k9dancer

So how many of you have quilted a king sized quilt on a domestic home sewing machine with a seven inch harp?
How many have done that on both a 7 inch and a 16 to 20 inch harp? and do you really feel there is no difference? And if that is so, then why bother to have a larger machine?

lclang

There are machines made especially for quilting that have a longer throat and are set into a table. They do straight stitch only, no fancy stitches or zig zags. They have a longer arm, but are not a true long arm that is used with a huge frame and takes up a lot of space. My daughter looked at a Pfaff about a year ago but bought a Babylock instead

luvspaper

The largest I have attempted on my DSM was a twin/full size. however my DSM is not inset into a table. If it were, I think I would have been able to quilt almost any size. Why? I schrunck all my quilts rather than folding or rolling them. They are tugged and pulled as needed. The table helps with the heaviness. While the bigger harp does help, I think the inset large table is a bigger perq to me. I will admit that the stitches per minute being faster also is a large perq.

When I chose to get the HQ16 sitdown, part of the reason was to save the life of my DSM for piecing. My DSM is 16+ years old and going strong. It was the best I could afford at the time and I got it before I quit fulltime work to stay home with three kids. Now that I am back to FT work, I could afford a new machine and chose to go with a sitdown quilter rather than a new DSM. I am hoping between the two to never have to buy another machine!

And if I work out the cost of my DSM, I am looking at 20 cents per day since I've had it. I hope to have the same record on my HQ16. Right now the cost has been 2.75 per day which is less than a Starbucks coffee per day (which I also don't buy). But then again, I keep my cars for more than a decade and don't really believe in trading up to get the latest/greatest. I wanted to get the best I could afford at the time and have it last for a long time.

quiltingshorttimer

I think you have explained it--the process of quilting by moving the quilt is done on either a domestic (shorter harp) or "sit-down" "mid-arm" machine (longer harp, usually a bigger, built-in table top too)
Perhaps the real question is shouldn't judged shows differentiate between the different processes--long arm vs. domestic (short harp) vs. "sit-down" mid-arm--just like they do (or should) between hand guided vs. computer/robotic quided quilts--the actual process DOES make a difference. If the process does not mean different results, then there should be no reason for any difference in classes.
As far as whether you quilt your own or pay someone else--that is already noted on entries & categories.

k9dancer

I am very familiar with the process of moving the quilt in a very short arm machine. Ask anyone who has quilted a king size quilt on a vintage featherweight and he/she will tell you that while it most certainly can be done, having a 20 inch arm (called a longarm by the manufacturers of the machines) would most definitely make the process much easier. While I recognise the difference between a floating/moving longarm vs. a stationary one, it would seem logical to recognise the difference between a 'made for home use' machine vs an industrial machine, which a 20" arm is. Granted, it doesn't matter if you have the biggest, most expensive machine made if you have no skill in using it. But if those two machine categories are the only categories, that would put the rest who use portable machines at a disadvantage, IMHO.

soccertxi

They even have trouble wtih categories with in 'long arm' . I was told my machine would be considered 'computer driven' even tho I have a stitch regulator but move the machine myself (its not computer driven). It is going to take awhile before they are able to categorize us. Even then they won't have the time/money to put is all in division that fits us. I would have to compete against quilters who have computer sets ups.

k9dancer

OMG. I didn't even think about the people that use treadles or hand cranks to make their quilts. They would likewise be lumped in with 'home machines.'