Originally Posted by amandasgramma

If it has any kind of LED screen (the touch kind), then do NOT store it where the weather freezes. We left a clock in our camp trailer, with temps below freezing, and the stuff in it froze...we had to toss the clock. Oh, i live where we get 20 below at night. I have mind in a shop off the garage. I bought a radiator type heater where there is oil in it that circulates around.....the heating in that shop costs me very little to run during the winter. The shop is insulated really well and is small.

Originally Posted by Candace

What are the temps where you live?

Originally Posted by Sadiemae

I had a megaquilter in the shop and it was fine, but it was a very mellow winter. I wouldn't put my longarm out there though.

Originally Posted by Berta48

I am afraid even if I bought one I wouldn't be able to quiltn it as I can't FMQ.

Originally Posted by tooMuchFabric

I think I can safely say to you, not being able to FMQ on a domestic, and then trying to freehand on a longarm, are two different things.
I cannot FMQ on a domestic either (to me it's like writing your name while looking in a mirror),
but I love love love to freehand on my "Buddy-Ro." I love him. It's like writing.
.

Originally Posted by mama's place

I have a suggestion for you....try FMQ on a Juki or a Mega Quilter that is made by Husqvarna and is around $900....Juki is $700 new. Without a frame you can do the FMQ much more easily than on a machine that does the fancy stitches. These two machines do straight stitch only and once you drop the feed dogs, you can do loops, etc. without much difficulty. I know, I tried on my Kenmore, that is made I believe by Janome and does really nice fancy stitches at a bargain price but my FMQ attempts looked okay on top but the bobbin stitches were never right no matter what I did. One try on the Juki 98 and I was doing FMQ after all that time of practicing and fretting...I was off and running. So for the money, you can get one of those and practice and work without a frame or add a frame later. I'm thinking of doing that. And I see that Janome has a new Horizon that has a longer throat area and it isn't tooooo expensive....I think in the $2,000 plus range. So that's a long way from the $9,000 plus range of some of those machines.....Just a suggestion. I ordered my Juki from a SewNVac dealer online with a money back guarantee and didn't have to pay shipping either.

Originally Posted by amandasgramma

Another thought....if you can't afford the system, or are worried about where you'd set it up, check around with the LQS or dealers. I think more and more of them are setting up systems so people can rent time. THAT is very do-able.....MUCH cheaper.

Originally Posted by ckcowl

another issue besides temperature to keep in mind is humidity; if your garage is not insulated then moisture probably builds up in there too; and it sounds like you want one of the machines with all the bells and whistles; the ones with the computer program(the statler stitcher) costs $30-40 thousand dollars...i would not keep it in the garage. before that kind of investment i'd be building a 'safe-haven' for it.

Originally Posted by BKrenning

Thanks for all the addresses I'll look them up.

I totally agree. FMQ on a sit down machine is completely different than it is on a frame. I have a Voyager 17SLR (http://www.hinterberg.com) on a SuperQuilter Pro-Flex frame (http://www.superquilter.com) that I got on ebay for a song because the seller didn't elaborate enough which scared off other bidders. Even on SS/SSDI, it wouldn't take very long to pinch some pennies and hold a couple garage sales to buy a used frame and longer domestic or even stretched midarm if you keep an eye on craigslist, ebay, and the yahoo machine quilting groups.

Before the Voyager/Pro-Flex; I used an Elna 7200 domestic machine on a B-Line Studio frame (http://www.tobequilting.com) for 4 years. Even with the small throat on a domestic machine, you can easily teach yourself FMQ while doing all over meanders.

As for keeping your setup in a barn/shed without heat--it depends. If it's a strictly mechanical system--no LCD screens & you let it warm up, keep it oiled regularly and have sealed a wooden frame--it's doable. I know others who have all their quilting supplies in an unheated shed or attic but they use a portable heater to warm it up before they use their equipment. You'll have more cleaning & maintenance than if it were in your house but it can work.

And yes, there are computer controlled quilting systems but you'd have to pinch those pennies into gold to afford one and those I wouldn't not keep in a shed. I'd give up my living room!

There are some cheaper computer guided systems but still not cheap enough to keep in a shed. I have a PC Quilter (http://www.pcquilter.com) and there are other hobby systems out there--Qbot, Side Saddle, Shirley Stitcher, MQR, etc. but I strongly recommend starting without one first to see if you even like working on a frame. If you don't like all the fuss & bother of loading a quilt--no robot yet invented is going to do that part for you.

Originally Posted by tooMuchFabric

No.

Critters, sand, dust, variable moisture=rust, Don't do it.
.

Originally Posted by mama's place

The lady who taught the beginning FMQ class that I took sewed all her quilts on a Bernina domestic machine and her quilts and quilting are Beautiful!!! Without using a frame. You have to work with the quilt more to manage that amount of fabric but it is doable and much more affordable. She folded the quilt or scrunched it up and put the bulk of it over her shoulder and it worked for her.