I would starve without my microwave. Or end up eating a whole lot of peanut butter sandwiches. :lol:

But I do have a Grace frame and Pfaff Grand Quilter on it. Works like a charm with the Qbot attached. It's housed in a spare bedroom.

I have a Tin Lizzie18 and love it. It gets a lot of use. I make quilts for my family & friends as well as for charity. My 9 year old grand-daughter & daughter inlaw come over and use it frequently, as well. They also make quilts for charity, family & friends. Mine is set up in an extra bedroom. I'm so fortunate that it fits in there.

actually, what do you mean by LONGARM? there are machines that are 15" all the way up to 26" +. what range were you thinking of? the tin lizzie SL is 18" and at 120" (110" usable) wide, it's more than enough for me.

Hmmm, I don't really know what I mean by longarm. Sounds dumb I know, but when it comes to quilting machines, I'm a little (OK a lot) ignorant. I've seen a few pictures posted by members of their sewing rooms and the machines look awfully big to me, so I just assumed they're all big. If I ever decide to take the plunge (maybe a retirement gift to myself next year -{ can't wait!} ), I'll have to really research and will turn to the board for advice and opinions.

a lot of manufacturers now offer some kind of oversize-throat machines, suitable for quilting. you can spend your life after retirement checking them all out. i know because i tried to do it.

[img]http://www.pic4ever.com/images/bd2.gif[/img]

after you try a few and narrow it down to the features you like, go to a quilt show. almost all the manufactures have setups there. try them out against one another. it's the only way to really see what the differences are. you'll also get to see what it is you're paying for. talk it up with all the venders and tell them what you like about other machines, including price. ask them what they'll throw in without extra charge. the venders can do that for you. they have no"rent" to pay. take your time and go around at least twice, trying out the machine each time. let the vender know who you are and realize that you are a serious possible customer. at the shows, you can often do better than at stores, and with a warranty you're still eligible for service.

remember, they are there to sell. you are there to buy. you have the money and they want to have it.

i have a mega quilter from husqvarnva. it is for my own use and have done some for family members. i did move into the bigger bedroom 14 x 20 so i have room for it.

Butterflywing -I never would have thought of that. Thanks so much for the important info. I'm going to print this up and save it. There's no way I will remember it next year!

I don't have one YET but our local sewing machine shop jsut set up the Babylock Jewel. He said I can come and drool on it anytime I want!! I really like that machine!

I've drooled over the same machine, maybe some day!

I have a couple of APQS's. They are the Ultimate's, I & II. The UI has a computer hooked up to it and the UII is for custom and freeform quilting. I did have a Gammill at one time, but I sold it due to the fact that it was too heavy. The APQS's are much lighter and better looking. Regards, zeke.............