My problem with a sit down machine is one would still have to baste the quilt before quilting and that is the main reason I got a frame, was so I didn't have to baste and push all that fabric which gets heavy when you make queen and king size quilts.

thats a point. But believe it or not I like basting (505) - its like putting the baby to live........... :lol:
Granny

Have you been using the 505 long? Like years? It doesn't hurt the quilts?

I into quilting for a bit more than one year ...... :oops: :oops:
As I wash all of my quilts I have to trust in what stands on the cans of 505

That sounds about right, because I paid too much initially, then got the refund. I have no idea if there is another dealer in Europe that might be nearer to you, you would have to contact HQ in the US to find that out. I am assuming that The Cotton Patch will have sole rights in the UK/Ireland, but as for the rest of Europe, you might just be surprised and find one 'down the road'! LOL.

Granky - i have the lizzie, too. does yours have the little dials on each handle? they're white and they live right under where you grip the handle? they have numbers? if you look at yours do you see what i mean? that's where you can change the stitches. even if you didn't choose the regulator, it comes with the feature that allows you to change the stitch size. that's the stitch control. it works in conjunction with the other one that controls speed - one dial for size, one for speed. if you mean the stitch regulator, which is a different one called lizzie stitch, then, yes, i absolutely agree with you. i have it and seldom use it. if you practice, you get to where you don't really need it unless you intend to go professional, at which point i would recommend a much more sophisticated (and expensive) quilter with a few automated features like auto advance.

BTW, whether or not you can sit at a quilter depends on how tall you are. i can't sit at any of them and reach the back. i'm too short. no matter how far forward i stretch, i cannot reach far enough forward to truly control what happens back there. i have to stand for that part, or only work sitting at the front edge. all of them are designed to be shortened to a determined height and no shorter. be sure that it's the right height for you.

I have an HQ and I sit at mine. I use a higher chair on wheels that is right with my HQ table. Got my chair from an office supply =it's a drafters chair so it is adjustable
back and height. I use it some and stand some.
Hope this helps.

I got the HQ Sweet Sixteen for Christmas and I'm loving it. I don't want to stand to quilt and don't have room for a 10 foot table, so this seems ideal to me. It is different from the long arm in the sense that you move the quilt around under the needle rather than moving the machine. It also does not have a stitch regulator so you need to learn to move smoothly to avoid varying length stitches but you can set the maximum speed as low or high as you want then just press the pedal fully all the time to keep the stitches even as well. You really need to try out the different machines at a quilt show if you can before you buy one. Mine cost about $5000 USD with table and bobbin winder complete.

i have been wanting a sit down hq 16 , thank you everyone for your input

online, right on the HQ16.com I paid 4500.00 for it. I couldn't hardly believe it. It's only a year old.