Ongoing Quilt Projects, Continued from the "No Appreciation...." Thread

[speckledhen]

I am hoping ya'll can give me your opinions on these 2 machines. My current machine is very limited in the quilting department. It will work for piecing but likely not for quilting. There is no option for dropping the dogs.

http://www.singerco.com/products/1548/7469q-confidence-quilter

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-...me-Decor-Sewing-and-Quilting-Machine/46270973

I can only say that the throat spaces are pretty small. You'll find a hard time making anything other than a baby quilt with the Brother machine. The other one, I didn't see the throat space, but it looks fairly small. My own has a 9" throat space. I don't think I would attempt a double or larger quilt on one with a smaller space to the right of the needle. But, I'm not machine expert. I've only had my little Brother and this mechanical one-stitch machine.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I can only say that the throat spaces are pretty small. You'll find a hard time making anything other than a baby quilt with the Brother machine. The other one, I didn't see the throat space, but it looks fairly small. My own has a 9" throat space. I don't think I would attempt a double or larger quilt on one with a smaller space to the right of the needle. But, I'm not machine expert. I've only had my little Brother and this mechanical one-stitch machine.

That makes sense. It answered my question that was most important. I thought the throat space looked small. I will not get the horse and cart out of order. I will see how my tops turn out and then decide on if I get a new machine.

 

[speckledhen]

That makes sense. It answered my question that was most important. I thought the throat space looked small. I will not get the horse and cart out of order. I will see how my tops turn out and then decide on if I get a new machine.

Piecing will work on just about any machine, but when you get the bulk with backing and batting and try to get it through that throat space, plus hope to have any control, it's best to get a machine with the biggest throat space you can, IMO. I got mine on Ebay for about half the price of a new one, from a quilter who used it as a backup machine for her other one, so it was cared for and in great shape.

 

[DuckLady]

If you have a sewing machine shop nearby, I would say to go look there. Often they have used machines that were traded in and are a good deal and they will be clean and in great working order.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I definitely have time to shop around.

I think we still have a repair shop in town......possibly others close by too.

 

[jeria]

The throat spaces also look very small to me. I couldn't locate the specs. If you are going to be machine quilting on a domestic machine you want the largest throat space that fits your budget. Think about rolling up the largest size quilt you would quilt on it and measure it's size. That is what you will need to squish under that throat and still have some room to maneuver. I did some machine quilting on my Singer (year 2000 not a vintage) and couldn't do anything larger than a baby quilt. My DD borrowed it so can't go measure it.

 

[jeria]

My Janome came from Craig's list for really cheap. Beautiful machine.

 

[speckledhen]

My Brother CS6600i has only 5.5". The PQ1500s has 9". I'd love to even have 11", but can't afford a machine like that. That is unless I can find one on Ebay like the 1500 for a bargain.

 

[jeria]

If you are serious about machine quilting but don't want to or have don't have space for a long arm--maybe check into some of the HQ quilting machines on a frame or others that are similar that have frames and you move the machine instead of the fabric. They are fun machines and give you more flexibility than a regular machine, especially if you already have one that you enjoy piecing on.

Sometimes on the HQ type machine you can find them used as quilters decide to upgrade to a long arm and can be very affordable. Tin Lizzy is another brand that has a smaller one that is nice. Haven't played on any of them for maybe 3 years as Haven't been to a big show for a bit. I think Brother also has one.

 

[DuckLady]

I started with a Grace Frame and a Juki machine. It worked well, but I upgraded to a HandiQuilter HQ16 and never looked back. It was a great price point. The forums on Handi quilter have ads for machines from people upgrading.