When is a longarm a home sewing machine?
 

Is it just me? I think of a home sewing machine as a home machine that most anyone would have, like a Singer 15, 301, 401, 221 (for example) or a Bernina or a Kenmore, Janome, etc. I do not think of a longarm as a 'home' machine, even if it is set in a table, like an APQS George. So is that a home machine? I ask because someone won an award in a major show in the 'home machine' category, and then proceeded to describe how she quilted it with a longarm in a table. Perhaps I am out of touch? I know this group will educate me.

I have never heard of a longarm referred to as a "home machine". The regular sewing machines such as Singer, Bernina, are usually called Domestic Sewing Machines.....or DSM. The "home machine" category IS confusing. Maybe they're trying to separate the "home longarms" from the "professional longarms". There SHOULD be a separation for this.....also a separation from the quilting being done with a DSM versus a longarm, IMHO. I thought it a shame at one show where a friend lost out on her quilt which was outstanding in the piecing/colors to a so-so quilt that won because the longarming had been done by a fantastic longarmer.

While I have no plans to enter a quilt in a show, I do think categories should be better defined. Anyone that quilts beautifully enough on a DSM to enter a show should be recognized IMHO.

Did she specifically call it a longarm? Maybe she's confused about what a longarm actually is. Many, many quilters have DSMs set up on a table. That was my first setup - I had a Brother with a 9" harp on a New Joy frame. That does not make it a longarm.

eta: Remember Sherry Reynold's beautiful award-winning quilt, "America, let it shine"? She quilted it on a DSM, a Bernina with a 7" harp. When you look at the size of the quilt and the amazing quilting on it, your jaw will drop.

Here's an interview with Sherry about the quilt and her process, unfortunately the pictures are not very good. http://www.quiltersnewsletter.com/co...700-OTCweb.pdf

I'd agree about any machine used in home. Maybe the description self quilted at home should apply.

You could have a long arm for just your own private use and not be in business. In-home self quilted would disqualify anyone who took a quilt to a professional long armer. Those who use a professional can have their own category to be judged in.

The maker described her machine as a longarm, an APQS George. To her credit, she did her own work, as opposed to sending it out.

I wonder if they've ever thought about defining the categories by harp size for self quilted entries?

My understanding of the George sit down quilting machine is it only quilts. It is not made to sew, just quilt on it. If I had the space it is what I would want.
I don't know anything about the rest of the subject.

That sounds like a sitdown machine (set into a table) rather than a long arm...not quite your domestic machine, but also not a long arm on a frame. Unfortunately since the sitdowns came out, many contests don't know which category to put them in.

The main difference is that in domestic and sitdowns - "home machines", the quilter is using the same process of moving the fabric rather than the machine. In Long-arm machines, the fabric is still and the machine is moving.

I suspect that is where "home machine" came into play...the fact that you move the fabric rather than the machine.