a shout out to those who quilt on "smaller" sewing machines
 

I have been very fortunate in that when I dove into quilting, my first machine was a husqvarna sappire. So I started with a very decent quilting sewing machine. I have upgraded to the Brother Dreamweaver (just over a year ago), and am loving it to bits ... except when it's in the shop!

For the last three weeks my machine has been in the shop for minor repairs (just got it back tonight)

I also have a small Brother 9130 computerize quilting sewing machine. It's a fabulous little machine. Piecing is quick and easy, sews like a dream. It can even do FMQ.

What my "baby" doesn't have? Automatic threader, automatic cutter, automatic presser foot, huge throat space, the FMQ foot that I really like.

I just finished quilting a 40x40 quilt on my "baby" and I struggled with the issues I mentioned above. Granted none of them are serious, but when you are used to quilting on a bigger machine with tons of bells and whistles, it makes a huge difference!

So I wanted to a shout out to all of you quilters who still quilt from beginning to end on a "smaller" / baby sewing machine - one with smaller throat space, and one without all of the bells and whistles!

You have my utmost respect for being able to do it! In the future I will just continue to make quilt tops, and will wait until the big one comes home!

I learned to FMQ on a dinky mechanical Brother xr52 with a tiny space. The feed dogs don't drop, so I just set the stitch length to zero. It was doable, but time consuming. I graduated to a Brother PQ1500 and it is a dream for me

I use a 9" throat Juki TL98 QE. A large double is the biggest quilts I make and quilt. Works great for me.

You know what's funny is I have the dreamweaver like you love it to bits, but I use my sq9050 more since I am at my in laws more often. I honestly don't miss the features and that little thing just sews anything

I have done several quilts in the past on my Brother sewing machines with that small a throat. (Yes, machines! They always died within a few years. I guess I either always ended up with Wal-Mart's lemons or I put too many miles on them!) I now have a 1950's Singer 15-91 with no bells or whistles. I can do all the maintenance and repairs myself. It has 7" throat; I would love a bigger throat, but I'm just glad I haven't needed to spend several hundred $$$ on a brand-new machine.

One day I will get a long-arm! Even if it's just a simple Voyager 17.

I"ve gotten so used to quilting on my vintage machines that I don't worry about all the bells and whistles. I have done FMQ on some larger quilts using my older Bernina and it was a chore, but doable. I usually work around things. If my Juki is for some reason out of commission, I just piece on the vintage machines.

I think I fell into the "what I didn't know, I got used to doing without" category. I quilt on a very basic singer. No auto cutter, feed dogs don't drop (didn't even know why/what that's for). Has a threader that I didn't use for the first couple of years, and I can quilt a queen on it.(That's the largest I've made). I have a few stitches I can use, but for me, less is all I've ever known.

I'm with you, Annie! I had one of those fancy Viking H. computerized machines for a few years and it was so fragile! It ended up with problems that no one would attempt to fix. All the repair guys said that it wasn't worth fixing. I bought a $99 Singer Heavy Duty from Walmart that works like a charm! No problems at all! Just keeps chugging along and does everything it is asked to do.

I am not cheap by any means but I will not pay thousands of dollars for a high end machine. The maintenance and repair cost is way overpriced and you have to pay it because you have so much money invested in the machine. I do have nice high end machines but didn't pay a fraction of the new cost. Dealers get trade ins for better especially when a big sale is going on. That's when I keep an eye on the trade ins. Just a few weeks ago I bought a Juki trade in for $200. It is excellent for machine quilting and has all the features I want. Needle up/down, auto cutter, adjustable pressure, large throat space and knee lift. It is given a good check up by the shop before putting on the sale table.

My thoughts exactly.