Made the mistake of.....
 

Took my Bernina into the shop for a service. Thought no better time then during a move since I can not use it anyway. While I was there, I tried the store's Mid-Arm Bernina that is setup for trial use. BIG mistake!!!! :shock: It was so smooth and easy to use. Makes quilting a quilt feel so much better, to me anyway. And I like quilting on my own machine anyway.

Now all I want to do is look into a machine that I could have at home. I would love to have a Long Arm, but under my circumstances, it is out of the question. A new machine period is out of my reach no matter what it is. So all I get to do is dream and drool over all the machines that are out there. :(

Going to a fabric shop that has a machine line is like going to a pet store, everything there just has your name on it. A new machine is out of my budget, and my Janome is going to go in for service when I finish the last of 10 flannel donation quilts. It really needs a cleaning now. One more to "clasp' stitch, and then bind.

I was kind of hoping I'd win the lottery last week - alas that didn't happen so I guess there's no mid-arm or long-arm in my future either! :(

Shari

Don't some places have machines onsite you can rent by the hour? You could visit for "playdates".

I know how you feel. Last week at a quilt show I got to test drive the HQ Sweet Sixteen. It's a sitdown quilter, you work it like a domestic, but facing the end of the machine, not the side. It comes with a lovely table, just the right size, and bigger throat to put a rolled up quilt. Oh, if only someone had $4,000 to give me as a gift!

i so want a mid arm machine or even an embroidery machine but the price is so out of my range I just dream I never test drive one because it would just make me want it all the more

Think we have all been there!

Be patient, good things come to those who wait!!!!

Never say never. You don't know what the future might hold for you. Hang on to your dreams and never let them die. and, someday, you will get that machine!

You are correct, I will never give up on my dreams!! Just wish they could come true sooner than later :).


Monroe, as for a place in the area that rents time on a machine, I do not know of one, but then I have not looked either. I know that the three quilt shops that I have been to do not, so not looking good for me. Once we get moved and I get everything unpacked, I will be asking.

I think of the 'L' in lotto as long-arm machine and that is why i buy one ticket each time.....

of course i would need a big house with a studio to make a home for the LA machine and assorted Featherweights and treadles for fun surroundings.......

but in the present my 301A and BERNINA 1630 and serger....sew on and on .......................giggle

I dreamed and drooled for a long time.Now,I have a Gammill and am knee-deep with customer quilts.But,I am happy.But,I don't get to my own stuff.I think my hushband thought I would support our household when he retired.Well,I'm not responsable for what he thought.

Your story is why I don't even look at machines any more. I can't afford one with all the bells and whistles that I know are out there, and because of that have to be happy with the 4 machines I do have.

Anita in Northfield, MN

Too right! I got a brand-new Innova on a 12' frame 3 years ago for $7,000 (boy do I love her!!!) and last summer I bought a used (very lightly) Bernina sewing/embroidery machine with multiple hoops, over 50 DVDs of patterns, thread, and table with the flip-up on the back of the table to make it twice as big for $500. I only use the Bernina for embroidery because I bought a Jamone Quilter's Companion 2 years ago for $650 (list was $1,200) from a lady who won it in a shop hop and she didn't want it (it was still in the box!). I just "fell" into all of these machines, but I didn't hesitate when the deals were there. Yeah, I was fortunate to have some cash from the sale of my house, but my LA enabled me to start my own business working from home and I love it!!!

I'm guilty of drooling too! Even though I don't expect to be able to afford such things now, maybe in the future. Plus, in our house, there is NO WHERE to even think of putting a long arm. My sewing area is a tiny little corner of the living room, and that is it, unless I can evict all the kids away from the kitchen table for a few hours to use for quilting.

That's why I refuse to try one. I want a long-arm so bad I can taste it. I don't have the money or the space, so I refuse to let myself get depressed by trying what I cannot have. I will keep dreaming too.

Is this the price of the machine? Is it considered a long arm?

I have the John Flynn Frame and I like it. You can use any machine with it. It's very inexpensive and I can do any fmq as nice as I can on a long arm, just not as fast. The quilting space is limited to the machine throat space. I bought two folding six foot tables, sittng them end to end and have my machine sitting in the middle with the frame. It was awkward to use at first but after practicing and using it, it is comfortable to use. From my experience it isn't the frame or quilting table that is so important. It's the sewing machine used with it.

Well, now that you know what you want, why not plan for it. Set a timeline, set a budget and then savesavesave.

Nhweaver, what is a 'clasp stitch'?

Oh, I do know how it feels when you just take a bit of a "spin" on one of those amazing machines. I have issues enough with my fabric "collection" that I don't even go near the machines.... I just don't trust myself to be strong enough to resist every time.

Don't rule out a used short arm or midarm. People are always selling them when they upgrade to a machine with more throat room. A friend of mine used a Nolting fun quilter for like 7 or 8 yrs before upgrading to a 24" Nolting..she did huge quilts on that!!! Price is usually way reduced on an older machine and they have many more years of service in them.

I have a long arm machine that I have not used yet. I get excited thinking about getting it put up. It is not an expensive one (just over $2,000) but that is enough for me at this time. Hopefully you can find you have the money to buy your "dream machine".

I too look at new machines with longing, but my finances will not support the purchase of a new machine, so instead I will take my 18 year old Bernina into the shop to have her serviced so I can continue sewing and quilting for my family

Try Craig's list