Should I buy a sit down quilting machine?
 

I have a Babylock Unity which I love but I don't do much quilting on it. I think part of the problem is that I usually make larger quilts and I have quilted a king size quilt on a DSM and it was really hard. My local dealer has 2 used Tiara's on sale and a Sweet Sixteen. I guess my question is- should I get the sit down machine or stick it out with learning to quilt better with my Unity? I think part of the reason I am so hesitant to quilt is that I always see mistakes in my quilting. I would like to get better at it. Also love the rulers that you can now get with the FM machines- but I see that Westalee also has rules for dsm. Sorry this is rambling but just confused about if I should make the purchase. Part of me says go for it, but it is still a sizeable purchase so I want to make sure I really use it.

I too have done FMQ on a king sized quilt on my Bernina 150 and was satisfied with the quality, including stitch length (no BSR for such an early machine). But I had issues with always having to rotate the quilt to get the bulk of the quilt to the outside and even then, in the middle it was hard to achieve more than a 2" flat area to the right of my needle. So I purchased a Tiara II at a great price as the table had cosmetic damage that I didn't care about.

The Tiara truly made quilting so much easier. No more having to roll or accordian my quilt and I found that the stitch regulator made ruler work effortless (for me). I don't use the puck for non-ruler quilting and have gotten along very well with the Tiara.

I love my Sweet Sixteen...I was able to justify it a bit more when I realized that it would save some of the life of my domestic Elna to NOT be also quilting so much on it. I've had it for close to 6 years and wouldn't trade it for anything! But I don't have a stitch regulator and still have been able to do some (what I think of it) great quilting. I did our K-sized master bedroom quilt on it with little to no issues. I can't even begin to imagine doing one with my domestic Elna. Largest I did on the Elna was basically a little smaller than a twin.

A friend bought the sit down machine because of back issues. She is up to 8 million stitches and does as many as 60 quilts per year. She loves to doodle and finds it easy to work on the sit down.

Best thing you can do it sit down and try one.

The only consideration is that you still have to push the fabric under the needle vs the standard longarm. That being said, trying it out for yourself first is still the best thing to do.

If you get one, pick the Tiara. They eliminated the bump between the table and the machine. Using the sit-down machine, particularly with the extension at the side makes quilting much easier - or I should say it makes moving the quilt much easier. You can also add raised clamps to lift the quilt off the table and reduce drag.

Now that said, you will still have to practice. Just getting the sit-down machine won't "fix" the mistakes. Only practice will improve your skill. One thing I know from personal experience: We are often way too critical of our skills and we do see every off stitch because our noses are practically on the stitch. Walk away from your work and go back to look at if from a normal distance. You'll be amazed at how good it looks.

Based on what you said about already doing your quilting on the Unity, I think you would love the extra space provided in a sitdown machine. I have the Sweet 16, love it and love quilting with it. My only limitation now is my own imagination!

I am in DE too and just purchased one from someone in our Ladybug Quilting Guild. I had an issue with the tension but found it was the bobbins which had little chips in so I used the bobbin winder, wound a new bobbin, and it went fine. Now I am practicing my ruler work and it is going good. I was told to get a cheap cheater quilt top and do that first so I found them at a yard sale and will start a wallhanging next week. You can contact me if you like since I am in DE too. Good luck with your purchase. Mine is a Tiara and includes the bobbin winder and stitch regulator.

I also have a BL Unity in a large table my husband made for me, and I currently do all my quilting on it, but have no intention of quilting a queen or king size on it. I have the rulers and plan to learn to quilt with them on my Unity, but my goal is to purchase the BL Coronet. Have you looked at that yet? You may want to check it out before making a final decision. Good Luck, let us know what you decide!

I have a Babylock Quilter's Choice Pro that I piece with and started FMQ with. I "test drove" a Tiara a few years ago and fell in love with it! I ended up buying the floor model as the new model was coming out the next year. I absolutely love the Tiara and recommend it highly! It has made FMQ even more enjoyable.