm you don't have to do any basting, adhesive, etc you just put it on the frame and start quilting!
What I'd like to change: wish I had hydraulics if I had another $1500! The newer Gammills have a better basting stitch which would be handly and the back handles are offset so easier to do pantos (Which I rarely do anyway) without hurting my neck. Also the newer ones have a coast speed which makes for a smoother Stitch regulator. All that said--I love my machine!

Toogie, yes once you discover how fun it is to quilt on a longarm, it is something you wish for. I have waited almost 3 years before I finally purchased one. The first year and a half was construction of a sewing studio over our two car garage to provide a home for it. Then the last year and a half was trying to make a decision on which brand...especially since they are a huge investment. As lyric girl posted, going to a quilt show and trying different machines is very advisable. They all feel differently to each individual. My long awaited longarm was just set up last Friday and I am having a ball, no longer have to drive an hour to rent one.