julroc

I have a longarm APQS Millennium, and I love it. I also quilt for others, my business name "Graceful Stitches"

starlight

I have a Janome 1600DP on a Little Gracie frame. Still learning to use it but so for I love it. I am hoping to go to a longarm though.

PamQuilts

I have a longarm & I love it. I had to get it because I make t-shirts quilts & they would not feed right through my sewing machine. It's a major investment. If you quilt for others it's worth it.

Rebecca VLQ

Everything I've read qualifies the Juki as mid-arm (as opposed to short-arm), but like you're saying...I'm wondering if there is enough quilting space. Just being on a frame would help me IMMENSELY, but why drop $1k when a year from now I'll want something bigger and better.

What would you consider "mid arm"? Is there something in between the Juki, and maybe the HQ16?

Donna - Batiks

I bought an A-1 this past summer. At first I had buyer's remorse. It was a whole new learning curve! I thought man I could send all these quilts out and would it add up to what I spent? But you know what? I wouldn't send them out because I am too cheap and would have struggled under my Bernia to quilt them and it would have taken a week what now takes me a couple of nights on my A-1. I have fallen in love with it. I am in Real Estate and had been talking about it for some time. So when I finally sold a "couple of big ones" I took the plunge. I bought the mid price one ($15,000). I had taken over my daughter's bedroom for quilting at that point and it fills up the room but I LOVE my machine and I glad I bought it now.
We actually had to bring it in by a window because the 12 foot table wouldn't turn the stairwell. The table weights about 150 lbs!!! So think about that if you are thinking of buying one too. And the investment in cone thread.
But I am happy I bought it and Diane (the rep) came up and spent 3 days with me showing how it works etc. Now thinking of going to the longarm conv. in Kansas in May! We also have a longarm bee in our guild and that is an excellent group to help answer all my questions!
Good luck with your decision.

Tally Kathy

You have to send off a LOT of quilts to make up the money you'd spend buying your own. But you'd have total creative freedom with your own, you could charge to quilt your friend's quilts, but then you'd have their deadlines looming over your own projects. You could "rent" your machine to friends - teach them how to use it, then help them get going etc, or you could fine a LQS that does that and get your own quilting done in your own style. It all depends on what you want and what you can afford to spend on a hobby or small business.

garysgal

I have a Juki TL98Q and it is a mid-arm and has 8 1/2" of throat space. I just got it and quilted a huge quilt on it and still had throat space left over! Before that I used a Singer on my Handi-Quilt frame, which did ok, but not enough throat space.

redpurselady

I have a Flynn frame bought at the Dallas Quilt show about 5 years ago and it is still in the box. Never used it and don't know that I will. I just have a Bernina regular machine and usually make large quilts so I don't think it will work for me.

nannya54

I send all my quilt to my niece in Idaho, who happens to have long arm and is soooo good! I don't have the room for one nor the room to try it on my sewing machine. Maybe I could try a pot holder and work my way up to a larger item. No bed quilts. Just wouldn't work.

katiebear1

I don't know what a mid arm is. My Pfaff has 11 inches from the needle to the "neck" I can quilt a king size fairly easely.