Are you a Short Arm quilter? If so let's talk!
 

I recently bought the Brother Nouvelle 1500's quilting machine and also a quilt frame and have been practicing for the past two weeks machine quilting. I can tell this machine does a lot more stitches per minute than my every day machine does. I am still awkward with the foot pedal and the speed but when I do get in the "zone" the stitches come out great!!

Here is my system...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]352365[/ATTACH]

Tell me about how you enjoy machine quilting on a short arm and if you have any "tips" to share.

Never knew this existed! I do short arm quilting, my own arms with fingers! Thanks for the post! Now i have learned something!

ny gal-
this is the ken lund frame...correct? can you tell us about it???? what do you like/don't like. a nd on your machine--how big is the throat??

thanks!

Learned something today! Didn't know about short arm quilting, can anyone tell me more about it? I have a Babylock Quest Plus, does anyone use this machine for short arm quilting? I'd love some help with this question, I hope it isn't a stupid question, but like I said, this is new info for me. Thanx!

I have a Baby Lok Quilter's Pro but no frame. I puddle the quilts for FMQ which works for everything except king size. For that I am going to try the 3 panel method and see if that works.

I find that the difference in FMG between a mid arm machine vs a traditinal swing machine is HUGE. It is much easier, stitches are much more even, the cutting featureis a godsend and of course it is a lot faster. I really debate the frame thing - not sure if its worth the effort by the time you get the derned thing on the frame, then have to mess with the machine to quilt in little increments... feedback???

A few years ago I bought a Little Gracie Quilt Frame and a Juki TL98Q. I set it up in my sewing room and did several quilts on it. Really enjoyed quilting on it a lot. But after a few months I got really tired of having so much of my den taken up by the frame. This room is also used for family gatherings, etc., so I moved it out to my storage building with the intentions of setting it up out there. Unfortunately, that never happened. It is still out there covered with dust and probably a million spiders. I still quilt all my quilts but I do the FMQ on the regular sewing table. As long as I don't do king size quilts I am okay with this set-up. Have fun with your new machine and frame.

I bought a Bernina Quilt Frame about 18 months ago. I have a Bernina 440 (which is about the same size as your machine) So far I've quilted 3 bed size quilts and a baby quilt on it. I really enjoy doing quilts on my frame.
I would love to have more quilting room because I only have about 4 1/2" to quilt - but some day maybe I'll get a long arm!!! As you said, you get into the zone.

I have the grace frame with a juki 98Q that I quilt with....I found some HQ handles on ebay and my DH mounted them on the front of the frame so I don't have to use a foot pedal....speed on one side and off/on on the right. they work really well. hope you can see in the picture...didn't take quilt off the machine LOL

I have a Baby Lock Jane on a frame and it is mostly just sitting there taking up too much room.
The space to quilt on is so small that even a lap quilt is too big.
My table is an Imperial with very large rods that take up way to much room on my 9 inch throat.
The strait stitch machine has a complicated threading and a under the machine bobbin so have to move the machine to the far end of the table to change the bobbin and to rethread.
I do have a stitch regulator which costs $500 but it is wonderful.
Tried to do pantos but needle kept getting caught on edge of quilt since you cannot see the edge from behind the machine.
From the front of the machine quilting is much better but need to do free motion or marking a quilt pattern.

I did not know that there was a short arm machine. My version was my domestic machine. I have done several quilts on it. I just finished a king size for my one SIL and am now working on the other for my other SIL. I use hobbs 80/20 batting. Both are FMQ'd. Wish I had one like yours, would sure make it faster.

I have almost the same set up (minus the handles). I have cruise control and I keep the handle with the on/off switch attached to the wooden handle where I can reach it with my thumb.I inherited it from a friend who was upgrading to a Tin Lizzie. I love it. I have had it for about 4 years and have lost track of how many quilts I have done on it. I have it set up in my sewing room permanently. If I had to take it out and put it away each time, I probably wouldn't use it as much. I have forgotten how much quilting space I have with it - I think it is about 7"?

I have a Grace frame & use one of my domestic machines. I wish I had something with a larger throat. But......
LindaR: can you (or anyone else) tell me more about those HQ handles? Can you put them on any machine, etc? Thanks for any info on this.
Maureen

I didn't know about this either! You learn something new everyday but on here sometimes I learn 2 or 3 new things LOL ! THanks

Well ladies, I am new to machine quilting. So I am still learning. This is the machine I recently purchased from Allbrands.com. You can read all about it. It is a very sturdy machine andI can tell it stitches a LOT faster than my every day machine. This one stitches up to 1,500 sts. per mnute. So far so good!!

http://www.allbrands.com/categories/...ine-599-dollar

I did buy the frame from Ken. But over the weekend my husband changed out the wheels that are under the machine part. We put on four caster roller wheels and it is now making swirls and circles much better.

Here is the thread all about how Prissnboot changed out her wheels and I followed her lead!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...e-t195959.html

This was my practice panel...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]352387[/ATTACH]I am done with it and am currently stitches on a solid blue fabric and using white thread so I can see my stitches.

I have the Viking Mega quilter on a homemade frame and I love it. I have quilted 6 lap quilts in the last two days. Of course I don't do real fancy designs, just pantos. It doesn't take me very long to load a quilt on it. The only thing I don't like now is the small amount of quilting area. I am saving for a long arm, but for now this works for me.

I just use either my Juki TL98QE or Babylock Jane, Both have 9" throats, and are Straight stitch only. I can quilt up to a queen size or a little bigger quilt on it. Both make a good stitch. I have no room for a frame of any kind. Enjoy.

I have a Handi Quilter frame made for a domestic machine from long long ago. It is set up on my cutting table with the poles removed. Never liked it or used it much.

I bought a (used) Little Gracie frame with a Janome 1600 PQC on it. Haven't had any time to do more than a little doodling on it, hope to get more time in the autumn. I think loading the quilt will be my biggest challenge!

I have a Babylock Quilters Choice professional on a New Joy gold standard frame. Ive been quilting with it for 3years now. I think its so much easier when on a frame (as opposed to sandwiching and basting my hand). I have outgrown it however, and will be buying a longarm at end of year. Much more quilting space, YIPPIE!!!

I have a Singer 5050 domestic sewing machine and I do FMQ on it without the frame. Since I am a beginner, my quilts are about 60" x 80" so not very large. I roll my quilts really tight and pray really hard :). I was thinking about getting a frame, but its cost is prohibitive right now. My husband, who is very handy, found plans for a quilting frame on line and according to people who already made the frame it is really easy to assemble it and you can buy all the parts at Home Depot type of stores. The plans are not free, they are about $20 and the parts cost about $150. My hubby promissed to make one for me as soon as he finishes his current project of wiring our basement for my sewing room...yes, I am going to have permanent space! I will post pictures when he finishes the frame, until then I will be doing my "acrobatic" quilting on my dining room table.

I think all strait stitch machines can be set up on a frame. You can also get a stitch regulator for them but they cost $500.
It is the cheapest way to go but it has major drawbacks. Mostly the throat area is small so most quilting pantos etc wont work. I have a few that are small enough but did not like using them.
If you do get this setup make sure to get a frame with the smallest rods you can get.
Strait stitch machines are reasonable, check out the Brother 1500 it is the same as my Baby Lock Jane.
My frame with the strait stitch cost me $1800.

I have a Handiquilter11 frame that I purchased last summer, I am using my Kenmore sewing machine to perform wonders. The harp size is 7 1/2 inches. I have been using warm and natural batting which allows me more space to quilt as it wraps on the poles nice and neat. I have made many pantographs and rest my foot pedal on the back side of my machine along the tray and quilt away, I am the stitch and speed regulator. I have had the frame for one year now and have made 14 quilts on it. My quilts are mostly double- queen sized. Last week I decided to be brave and turn a quilt on the frame. Something I had not done before, no problem everything worked out very well. My only fear is that my 25 yr old domestic home machine will give up and I will have to retrain myself. I did not find any of my projects were problematic, I have used the poly fill and will again but I bought a huge amount of warm and natural, I lke the puffy feel of the polyfill so my next quilt I will return to it and at that stage will probably have to turn my larger quilts 1/2 way through so that I can quilt it in it's glory. I was very surprised that the learning curve was so short, and I had never free motion quilted before!!!

if you baste down the sides about 1/8" from the edge that will keep you from getting your foot caught when doing pantos, saves me a lot of cussing!!!

I have a Juki on a super quilter frame with the handi handles. When I first started with it I kept hitting the cut button on the left handle. LOL 'the girls' kept getting hitting the button! Simple fix I unplugged the button. Glad it came with that option. I also have a Brother the same as yours. Love that machine.

I have a KenQuilt that is 11.5 inches on a 12 ft frame. I don't like using it on the frame and am trying to figure out a way to convert it back to a table top machine. As soon as I do, I'll offer a great deal on a short arm frame!!!!

I did use it to baste a quilt so I could FMQ it on another machine. Loved it! It took almost 2 hours to get it on the frame, tho, so I'm thinking about investing in the Red Snappers and basting everything I own with it until I convert it. I guess I could still use it on the frame, I just have to push the foot pedal instead of the button LOL

what kind of frame would you get if you are new to short arm quilting??? And what price would you pay looking for one but would like a good one for not alot of money?? Can anyone help

I think Ken Lund's is the least expensive. He has lots of videos on Youtube and he sells his kits on his blog:
http://machine-quilt-frames.blogspot.com/

There is a link in this thread to another thread that shows a modification to his frame that makes swirls easier.

Try some groups on YAHOO for info on short-arm quilting.
There are some specific to your machine or to your frame.
There is one for home machine quilters as well. I have learned alot from them. I have the Pfaff 1200 (500$) and the Grace frame (300$) and really like it for a beginner set-up.
If you look at some of the quilting that some people are doing on these setups, it is incredible. No LA needed.
Hope this helps and enjoy your setup and new machine.
Kirsten

I had this set up: https://store.graceframe.com/cart/ma...uki-combo.html
Mine was a Juki 98. I bought it off CL for half that price. A husband bought it for his wife when she got too sick to hand-quilt. She died and he remarried and the new wife wanted it GONE! There was nothing wrong with it. It took me 3 days to put the frame together and I never could get the hang of using it, so I sold it on this forum.
I made one similar to Ken Lund with shelving board and rolling casters but I never got a table long enough to try it!!

Wow, nice set-up's!

I have an old 1995 gammil/singer machine that is on a 14' frame. It is a short arm for it will do 10-12 inches it was bought used and I've spent $45 on it getting a new tension, which I put in myself. She and I have lots of fun

I don't think the handihandles are being made anymore but check ebay, you might run into one...my DH put a steel piece between my wooden handles on the original grace frame and bolted the handles to that...connections fun from the handles to the back of the juki and plug in just like the foot pedal would. my DD and I share the frame and it has done alot of quilts but still do mostly meandering, loops and stars, hearts the like. I also baste the sides of my quilt as I go along which helps to keep them from rippling. mentioned in another post...good luck

There should be plastic over the table your panto sets on.If there is ,just take an eraseable marker and mark the end of your top on the plastic.Then stop stitching at your marks. If there is no plastic,buy a sheet to cover the panto.Without the marking how do you know where to stop stitching.Hence,the needle getting caught on the edge of the quilt.No matter where the bobbin is located,you would have to move the machine off the edge to change the bobbin.

What a great deal you got.

I have the Janome 1600 DBX on a Gracie Gem Q Pro frame with the carriage upgrade. I got the whole she-bang. The stitch regulator(keeps me from tearing my hair out), the gracie pattern boards and the fabric leaders. It takes alot of practice, I have been practicing off and on for over a year now FMQ and it is pretty decent. My problem is the drag on the pantos. I removed the gracie boards and just use paper pantos now and it goes better. I still have to invest in a laser light. I just follow the lines with the stylus - Like a previous member said your design area is about 4 inches to 5 inches. You learn to get real creative on how you load the quilts, I float my tops just works better for me. But in all honesty I wish now that I had gotten the long arm. I LOVE the look of feathers done with a long arm. I invested in Sally Terry books and a craftsy class on FMQ. It just takes lots of practice and listening to the machine. I love my stitch regulator-really keeps the stitch consistent. My machine will do 1600 stitches a minute but who can move that fast over a pattern? I govern it down midway....My budget is shot from all this quilting shopping and long arm used to be out of my reach until I heard about Baileys LA machines. No frills, no bells no whistles and affordable. They have a layaway and when I called they said I could pay whatever I wanted to a month. But I am very happy with my set up, just investigate all options before you invest in a quilting package set up. A friend of mine has a big long arm all computerized with that intelliquilter stuff and it is breaking down all the time. It has now been done for over a month while she has been waiting for parts, and I just keep plugging along, 4 inches at a time! LOL! Sometimes more is just more and not practical. Have a great day stitching!

I just bought Ken Lund's frame. I have it put together and ready to put the bars on it. I am going to get the caster wheels right now to change out the ones on the top platform as suggested, as well as get the foam to put inside the conduit. Thanks so much for that wonderful idea. I was wondering how to make the sweeping curves and gorgeous lowers that I know will come. (LOL) I think this is a good frame for what it is. If I get super proficient on this one, then I'll upgrade to a LA, but for right now, this is fine.

I use my Janome and puddle the quilts also. My FMG is far from wonderful, but I enjoy trying and am so surprised how nice the quilt looks after it is washed. I do need to practice a lot more tho. I told my family I am done with queen sized quilts. Takes too much effort moving the dang thing around to quilt. I am quilting a 54x54 now, and it is a lot easier than a queen. And I am not getting skipped stitches or eyelashes on the back. So far that is.

Nice setup !
I'm a "short" arm quilter ... I use a Viking MegaQuilter & my Janome 6600. No frame, I just use the tabletop hands-on method. I've done throw sz, kids and twin quilts. I don't have room for a frame now, maybe in the near future !

I have a Bailey's machine on a grace frame. I just bought it 1 month ago. I am still playing with it. (I have very limited time in the summer with the kids home.)

I recently bought a Mega Quilter (Husqvarna) and a Gracie frame off of Craigs I have the frame set up in the spare bedroom but Granddaughter is here until Aug 15th so I haven't had time to try it out. It will go up to King size. Got a great price and I am using the Machine itself to make some tops so I have plenty to practice on when I actually use it. Love the machine. I'd post pictures but I still can't figure out how to post. Hope I am better at short arming than I am at posting. I'm sure I'll be needing help. The lady I bought it from has offered to come and work with me to learn. Can't wait.