mama's place

Recently I have seen ads for these machines and wondered if anyone had some advice on buying or experiences on using one of these. They are a very good price compared to others I have seen. Would you recommend them?

DogHouseMom

That's a nice price for a sit down quilting machine with a table.

My only reservation about the Tin Lizzy is the shallow depth of the harp space, it's only 6". Most Tin Lizzy machines seem shallow to me. That 6" is going to come into play when you try to smash a King size quilt into the harp. But ... it's a darn good price for a sit down quilting machine, perhaps good enough to overcome the shallow harp.

You really need to sit down and try it if you can. I would advise bringing a finished quilt with you - the largest size you expect to make. Even though the quilt is finished, go ahead and put it in the machine to try to maneuver it around (take the needle out of the machine to ensure no mistakes!!). You're testing maneuverability here ... not stitching. Of course you will want to test the stitching as well ... test everything you can throw at it.

patsews

Keep in mind that on a sit down quilting machine of any brand - you are moving the fabric to quilt the design. You must baste it together before you sit down to quilt it. Also a large quilt is very heavy and can be hard to maneuver as you quilt it. I had a sit down machine and decided quickly that I had chosen the wrong machine for what I wanted to do. I sold it and bought a longarm. I don't know about other brands, but Babylock now has one with a smaller frame. It might be worth your time to check it out to see if it would meet your needs.

mama's place

I have gotten an SR2 frame for my Juki but I quickly realized that I am quilting a narrow row....no more than 6 inches across. Also their On/Off switch that comes with the Gracie frame is very temperamental. Great frame for the price....really sturdy. It seems that there are obstacles no matter which choices we make. Didn't think about the depth of the harp space...which is what I think you meant. Huh. May just keep what I have for now. I got the pantographs and laser light for this machine and frame and they work well. Wish the Juki I have had the speed control on it. Hard to get consistent stitch length. Oh well.

Patricia Drew

Not easy to get absolutely all we want in one machine ... I've also noted very good pricing for the 18 in sit-down Tin Lizzie, and also for the Janome Artistic Design 18 in. sit-down. As a matter, they look very much alike. Probably same manufacturer?

Regarding the harp depth (height), my Juki has a harp space of 9 in. x 6 in. high, so the Tin Lizzie or the Janome would give me double the harp space. So I guess, Mama's place, you need to compare the harp space you presently have with the harp space you'd be getting with the sit-down Tin Lizzie.

Let us know what you decide.

Onebyone

For every good review of a Tin Lizzie I have read ten bad ones. Mostly about Tin Lizzy's customer service being lousy. If you can trust the dealer to fix any problems you may have without a hassle then it probably will be a good set up.

mkc

They are the same machine.

luvspaper

I love my sitdown, but I have a HQ sweet 16. I pin baste my quilts and have very few problems with moving the fabric/quilt vs the machine. I've now done quite a few king and queen sized on it with little to no issues. Yes, you have to move the large quilt, but I love that I can travel any path that I choose.....

I was used to FMQ-ing on my domestic, so there was no learning curve. While some hate the sitdown, some love it! Definitely test drive it and test drive the long arms before you decide.

mama's place

Didn't realize it was the same machine as the Janome. Hmmmm. I have a domestic Janome that will not do any FMQing for me at all. Even a quilt teacher told me to bring another machine if I planned to take another quilt class. She couldn't get the tension adjusted to FMQ any better than I could.

Pennyhal

I have one and like the machine. However, there is a steep learning curve for me. It does not have any feet so you have to keep your fingers out of the way of the needle. I don't know if other machines in this category have feet or not.