Sit Down Quilt Machine
 

Hi everyone!

I am looking into purchasing a sit down quilting machine. I currently have a long arm King 18x8 machine that we will end up selling. We have looked into APQS George, Grace Onique, and the HandiQuilter Sweet 16. My business partner and I will be looking acournd this weekend for a sit down machine. Your reviews are most welcome!! Thanks in advance for your opinions!!

Monique

Hi Monique,
I spent the last couple of years trying every sit ddown quilter At the quilt shows and sewing expos. I liked all of the ones I tried. i did not try the Qnique so can’t comment on that one. i like both the George and the HQ Sweet Sixteen. The George is very smooth and has great visibility, the ones I tried were oriented so you quilted from the side like with a domestic machine. The HQ Sweet Sixteen is oriented so you quilt from the front. The George has multiple points that need to be oiled while the Sweet Sixteen just needs to have the hook oiled whenever you change the bobbin. i think you get the option of either an L or M sized bobbin with the George. The Sweet Sixteen comes with the M bobbin.

in general I thought all the sit downs were fun to work on, and I brought some challenging sandwiches and threads to try on all of them. I think I would have been happy with just about any of the sit downs as they all seemed quite capable of handling anything I threw at them. I

I ended up buying a used Sweet Sixteen since Even at show prices all the machines were way out of my budget. I’ve had it for 2months and am very happy with it. Mine came with a fantastic manual; the table extensions; table overlay; extra bobbin case, tons of bobbins, a gzillion needles, bobbin winder; the couching feet; the echo feet; the glide foot. The previous owner had also upgraded the tension system to the electronic one- which I don’t really pay any attention to as I do a tension check with every quilt and every time I change threads or change the bobbin, but I suppose would be handy for someone who likes to keep notes on exactly what settings worked for various thread combinations- if it hadn’t come with the machine it’s not something I would bother paying extra for. I did buy a new sure foot ruler foot from HQ because the ruler foot that comes standard with it is a little thinner than I like.

So far I’ve put a little over 400,000 stitches on it. I’ve quilted a baby quilt using rulers; several large art quilts that use multiple layers of batting and have a lot of micro quilting using 100wt thread; couched yarn onto two different art quilts using the couching feet, etc. All the feet come with handy little instruction sheets on how to get them properly adjusted and how to use them. Between the instruction sheets that come with the feet sets, the owner’s manual and all the youtube videos that Handiquilter has online, I haven’t run into anything that was difficult to figure out- basically it’s a very user friendly machine.

Rob

I have an HQ16 on a frame with pc-quilter that I bought used in 2010. It has been a faithful companion to my quilting. It is not stitch regulated or speed controlled, but the pc quilter takes care of that. I mention it only because I have had no problems with it whatsoever. (Most problems that I've had were operator error.) Since 2010 it has probably logged well over a million stitches, but whose counting?

It has not been "officially" serviced since I bought it. My sweet husband takes it apart and cleans it up about every 18 months, and that seems to be enough. It seems to stay pretty clean, though.

I have been very happy with my Sweet 16. It works like a charm and stitches with every kind of thread that I have fed it.

I too am a HQ fan.

I just bought a bernina Q20. I love it. It has a stitch regulator, bobbin winder on it and can use any quilting needle. Besides I have a Mennonite dealer who is close by for service and he gave me a great deal in my juki for a trade in. I got mine in Houston at the quilt show and got a good deal on it

Love the HQ machines... they are great!!

I bought an APQS George 5 yrs ago at the Paducah show. After an adjustment period, we learned to "dance" quite well w/ea other. I use Superior Bottom Line Prewound bobbins exclusively & have never had any problems. All the quilting I do is for donation so I have not made many attempts at ruler quilting or learning complicated patterns. Meandering works well for me as does stippling. I have done feathers. George has a 20" throat and sits like a regular sewing machine in front of me & that was the deciding factor for me. Space was a consideration too but it was just easier to wrap my mind around the way he sat in front of me & made it easier for me to handle. Good luck. Whatever you get, you will enjoy. Kathy

I got a George about 5 months ago and absolutely love it...I was quilting on a longarm for a lady that owned her own fabric shop...I did most of her customers longarming...all I need is the ruler foot for the George and rulers and I'm off to wonderland...Where I was working, she retired and sold all her fabric and longarm....so I had no where to quilt my quilts, so I got the George...fantastic service and APQS will walk you thru whatever problems that may arise. I'm not familiar with the HQ machines...but sitting in front of George is very rewarding...and their bobbin winder is one of the best...a little expensive but so worth it...

You didn't mention if you have tried any sit-down machines, or if you have experience with FMQ on a domestic. If you've not done either, that would be my first step to recommend.

Like domestic sewing machines and long-arms ... each sit down machine has it's own "feel" to it and the satisfaction rate will vary from user to user. So my second suggestion is to go to a large show and try as many machines as you possibly can. Also note that some machines are oriented horizontally (like a domestic - with the needle to the left and the motor to the right) and some are oriented vertically (needle in the front - motor in the back). Some people will have a preference to how they want to work, and in some cases the set up of your additional tables to accommodate extra quilt bulk may determine that you need horizontal or vertical orientation - so keep that in mind.

I personally have the Juki 2200QVP sit down machine and I do like it. I have had zero mechanical issues with it over 4 years now. Some of the features I like about this machine: The hand wheel is within easy reach from the sitting position which helps when you need to precisely place the needle down in a specific spot, great lighting, large bobbin, vertical orientation (I like the fact that I can't push my quilt back any further than the harp space allows - which means all my extra quilt bulk is to either side of my machine), the extra high harp - greater visibility, excellent speed control, and the best part - the built in bobbin winder (most sit-downs have an external bobbin winder). Things I don't like: the thread cutter (I don't like thread cutters in general), the bobbin can be hard to reach if you have (how to put this gently ...) fat stubby fingers (OK ... not so gentle!!).

Below is a link to a video by Leah Day reviewing the machine.

https://leahday.com/pages/sewing-mac...t-down-longarm