I started with a 9" machine (Elna 7200) on a B-Line Studio quilt frame and was very happy with it for 5 years. I added a PC Quilter & Max Throat to it and had lots of fun digitizing my own designs. Max Throat partially automates the take up roller making a 9" machine into a 16" machine.

While surfing ebay one day, I found a super bargain on a Voyager 17 with a ProFlex frame so that's what I use now but I still have everything from my original setup. I have dreams about building my own studio where I can set both systems up and have PC Quilter doing one while I do the other.

I have a Brother QC1000. What type of a frame did your friend use? I just finished quilting a king size Denver Broncos quilt (it's pictured on this board under "finished my custom Denver Broncos King quilt). It was really hard to me to quilt but I can't afford a longarm.

I forgot to mention that you can do about a 4" design with a 9" machine. When you get the to the middle--put water soluble thread in the bobbin & top or by hand--baste the rest of the quilt. Then take it off the frame, turn it 180 degrees (top to bottom or vice versa) and roll it up to where you left off. You'll be using your payout & takeup rollers opposite of the way you started. It's hard to explain but once you see it done--it makes sense and it gets the maximum amount of travel out of the little machines.

You can also just do puzzle pieces, loop-d-loops, little squiggles, etc. all over the quilt and not worry about basting & turning. Many block designs can be broken down into smaller sections so you quilt an entire block like the big machines do but you do it 3-4" at a time instead of the 9-12" swath the bigger machines can do.

The little machines can do most of the things the big boys can--it just takes some creative thinking.

I know this is an old(ish) thread but shortarm set-ups are becoming more popular because they are *affordable*!! long arm set-ups cost at least $7K second hand whereas a shortarm set-up NEW is $1,500.00 WITH Juki sewing machine. Although this may *seem* limiting to some, it is much better than cramming your queen size quilt into a 7.5" Bernina quilting space.

I've tried both the short and the long arm. I find that the short arm is so limiting. I wouldn't have fun trying to quilt 4-6 inch sections at a time. I know some people like it just fine, but it is a personal choice.

For a while I was contemplating getting a frame for my singer because I was getting tired of basting and trying to wrestle a large quilt under a short arm space. Then I read many posts about shortcomings of such set up. And let's face it we have gotten pretty spoiled over the years with all the LA available. If this is what you can afford, I say go for it. It is still going to be easier than wrestling a quilt without a frame. If you can aford a bit more talk to Chuck at Baileys. I got my 17" and majestic frame for a very, VERY decent price. Good luck!

I started, by buying a Juki 2010 for about $900 and then a quilting frame from a quilter here. I also got a stitch regulator and kept my cost below $2000 for all. I used that for about a year. The 9 inch harp worked well especially for my own quilts and the quilts I quilted for my church. I recommend if money is a consideration and you are unsure if you want to dive into a long arm expense, try a juki and frame. Even if you decide that quilting isn't for you, the Juki 2010 is a work horse sewing machine.....

I have a Viking mega quilter with original inspira frame and SR. It was too good of a deal to pass up. I got the whole set up for 1000.00. I actually had been using the Viking as my primary machine. I have a singer 7426 and hate it! Too loud! So I sewed on the Viking for a year till I recently purchase a Juki F400 as my new primary machine. Finally I have the Viking loaded up on the frame. Last night was my first time to ever quilt on the frame. The first couple of hours were very very frustrating. Finally I adjusted the tension on the bobbin and it worked like a charm! So now I can finally quilt those tops that have been building up. While I would certainly rather have an 18" to quilt with this is far better than wrestling the quilt on the table. I would be so worn out after quilting for a short time. This is much much better! The way I see it, I could probably sell the set up today for more than I paid for it in the first place so it was a very good investment and I certainly am getting my money's worth out of it.

I have a Flynn frame which i've used with my Singer and my Pfaff, both of which have larger spaces to quilt than many other machines. I had trouble with needles breaking. There's about 4-5" of space. The frame is moved in the machine, rather than the machine moving in the frame. I've done better just stuffing the quilt in to the machine. I'm looking into quilt as you go methods.

I started out withh a short arm (Juki 98TE or TL, don't remember) on a SuperQuilter frame which was set up on a 8-foot office table. I found I could do more than 4 inches until I got to the end of a queen sized top. I made sure the design was no more than 4 inches and I never had to turn the quilt around. The electronic part went kaput after 6 years or so. It was actually cheaper to replace it a Babylock Q. Pro. At that time I decided to get a Grace Stitch Regulator installed on the machine. I replaced this set up with a Bailey Pro17E and Grace Majestic frame last September. There were a few initial hiccups, but it is working like a charm now....love it! I just ordered a set of micro handles (especially made for the Bailey machine) for it. Can't wait.