Researching Longarms
 

So, the local shop is going to discontinue the service where I can go in and quilt my quilts on their longarm on a frame. I don't want to send them out to have them done. So.....

I am researching getting something to use at home. I currently have a machine that is too small to easily do a full-sized quilt or larger. Great machine, just not practical for FMQ. It has the embroidery features on it, so my new machine would not have to have these features.

I loved using the longarm on the frame. I have not done any sit-down FMQ, but hear that there are some people who prefer that (including Leah Day, who is a quilter I follow on YouTube) over the standup quilting.

I think I should stick with something that will not take up an entire room. We may downsize one day and I don't want to be in a pickle with a huge framed machine that I would no longer be able to use.
It will be used by my mom and me.

I am hoping for your experienced thoughts about what I am about to "get into." Thank you in advance, ladies!

since you are accustomed to working on a long arm, I suggest you try out a sit-down and one of the mid arms before you make any decision--go to a major show that will have all and take Mom! You may find that a smaller set-up works just fine or you may find that you don't like it enough that you'd just not use it--money wasted. If you do go with a long arm, most 12' frames can be put diagonally into about any bedroom and still allow moving around space, etc. Also, keep in mind that you are used to moving the machine not the quilt--a sit-down would be moving the quilt which is a very different movement.

I am most definitely the opposite of Leah Day. I hate sit down quilting and was never any good at it but my stand up longarming skills are definitely something I am happy with and others are as well. My brain is wired to "move the pencil not the paper" and I also hated the sandwiching basting process with the white hot passion of a super nova! Frame quilting completely eliminates that step and to me moving the machine head over the fabric is much more natural than moving the fabric around under the machine needle. But that is me. There are some amazing and very talented award winning quilters that do sit down work and on a domestic no less. Diane Gaudinski is one and Janet Stone is another (although I do not know what kind of machine Janet Stone uses or even if she uses an extended throat or not. I know Diane uses a Bernina, or at least she used to.)

Because you are already used to frame quilting, I strongly encourage you to try out sit down models at shows and use your current machine to do FMQ on small projects. If you find you are adept at it and enjoy it and are happy with the end result then you can start your hunt for a sitdown. Just about every LA manufacturer makes an extended throat machine for stationary quilting. Additionally HQ offers a set up on a smaller frame but I don't know all the details about that. It may be something to consider.

Thank you. Sounds like good advice. I would not think of NOT taking Mom...she's my "partner in crime!" Haha! I do have the opportunity to try a sitdown, move-the-quilt longarm at the local shop. I'll go in and explore that....great suggestion.

Thanks again.

Thanks! Yeah, I for sure need to try the sit-down, don't I?

I have a handiquilter avante with 10ft frame set up at 6 feet. They do have a little foot frame for smaller spaces it is similar to the brother dream fabric frame that I almost went with and a brother 15 inch dream quilter. The avante are at good price right now since they are coming out with a new model. I agree about trying a sit down model it just depends on your comfort level.

So, do I understand this correctly: I can put some DSMs on a frame and then do FMQ that way? Instead of sitting?

Yes, but the quilting space is very limited. Imagine the harp space of a domestic, add the take-up bar and the quilt that is on the take up bar and the remaining space is the area you can quilt. Sometimes as little a s a few inches.

Strongly suggest you go to a larger show where many machine dealers are located and test drive the various machines. Most (all?) of the major domestic and long-arm manufacturers now make mid-arm sit down quilting machines. You will see some machines oriented on the table like a domestic (horizontal to you) and some oriented like a long-arm (vertical to you). Some manufacturers offer stitch length regulators, some do not. Tables vary as well (size and customization such as height adjust and additional drop arm extensions). Some come with integrated bobbin winders, some require a separate bobbin winder. Then there are the variations of the machines themselves - which are as diverse as we can find in domestic machines, and all of them have a 'feel' to them that you need to feel comfortable with. Last are the issues of: price, support, locality of dealer, warranty ... etc.

I had a rather lengthy process when I bought my sit-down machine. I made spread-sheets and logged and ranked various features I wanted or needed, missing or bad features I didn't want, prices, warranty, etc. I test drove all the machines I could find at large quilt shows over a 3 year period. I had it narrowed down to three machines that I was interested in. One day I walked into my local quilt shop and they had just started carrying one of the three machines I was interested in and the owner whispered a price in my that I couldn't ignore .. so I bought it.

So ... go out and explore. You may wind up with a list of several or a few that you like and you can then narrow it down to things like price, locality of dealer - etc ... or you may go and find only one that you think you could live with. You can get all the recommendations from folks here on QB and those recommendations won't mean a hill of beans until you put your hands on the machine yourself and try it out.

I have both a HQ Sweet 16 Sitdown and an APQS Lenni on a 12 foot frame. I love both of them! I started on the Sitdown. I have too tell you there are pros and cons to both and it really depends on what's important to you and best suited to your quilting style and comfort zone. Have fun shopping!

One of my LQS used to offer time on their machines. Now the closed place is an hour away, in the best of traffic. I have used the HQ Sweet 16. Loved it but I found it to be priced out of my range. I played with a Block Rocket and the Q'nique brands. I was very impressed. Check them out also.