The good part first: I know what I dont want :lol:

I do not want to set up a frame and I am almost sure, that a machine with a 9" throat would not make me happy either.

I found the following models.

APQS George (with $ 8000 too expensive)

Nolting quilting bee and HQ Sweet sixteen have the Machine lenghswise on the table. One time I turned my domestic machine that way to quilt and had problems to see the needle in that possition?

The queen quilters eighteen has the machine the same way on the table like a domestic machine.

I also found the Baileys home quilterpro and the price would be great, but I dont know whether it could be set up on a table.

Can you please help me with your experience as I will not have the possibility to try the machines out. I would also need a dealer willing to send internationally.

Thanks so much for reading
Granny

I had a 9" throat and rarely used it. If you can afford it get bigger.

I got the HQ Sweet Sixteen in November, and I am completely in love with it. You can adjust the height of the table, I have mine the same height as the cabinet my other machine is in, so that I don't have to alter the height of my chair, but you could have your table higher so as to be nearer to seeing the needle.

Also it is possible to get an open toed foot, but so far I don't feel as if I need it. It also came with a whopper of a bobbin winder, and the big bobbins hold a phenominal amount of thread, especially if you use the thinner type specially made for bobbins.

It's very good tempered for going in any direction too, and the tension seems good even with different thread top and bottom. So far, I haven't been brave enough to go above 50% of the speed she goes, but I am working up to it.

Above all, the SPACE is the bestest thing about it.

I live in Ireland, and got mine from The Cotton Patch in the UK. They were really great, and negotiated a cheaper delivery for me too. You can tell them Lesley from Sligo recommended it to you!

I've been looking at the ones you can sit at too...the tin lizzie is one and I know there are others...does anyone have one they like???

Dear Lacelady

how much did you pay - looks a lot more expensive than in U.S.
How does it feel to have the machine "the wrong way around"?
And are you running on 110 or 220 volt?

The only thing I would add is that when you turn your domestic machine, it turns your needle the wrong direction for threading. The HQ and Nolting will have the needle direction toward you so you won't have problems threading it in this position.

I have a Bailey on a frame, I don't see why you couldn't use it on a table, it would be like turning your domestic machine because that's what it is, a stretched Janome. I love mine.

Good to know thank you. did you ever sew on those machines?

Is it good quality or did you have some kind of problems with it? As I would not be able to send it back to the US for repair I would need a very reliable machine that every sewing machine mechanic over here could take care of.

I was thinking the same looking at pics of the machine and the price is unbeatable.

I have a Bailey 15", but I use it on a frame. There is someone on the Bailey Yahoo usergroup that is using theirs on a table, so I know it's possible.

A sit down long arm sounds like a good option for those of us who don't have the space for the regular long arm and frame. I'd ruled out ever being able to get a long arm but now maybe it's possible. I'll keep watching this thread for opinions from those who have used them.

I was not able to find the vertical size of the throat of the baileys machine. Can anyone help out?

before investing you should do a little traveling if at all possible and try out/check out as many different ones as you can find...then make a choice. just because mine works for me does not mean you would be happy with it. my mom has a sewing machine which cost over $5000 when she bought it (a long time ago) she loves that machine...I HATE THAT MACHINE!
it is an investment and should not be made just because joe-blow down the block says this one is a good one.... if you would not buy a car that way do not buy a sewing machine that way...you need to think of it the way a man thinks about his power tools...he knows to buy the best quality most expensive he can afford-so it lasts.
i am very happy with my HQ-16 which is a stand up system, not a sit down one; but really wish i had checked out a few more before getting the one i have...not because i didn't get a good machine, but because there is no where close for tech support or service.

As I live in Switzerland there would be more than a little traveling required............
I do depend on your opinions and on a mechanical machine that every mechanic can take care of.

if you have a technician that you'll be depending on for maintenance, definitely ask for his/her opinion. he'll also know if anyone in your vicinity has one that you can 'visit'.

I also have the HQ sweet sixteen sit down and love it more every day! I am still practicing and hope to get better in the future. I have had it about two months.

Do you have a good view on the needle? How is it that its turned different than a domestic machine?
Thanks for all the feedback
Granny

I also just got a HQ 16 it came on the 19th of Dec. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's not a sit down, but I sit down an awful lot at my little machine. I bought mine used it had quilted about 15 quilts (couldn't find a dust bunny anywhere). Came in the original box and all. Found it on the HQ16 page. It is such an easy machine to operate very basic our local Bernina dealer services and sells them because they rarely have issues and anyone who owns a Bernina knows how wonderful they are. Are they less expensive to buy in Switzerland (berninas)?

Believe it or not : they are more expensive over here!
They say it is because of currency exchange.......I still sew on my 1630 and I love to piece on it.

where did you buy the HG16?

I have the Tin Lizzie and love it. It doesn't have bells and whistles, but it has an 18" throat, and that is great. It fills a bobbin as you stitch, so you always have a full bobbin ready to go. It doesn't have a stitch control, but with a bit of practice the stitches are fine. The price and the space was right for me too...as well as it being a sit-down.

can I ask about what you paid for it... I have been looking but not ready to spend the $$$$

If you find one you think you might like, call the manufacturer and see if anyone has one near you. Call them and get their opinion and ask if you can see and test machine. I think most quilters would be happy to find someone else interested in quilting and in their machine. I know someone that has a long are and she knows others that have them too. Once a year they schedule maintenance at the same time as the person has to come some distance to do it and it makes it easier to do several in one area at a time.

Hi Spice

No longarms in this part of the world! I found four people in switzerland and germany that custom quilt on big APQS machines and thats why we have to pay for the quilting $ 400 and up for a queen.............
The biggest it gets here is Pfaff grand quilter and Janome 6600. I want it bigger, much bigger :lol:

I have one concern...I could not get the concept of free motion quilting on a regular sewing machine...just couldn't do it...what is different on the sit/down HQ16? don't you have to move the quilt around the same way?

yes you have to move the quilt. I am very inexperienced in FMQ but I am sure that it is not more difficult than moving the machine.
I even think that moving the machine is more difficult unless you have all this computerized help.
It is just the matter of having enough space to move the quilt.

I have been researching sit-down longarms for a couple of weeks with my DH's help. We have looked at various longarms, Nolting Quilting Bee, Bailey's, Husquvarna(spelling?), Baby-locks...you name it. Even if only the domestics had a larger throat. Anyway, we both have always comeback to the HQ Sweet Sixteen, with the table and atleast one extension. The price is reasonable ($5000.00) and it offers everything one could hope for. I do very little FM mainly due to the lack of arm strength, so mainly do echo stitching. We are hoping to purchase this later in the spring 2011. I always thought I wanted a machine and frame, but, this HQ sweet sixteen is a wonderful compromise.I emailed HQ two days ago and requested a list of dealers in my area. I received an email yesterday giving me the only two shops in a 500 mile radius. I was so impressed that they took the time to send this to me. Another plus for the HQ Sweet Sixteen campaign!!!

I ordered it at the Festival of Quilts in August, and paid a deposit at the time. The quoted a price of $5000 initially, but with £300 off as a show price. In the UK it was delivered free, so they deducted that amount from the shipping costs to Ireland. The best part was after it had arrived, and they then rang to tell me they had at last received invoices for these machines. Apparently when I tried mine, it was still a prototype and they didn't have final figures. They REFUNDED $700, I was bowled over.

I know it's dearer than in the US, but then it still has to be shipped to the UK, and it is all cleared for European standards, and runs on 220volts.

I have no problem at all sitting at the pointy end - the part the needle gets mounted into (sorry, forgot the name) is taller than on my Bernina, so I don't have any problem trying to see, and the lighting system is brilliant - I think there are over twenty LED's. I've just taken some pics, so I'll try and post them here soon.

The winder will wind two bobbins at once, though I have only done one at a time, and it's a lot easier than the one shown on the HQ website - no real adjusting at all. It also has a longer lead on it than the owners on the HQ Yahoo site were grumbling about.

I think if I could change anything at all, I would have put perhaps another two inches of table along the front, so that there would be a little more room to rest my forearms when doing micro stippling, but that might just be me. It is possible to buy extra leaves that clip on to either side of the table, but I don't think I will need one, even when doing a big quilt. So far, I have only quilted lap sized or smaller ones. I am working up to a bigger one.

Dear Lesley

your quilting is great and thank you for taking the time to write. I will contact cotton patch and ask about the price. Their website quotes almost 4000 pound!?

Granny

I have the juki on a grace frame and have no trouble just moving the machine...it takes practice but the stitches are pretty even. Just not a lot of room to quilt...6" at the most

I have the HQ-16 sit down model and just love it. If possible test drive one at a dealer or at a show where they exhibit. It was a bit of a learning curve, but didn't take long to get comfortable with it. Mine is 6 years old now and still runs like the day I got it.

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.