Im thinking of buying a quilting frame and would love some help as to what others have and any suggestions as to what to look for and or stay away from.
Have looked at the Grace frame and the A-1 quilting frame
both with the Janome 1600P

Glad to hear you are "thinking" about this idea of buying sewing equipment. One word of advice.....do not make a snap decision.Take your time to research everything available. Keep notes. Ask questions.

There are lots of quilters with all sorts of equipemnt, and most will share with you what they chose, and how they like it, or, if they chose too quickly and do not like the choice, they will tell you what they wish they had bought.

I spent about 8 months considering my options. I joined 4 groups so I could ask other quilters what they use and how they like it. That way, you will have a better idea of what is availble and what works and what could have some area for improvement.,

Happy hunting.

June

I have a little frame from JoAnn's that is made out of PVC pipe. I like it okay when I'm tying a quilt. If I want to machine quilt, I just have to pin really good and manhandle it around my machine :) I've only hand quilted a couple of table runners, and I just used a hoop to do those. Good luck on making your decision.

Perhaps we need to clarify what we are asking about.

I suspect Frannymac is talking about a frame to use a machine with.

Or are you talking about hand quilting?

those frames are as different as night and day.

I have a good friend that has the gracie frame w/that exact Janome and loves it. She has had no problems at all and does quilting on the side. (Other then she cracked one of the strip runners and Gracie sent out a new one w/no questions asked)I also know someone that has a New Joy w/that same machine and she likes hers too. I like the gracie over the New Joy personally because of the height. Both are very comparable in price too...keep us posted on your decision..Skeat

thank you for this unfortunately Im in Tasmania and where I live we only have 1 sewing machine shop so not much choice apart from if I purchase from the mainland or internet

OOOh, that does pose a problem. There are lots of good options here in the
U.S. but I have no idea what the shipping costs would be. Perhaps your shop will give you the names of some of their customers so you can see how well satisfied they have been with the equipment.

I hope you find something that will work for you.

June

I don't know much about quilting frames but I wanted to say Welcome from Southern California!!!

Also don't know anything about quilting frames, hope you can find what you want with reasonable shipping costs.

Welcome from the Ozarks in Missouri.

I bought a Viking Inspira Quilting Frame a couple years ago. I have not been happy with it. You start out with about 8 to 9 inches you can quilt. Then comes the problem. With each wind, you have less area that can be quilted. The space between the needle & the machine limits you. Once you get toward the end of the quilt, you have so much of the quilt wound up there isn't much quilting room. Your pattern could only be 4 or 5 inches deep (if that).
Also you have to consider where you will set it up. You need at least 14 feet long to set it up & then another 3-6 feet is nice to be able to move around it. That is if you want to do more than just a small quilt