Sit down machines
 

I see a lot on this board about long arm machines, but I don't have the space nor do I do enough large quilts to justify the cost. I am interested in one of the sit down type of quilting machines but know very little about them. I had a chance to demo Bernina's new one, but didn't ask the right questions, like what else will it do besides FMQ'ing. I've heard of back extensions, and side extensions for the tables they sit on. What are the pros and cons of that?
If there is already a recent thread on this, I apologize and will read that instead of wasting everyone's time here.
Thanks!

You can go to the "search" box in the upper righthand corner of the screen to look for other threads on this topic.

I'm not an expert on the sitdowns, but I know a lot of people like the Sweet Sixteen. The APQS George is another, and there are a couple more that I am not remembering at the moment. I'm pretty sure the Sweet Sixteen and George are both dedicated FMQ machines; there are no feed dogs, so no straight stitching or decorative stitching. What Bernina did you look at?

Instead of extension tables, I recommend looking at a suspension system. Here is a link to a commercial one, although some quilters have made their own out of PVC: http://www.jennoop.com/suspenders.html

I am always amazed at the creativity of people! Neat idea!

I keep a card table to the left of my HQ Sweet Sixteen, to hold the bulk of the quilt (I turn my quilt so I'm always quilting in the lower right quadrant to minimize the weight I have to push around). I also use the jennoop suspenders. I haven't heard of back extensions; I guess that would be an option if your machine was side-facing like a DSM. As Prism99 pointed out, there are no feed dogs, so if you want to do straight line stitching, you must learn to use a ruler. I really enjoy using my sit down machine. There's a yahoo group called 'HQ 16 Handi-Quilter Sit-Down Table Model' for users of the Sweet 16 (and the other brands that are basically the same), where you can find tons of information.

Here is mine, it is a Bailey Pro 15. I had it on a frame but couldn't stand for really long lengths of time. So my husband built a large table for it to sit in. It works perfectly for me and the table size insures I can work a large quilt with ease.

The Bailey is a basic workhorse of a machine. Made in the U.S. by a man in New York state.
His customer service is second to no one. He helped me when I first received my machine and answered all my questions. He now offers sit down models too.

http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/index.html

I have a Sweet Sixteen sitdown and have a 2'x4' folding table set up on each side of my machine table. I've done several queen/king quilts with it and the side tables do a great job of holding all of the quilt. I love my machine when it cooperates ;-) but from everything I've read about quilting machines, their temperament goes with the territory and every brand has its quirks more or less. There is a great forum on the Handi Quilter website where there are often used machines advertised for sale by owner and worth checking out if you're in the market and also to get an idea of some of the issues that may arise in using a quilting machine. Good luck with your investigation!

Chasing Hawk...that is an awesome and beautiful set up....
kirsten

"...what else will it do besides FMQ'ing?" The sit down machines don't have feed dogs, so they are dedicated quilting machines.

neat setup.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]542137[/ATTACH]This is my Bailey 15"while quilting a king sized quilt (108" sq.) l have it set into a counter...when l'm doing a quilt this large, l use a folding craft table to my left to hold the quilt off the floor.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]542138[/ATTACH]You can also use rulers made for sitdown machines, but you need a 'ruler foot' on the machine. These are 2 that l use, purchased on line from Unique Design...they post videos on their use.

Best bet is to go to a large show like Houston. Almost all the companies are there and you can go from booth to booth seeing which machine and price suits you best.

Chasing Hawk: I did have a look at the Bailey's website when I was looking for a quilting machine. I finally settled for the Juki TL2010Q. I am still considering a Bailey as an upgrade and I have a question for you. You have the 15 in. Bailey, so 15 inches to the right of the needle. But I notice from the photo that the harp is not very high. Is that a problem when quilting a very large quilt?

My friend has one, I don't remember the name or model and all she can do is FMQ. That is a lot of money to spend on something that has limited ability. I still am quilting on my Bernina 1530. I was lucky to have won so many ribbons with my quilts. Just my opinion.

Not knowing what I was doing at all I purchased a "mid arm" Mine is a Juki Tl 2000. For the first year I used it for all my quilting. I found room in my fairly small sewing room 10' x 10' also was big enough for a folding craft table and kaloa sewing table and my 10' grace quilting frame. The sewing table had to have the back fold out taken out but I don't feel claustrophobic in the least. I bought all of this 2nd hand and did it over a one year period. i would never have been able to continue quilting without the machine quilting frame, just to hard on a 66 year old. Hope that helps

I have the HQ Sweet 16 and love the 16" space between the needle and machine. I like that this model faces me (compared to the regular sewing machine where the motor is to the right. DH added an IKEA pull-up table to one side and two small IKEA cabinets on the right for extra space and extra storage. The only negative is that the height of the table does not align with the height of the machine. That impedes ruler work and the trustitch a little bit. So I ended up buying the overlay. Now Baby Lock Tiara is the same model as the HQ Sweet 16 and they fixed the table-height problem.

Thank you. I have a lot of fun working in that room.

I believe it is 15" from the right of the needle to the machine. I haven't had any issues with large quilts.

First ... go to a large show and try all of the sit-down machines you can get your hands on. I had tried several and I can say that each had a different feel to it, some I liked better than others. Your experience will be similar, but probably with different results. Try everything you expect you will ever do, including changing the bobbin ... some of the bobbins are tricky and difficult to get to, not a simple 'drop' bobbin!!

That said I had narrowed it down to three machines ... Sweet 16, APQS George, and the new Juki TL2200QVP. They were all very nice machines, each having one thing I liked over the others. The things I liked best about the Juki (compared to the others) were: vertical orientation (improved visibility (to me), the lighting is fantastic, longer harp space 18", and higher harp space (10"). It also has a thread cutter, but to be honest ... I don't use it.

In the end, my LQS is a Juki dealer and when the owner whispered an absolutely remarkable price in my ear ... I jumped.

To my knowledge all of the large harp sit-down quilting machines are only free-motion machines. There are no feed dogs.

Below is a picture of my set-up. Please excuse the newspaper ... I'm preparing to spray baste a small wall hanging. I happened to have this large spare table that I put to the left of my machine, and ideally .. the machine needs to be moved to the right (as well as the table) so that it's up against the wall for a right hand "barrier" to keep the quilt from falling off the table on the right hand side. I purchased the standard size table, I did not get any of the additional extensions (because I have this handy table!). But they are certainly available.

Some machines are oriented horizontally like a domestic machine, mine is oriented vertically. With a vertically oriented machine it's best to have a table, or a wall to both the left and right of the machine to prevent the quilt from falling. With the horizontal mounted machines you need to have a table or a wall to the left and the back of the machine. The size of table is dependent on the size you are comfortable working with - controlling - while quilting the largest size quilt you think you will quilt.[ATTACH=CONFIG]542156[/ATTACH]

I know that in quilting with the Baby Lock Tiara that just came into my life, card tables work great for each side... but what I really have to do is modify the table to have extra space in the front. Anybody else find that lack of front space to be a problem when facing the needle?

Thanks, everyone for all the suggestions. I like the idea of attending one of the big shows and test driving all of them. Plus, I love attending the big shows. It's such a CANDY STORE!

Lots of people in that yahoo group I mentioned have added a front extension to their machine. It hasn't been a problem for me, and I wonder if it has to do with the length of our arms. I have very short arms, so I'm sitting very close to the table front.

Yes, I had seen it suggested I think on the yahoo group forum for the HQ Sweet 16 and had my husband add a piece to the front of my Sweet 16 table. We bought a piece of prefinished with melamine particle board from Home Depot and cut it down to a depth of 6 inches X the width of the table. Here are pictures of my table. Sorry I just quickly took them with my iPad so the quality is pretty poor, but I think you will get the gist of it. It makes it easier to keep the quilt on the table when it's bunched in front of you and ruler work way easier.

I love my Babylock Tiara II. It came with a 30"d x 36"w table, and 2 optional side tables 18"w each are available. I chose not to get the side tables. Because of the way my sewing room is arranged I could only add 12" on the left which I did with a storage unit I made. The 12" addition is plenty for most of the quilts I make. The tables are adjustable height also, but the machine is heavy so frequently changing the height would not be an easy job. I am short so I had it set at the next to the lowest when it was delivered. There are no feed dogs but I have done straight line SID, which I am not very good at yet. For me, bobbin tension was an issue when trying to do straight lines. I found the bobbin thread trying to act as a gathering stitch. I bought my machine on sale at end of model year pricing, and have not regretted it at all. I probably would not have bought without DH encouragement, but I am so-o-o-o-o glad I did.

How do you keep from falling out of your chair? It must be hard to quilt upside down. :):)

I'm guessing the pictures are upside down on your screen? They are right side up on mine! Not sure what causes that. Or I could reply and just tell you that I use my super quilty powers to quilt upside down :):D

I have the Baby Lock Tiara. Love the machine. I only trouble I have had is with the tension, but the new ones, including the Sweet Sixteen, are easier the set. I too have a small space so I added a small desk table on each side of my machine and the trio of tables butt up to the wall. I have quilted an over size king quilt without any problem. It's a treat to be able to finish a quilt that you did start to finish, thanks to a sit down machine. Good luck with your choice. My only recommendation would be to buy the machine from a dealer near your home so you can have the service close if you need it.

I recently bought the Bernina Q-20 sitdown. It comes with a Koala table with two extensions as part of the package. The reasons I selected this model are the built-in stitch regulator sensor in the base of the machine, it uses standard Bernina feet, and regular sewing machine needles, is easy to thread, and has a built-in bobbin winder. Since I already own Berninas, the learning curve on how to use the machine has been easy. I haven't done much with it yet, since I've only had it set up for a few weeks, but I plan to use the heck out of it soon since I'll be retiring (this was my retirement gift to myself!) Yes, it has no feed dogs, but I have other machines to do that - I got tired of stuffing larger quilts into my Bernina 750QE. Good luck!

All of these machines sound wonderful, but the prices! The Juki TL2200QVP costs as much as a good, used car...almost $9k! I don't see one of those in my future anytime soon...I'm totally envious though.

~ Cindy

to nvrxgal, the (Bernina Q20) seems to be my choice, due to hubby. I had a mid arm and just wasn't any good at standing there and quilting/stippling/etc. - I basically "stunk" at this endeavor.
So I decided that maybe I could do quilting with those special rulers. While I was looking at the rulers hubby was looking at the Bernina Q20 and said that he thought I should get that machine. Who am I to say no to an offer like that.......
We have to order it since he wants the table to match the other furniture in my new sewing room.
I am anxiously waiting and have been buying books on actual "quilting"
Does anyone have any suggestions on doing ruler work?
karensue

I was able to negotiate a HQ Sweet 16 for around $5k and that included the truestitch regulator.

You can buy used machines at some fantastic prices and so many haven't been used much, just check around, Craigslist often has them in our area.

I have the Babylock Tiara, same as the Sweet Sixteen, made by same factory, US made. I love it, it only does free motion, which I very much enjoy, I put on an audio book & sew away, my happy place. My husband made the PVC pipe frame that some have mentioned, a big help.

Hmmm .. not sure where you are seeing the prices for the Juki, but *generally* they are between $5500 and $6000. You might have been looking at the price of the same machine that includes the frame.

Thank you so much for posting the pictures! My Tiara table now has a front, based on what you built, that my husband put on for me. It does make quite a difference!

Hey Karensue, check out Amy Johnson's youtube videos and blog at amysquiltingadventures.com
, she does a lot of ruler work. She also has a course on Craftsy on doing ruler work. She uses a domestic machine, but everything she shows is directly applicable to your new sit down machine.

Rob

I have had a Sweet 16 for a number of years. It is so old that they didn't have the stitch regulator available when I bought mine (I probably wouldn't have bought it anyway though; my Bernina stitch regulator for my 440 was gathering dust). I really love this machine. I can do traditional FMQ on it, and I am getting better and better at using rulers. I did find the sitdown rulers need some kind of gripper on the back. I used skateboard grip tape bought off Amazon. The manufacturers sell some too, but it is much more expensive. Hands-Quilter has videos about ruler work that are helpful. Don't get tied in to the videos that are specifically set up to advertise a specific brand of ruler; the bells and whistles aren't worth it (says the person who got stuck with a number of them!). I really like the look of ruler work.

I also recommend looking at Rhonda Bracey's blog (rhondabracey.com). She has well over 100 quilts posted that she has quilted on her Sweet 16.

Pam

I too have thought about a sit down but Brother has one that you can either sit down or stand up. Its really nice. I'm not close enough to buy it yet but that's the one I really like now and it doesn't take up a lot of space

I'd like to hear from anyone who has transitioned from quilting on a stand up long (or mid arm) set up, to using a sit down set up. I have a long arm on a stand up frame, but it really eats up the space in my sewing room. I'm just not sure about how I'd do "pushing" a big quilt around? Then there's the other issue......I'd have to return to basting my quilt together spray, pin or thread. Sheesh! What to do?

That Bailye 15" looks mighty inticing!