LA or Mid arm with a bad back??
06-06-2011, 02:55 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by StitchinJoy
I have an A-1 Elite longarm with a 23" throat.
I can sit on a surgeon's stool at the back of the machine and scoot along when I am quilting a pantograph. I rarely quilt with pantographs though. I usually quilt custom or freehand designs from the front of the machine, and I stand.
You asked how long it takes to quilt a quilt, and it depends. It's like asking how long it takes to sew a top. It depends. It depends on how complex the pattern and how closely it's worked. I have finished a double bed quilt in 2 days,but I have also taken 2 weeks to quilt a double bed quilt. It depends on the design.
There is a lot of bending, reaching, and stretching involved in loading and unloading a quilt. There is machine maintenance involved as well. All of mine is done while I stand at the machine-- oiling and greasing the machine,changing needles, changing thread, winding bobbins.
My best advice for you would be to go to a big quilt show and try out the longarms and midarms. See which you like best. Ask about quilting at the machine while seated and see if they will let you try it that way.
Then if you feel like it is still an option for you,find a local shop that gives classes and lets you load and quilt your own quilt. Try one quilt and see how you feel after going through the entire process with one quilt.
It's better to do the legwork and find out if you're suited for it before you lay out a bunch of cash.
Best of luck to you in your research.
I can sit on a surgeon's stool at the back of the machine and scoot along when I am quilting a pantograph. I rarely quilt with pantographs though. I usually quilt custom or freehand designs from the front of the machine, and I stand.
You asked how long it takes to quilt a quilt, and it depends. It's like asking how long it takes to sew a top. It depends. It depends on how complex the pattern and how closely it's worked. I have finished a double bed quilt in 2 days,but I have also taken 2 weeks to quilt a double bed quilt. It depends on the design.
There is a lot of bending, reaching, and stretching involved in loading and unloading a quilt. There is machine maintenance involved as well. All of mine is done while I stand at the machine-- oiling and greasing the machine,changing needles, changing thread, winding bobbins.
My best advice for you would be to go to a big quilt show and try out the longarms and midarms. See which you like best. Ask about quilting at the machine while seated and see if they will let you try it that way.
Then if you feel like it is still an option for you,find a local shop that gives classes and lets you load and quilt your own quilt. Try one quilt and see how you feel after going through the entire process with one quilt.
It's better to do the legwork and find out if you're suited for it before you lay out a bunch of cash.
Best of luck to you in your research.
I have a King size bed and I would like to be able to make a quilt for it someday, but maybe it's not in the cards? I just figured that instead of spending $2K for a larger throated machine, with tons of stitches I would never use, that I would invest in something like this. Maybe I should just stick with bags, clothes, and small stuff, and not bother with a new machine at all....if only I didn't have such a dismal relationship with my machine! lol
Thanks for the thought :)
06-06-2011, 02:57 PM
#12
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: at my sewing machine
Posts: 1,916
talk to Sew Vac on the phone they might know people in your area.
i have done a king size quilt twice. it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. i had to do a lot of rolling back and forth of the quilt but i got it done with very few complications.
what i do try to do, if possible, is to load the quilt side ways because a quilt is typically longer then it is wide.
this saves me space in the throat when you start to roll the quilt up on the take up rail (that the rail where the quilted section goes when you done with it).
this idea only works when you are doing a design that allows you to quilt from the side and i'll typically marks so lines on the quilt top to help me keep track of what i want to do and where i want to go.
i have done a king size quilt twice. it wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. i had to do a lot of rolling back and forth of the quilt but i got it done with very few complications.
what i do try to do, if possible, is to load the quilt side ways because a quilt is typically longer then it is wide.
this saves me space in the throat when you start to roll the quilt up on the take up rail (that the rail where the quilted section goes when you done with it).
this idea only works when you are doing a design that allows you to quilt from the side and i'll typically marks so lines on the quilt top to help me keep track of what i want to do and where i want to go.
06-06-2011, 02:58 PM
#13
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: at my sewing machine
Posts: 1,916
you might want to check craiglist in your area.
i purchased my frame used and bought my juki new. i got a steal on the frame. it retailed with all the extra's for $3000 and i think i paid $650 for everything.
i purchased my frame used and bought my juki new. i got a steal on the frame. it retailed with all the extra's for $3000 and i think i paid $650 for everything.
06-06-2011, 03:11 PM
#14
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Wow! Only every once in a while do I find anything in my area, or the tri-state region really. I found a LA on here a while back for $2000k, but I wasn't ready yet. Also, they had it torn down, so there would be no way to know if it was all in working order.
That makes sense about doing a King sideways, so long as you remember to do your pattern the same way. I could just envision my horror of a mistake now. Oh well, I would only be making it for myself or gifts..lol
That makes sense about doing a King sideways, so long as you remember to do your pattern the same way. I could just envision my horror of a mistake now. Oh well, I would only be making it for myself or gifts..lol
Originally Posted by fabric_fancy
you might want to check craiglist in your area.
i purchased my frame used and bought my juki new. i got a steal on the frame. it retailed with all the extra's for $3000 and i think i paid $650 for everything.
i purchased my frame used and bought my juki new. i got a steal on the frame. it retailed with all the extra's for $3000 and i think i paid $650 for everything.
06-06-2011, 03:11 PM
#15
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Middle of nowhere on a hilltop :)
Posts: 494
Originally Posted by Yarn or Fabric
You can also look in to a Bailey Home Quilting machine - it is a bit more than the 9" machines but you can get up to 17" for under 2k
I will say that if you have a bad back you might want to consider getting a robotic quilting system instead. I'm pretty sure that you are going to be hunkered down and standing if you are going to do any frame quilting.
I will say that if you have a bad back you might want to consider getting a robotic quilting system instead. I'm pretty sure that you are going to be hunkered down and standing if you are going to do any frame quilting.
06-07-2011, 01:35 AM
#19
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Small town south of Ottawa, Ontario
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I guess what I meant about "How long does it take?" would have better been asked "How long do you stand and quilt at one time?" I can stand and bend, but I just can't stay bent for a long period, if I want to be able to stand up straight in a reasonable amount of time..lol. If it is something you can take a break from occasionally, than I would probably be ok. As far as the maintenance, the same applies, unless there is a ton of weight to deal with.
I have a King size bed and I would like to be able to make a quilt for it someday, but maybe it's not in the cards? I just figured that instead of spending $2K for a larger throated machine, with tons of stitches I would never use, that I would invest in something like this. Maybe I should just stick with bags, clothes, and small stuff, and not bother with a new machine at all....if only I didn't have such a dismal relationship with my machine! lol
Thanks for the thought :)[/quote]
I have a Tin Lizzie 18DLS and have difficulty standing for long periods or using my arms for extended periods due to MS. I usually load the quilt on Day 1. Day 2 I can usually get 2 to 3 hrs done. Day 3, depending on the size of the quilt, finish quilting it, remove from frame. Day 4 trim quilt top and add binding. Day 5 until what seems forever...finish hand sewing binding to the back. There is no set time allowance I find...some days I could do more and other days I'm lucky to get an hour or two in. The nice thing about putting a quilt on the frame is that once it is loaded on, you can just walk away, whether it's for a day or a week, it will still be there in the exact spot when you get back. Good Luck in your decision.
I have a King size bed and I would like to be able to make a quilt for it someday, but maybe it's not in the cards? I just figured that instead of spending $2K for a larger throated machine, with tons of stitches I would never use, that I would invest in something like this. Maybe I should just stick with bags, clothes, and small stuff, and not bother with a new machine at all....if only I didn't have such a dismal relationship with my machine! lol
Thanks for the thought :)[/quote]
I have a Tin Lizzie 18DLS and have difficulty standing for long periods or using my arms for extended periods due to MS. I usually load the quilt on Day 1. Day 2 I can usually get 2 to 3 hrs done. Day 3, depending on the size of the quilt, finish quilting it, remove from frame. Day 4 trim quilt top and add binding. Day 5 until what seems forever...finish hand sewing binding to the back. There is no set time allowance I find...some days I could do more and other days I'm lucky to get an hour or two in. The nice thing about putting a quilt on the frame is that once it is loaded on, you can just walk away, whether it's for a day or a week, it will still be there in the exact spot when you get back. Good Luck in your decision.
06-07-2011, 03:42 AM
#20
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Middle of nowhere on a hilltop :)
Posts: 494
I have a Tin Lizzie 18DLS and have difficulty standing for long periods or using my arms for extended periods due to MS. I usually load the quilt on Day 1. Day 2 I can usually get 2 to 3 hrs done. Day 3, depending on the size of the quilt, finish quilting it, remove from frame. Day 4 trim quilt top and add binding. Day 5 until what seems forever...finish hand sewing binding to the back. There is no set time allowance I find...some days I could do more and other days I'm lucky to get an hour or two in. The nice thing about putting a quilt on the frame is that once it is loaded on, you can just walk away, whether it's for a day or a week, it will still be there in the exact spot when you get back. Good Luck in your decision.[/quote]
Thank you, Quilterella, that is exactly what I was asking, even though I don't always get things asked correctly! I am not planning on doing this as a business, as I am sure there is a bit of a learning curve, so I don't need to be a marathon quilter. The quilt that I made in my avatar was kind of hard on me, due to the strain on my neck/ shoulders from wrestling with it on my small machine. Everything I have is adjustable, but I just cannot seem to get high enough above my machine, so I thought it might be easier to stand and quilt. That was what I wanted to know...if you get tired, down, sick, etc. can't you just leave it until you are ready again? Perfect, thank you :)
Thank you, Quilterella, that is exactly what I was asking, even though I don't always get things asked correctly! I am not planning on doing this as a business, as I am sure there is a bit of a learning curve, so I don't need to be a marathon quilter. The quilt that I made in my avatar was kind of hard on me, due to the strain on my neck/ shoulders from wrestling with it on my small machine. Everything I have is adjustable, but I just cannot seem to get high enough above my machine, so I thought it might be easier to stand and quilt. That was what I wanted to know...if you get tired, down, sick, etc. can't you just leave it until you are ready again? Perfect, thank you :)
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