Ellen 1

Just a couple more comments to try to address questions/comments others have posted:

1. I have a stand up machine, however I also have a chair that raises/lowers high so I can sit and quilt if I am working in one spot for any length of time.

2. Each person needs to set up their machine frame to the desired height. Perhaps your friends’ machine was too low for you. Most dealers will tell you to set your frames to the where the height of the frame comes to your bent elbows. This is too low or me. Most of the ladies I know, have their frames set higher.

3. With experience you will learn that pinning the sandwich for (domestic machine quilting) is not as fast as pinning the back onto the frame. Pushing the machine is easier than pushing the whole quilt. The thing I love about the longarm is not having to handle the entire quilt. Only the head of the machine and it is on rollers!

4. Your quilt is not necessarily on your frame until it is finished (quilting). With the zipper system, you can unzip what you have on and put a different quilt on. You can do this as many times as you wish. I find it is easier and faster to trade quilts on the frame if you baste the entire quilt before unzipping and taking it off the frame (ESPECIALLY if it is a large quilt). It is very difficult and time consuming to do this if you have not basted the entire quilt.

Ok—that is all I can think of that was commented on for right now. Others that own longarms can add their experiences to this.

Krisb

I just bought a Sweet Sixteen with an angel wings cabinet (23x40 closed; 76x40 open, with an electric lift) that can double as a cutting table when the machine is down. It is coming Thursday. We had no room for a frame. I think that is an important element in your decision. Do you have (or are you willing to create) 80-100 sq ft) for the long arm, frame and room to move? Or is 20 sq ft your limit? Good luck when you make your choice, whatever it is. If you enjoy the process, that is all that is important.

Peckish

Another option is getting glasses that help you see at that distance. Anyone familiar with the beautiful works of the talented quilter Lisa Calle? She's talked about how they made a world of difference for her.

https://lisacalle.wordpress.com/2017...-is-overrated/

rryder

No buyers remorse here. I spent several years going around to quilt shows and trying out all the available machines, but couldn’t afford any of them. Finally, this past March, I lucked into a fantastic deal on a barely used Sweet Sixteen sit down and I love it!. So far I’ve put over a million stitches on it. (I quilt a lot).

That said, I free motion quilted on domestic machines (and enjoyed doing it) for many years before buying the Sweet Sixteen.

Rob

sewnclog

I bought a used Gammill several years ago; about half the cost of a new one;a stand up and I've never regretted it; I have quilted a few for friends, but mostly it is for myself. I've not strayed yet into custom quilting but it's something I think I need to learn to try to do. Good luck with your decision.

Fastpedal

This is for Bonnie

She asked about the pattern for the black, white and gray quilt.

The pattern is called a bordered nine patch. It is made using a jelly roll and yardage. It goes very fast. In fact I am in the process of making another one for my daughter for Christmas.

Jennie and Me

I joined the quilting world in 2003. Bought my long-arm in 2004 because I wanted to do the whole process myself. I bought an APQS Millennium and have never been sorry. I did, however, have a few weeks of sheer panic after it was delivered. Too many "what ifs" running amuk in my brain. I don't have a computer for it and will never get one. I like being in control. The one thing I did to help with the back aches is, I raised it up just about as far as it will go. Thought about getting a lift for the frame, but I never sit down when I'm quilting, so the height is good for me.

sewbizgirl

Thanks so much! I found it on Jenny Doan's site and saved it.

kittiebug

If you don't mind standing , I love my Handiquilter I have the Fusion but they have smaller one also . I would
look on line at them www.handiquilter.com ….. some of the machines you have to use a lot of oil handiquilter
one drop on bobbin case with the change of each bobbin. good luck

Shelbie

My best quilting buddy and I purchased a APQS Lenni new in October 2016 after trying my Juki TL98Q on a small frame which just didn't have the ability to do large quilts. We had also spent almost a year without any luck searching for a good used set-up that was dealer supported with readily available parts. Sharing a machine has really worked well for us and we have quilted more than 350 quilts so far. We quilt every weekday and finish four or five quilts between the two of us most weeks. We quilt Community Quilts for two guilds, for ourselves and friends and for QOV. We are not sorry that we bought the machine and have had so much fun learning together. Between the two of us, we have been able to handle changing machine fuses, breaking thread issues, wavy quilt borders and D cup quilt centres! Our machine has already more than paid for itself and neither of us have any unfinished quilt tops.