shatzi03

Know absolutely nothing about quilting machines but can anyone tell me if there is a machine out there (not a long arm and probably not even a 'short arm' if such a thing exists) that can quilt 'quilts' . . . sort of a step between hand quilting which is the only kind I have done and the fancier long arms that are much too large and much too expensive for me to accommodate; not to mention that some prices quoted for off site work are rather expensive for me. I have a small condo, a featherweight for piecing and a Singer Touch and Sew that is over 40 years and works like a charm . . . I would, however, like to have a machine that I can quilt with in my limited space, if such a thing exists . . . any suggestions for me to learn more on the subject would certainly be appreciated . . . been away from quilting for years and would like to explore more avenues that are not as time consuming as 'hand quilting' . . . hope I am making myself clear . . . thanks a lot and I love this site and visit it every day . . . cheers
:)

hopetoquilt

You can quilt on a domestic machine. Try for one with a 9 or 10 inch throat so you have room to roll the quilt. You also want a machine that has a walking foot and the ability to drop the feed dogs. I just bought a great book called Free Motion Machine Quilting by Don Linn. This explains how to use a domestic machine (regular sewing machine) to do FMQ. Hope this helps.

redquilter

I wish I could help you with this - I'm actually going to follow the thread so I can get some info also. However, I did want to say I also have my Singer Golden Touch and Sew - it's also about 40 yrs old and still sews like a dream. I love it. I have an Elna Quilters Dream (about 9 yrs old) and it's fine but I still love my Touch & Sew. Also have a Featherweight that I love. You're about the first person I know of that has the Touch and Sew. Anyone else out there with one?

lindy-2

are you looking for somthing on a small frame or do you whant to FM quit sitting down. for eather a juki or a phaff hobby quilter would be a good choice i have the phaff and am happy with it although i will probaply upreade in a few years to a lager machin with at least 16" off throut space.

Dolphyngyrl

There is the janome horizon, babylock espire, elna excellence which is new and looks nice, brother laura ashley NX-2000, bernina 440QE, pfaff quilt expressions and many others, these are some of the more popular high end models, everyone loves each for different reasons. my first suggestion would be to set a budget of how much you are willing to spend, what features you want throat space, needle down, accessories, go to a reputable deal and test drive test drive test drive as many models in that price range until you fall in love. Also for simple straight stitch machines designed mostly for FMQ for a little less money from the wallet you can do a brother PQ -1500s or a babylock jane, or a juki T98Q i think it is, hope this helps

Maia B

You can free-motion quilt on any machine as long as you can drop or cover the feed dogs. And you can do straight line quilting, such as grids and in the ditch, with almost any machine with a walking foot. You can combine machine and hand quilting in the same quilt. That is, do the straight-line quilting on the machine and then hand-quilt the curvilinear designs. So there are options that require little to no expense for you while you explore machine quilting. When you start wanting more harp space, there are many domestic machines with 9" harps. The least expensive are straight-stitch only machines like the Juki 98 or 2010, Brother 1500, BabyLock Jane, Janome 1600, Elna 7200. I've seen those for as little as $600 new. Full-featured domestic machines with 9"+ harps include the Janome 6600/ Elna 7300, BabyLock Quest Plus (I have one and LOVE it-it's been replaced by the Serenade, so the last ones are being discounted), Pfaff Smarter C1100 Pro, Pfaff Expressions line (10" harps-3 models), Janome Horizon/Elna 740 eXcellence, and Bernina 820. My best advice to you is to start machine quilting with what you have, while starting to research these models. As you determine your needs, that will guide you. When you are ready to buy, TEST-DRIVE machines on your fabrics, yours pre-made quilt sandwich samples, with your favorite threads. Also haggle, having shopped around and read reviews on PatternReview.com which usually include price. Even post on PR and here about your "finalists". I know this is a lot of info, but I recently made dramatic upgrades to my sewing machine, batting and thread choices, and sewing room. I now have several machines I love, but my favorites are my featherweights (of course), Bernina 930 (found it here on QB-from the most lovely quilter!), Quest Plus, Bernina 440, and Bernina 820. All used except the Quest Plus, which is an affordable DREAM, and the 820 (which I only have due to 48 mos interest-free financing).

Jingle

I quilt on a Juki TL98QE and a Babylock Jane, 1st has no table attached, 2nd one does. The Babylock Jane seems to be a knock off of the Juki, smaller feet and more money than the Juki TL98QE. Think I like the Juki better. The Juki TL98 has an attachable table to make the bed wider and cost more than the TL98QE. Hope all this helps.

ckcowl

many-many very famous quilters create their master pieces on a simple domestic machine- and do fabulous quilting with them! it does not take a special (or expensive) machine to create beautiful quilting- it only takes motivation AND PRACTICE.
no machine will do it for you= what ever machine be it domestic-mid arm or long arm takes practice
instead of trying to find a different machine to spend your $$ on- save the $$ for fabric- and practice with what you have if your machine is a good one (and it sounds as if it is) stitches nicely with even stitches- that is all you need.
there are many tutorials and u-tube videos to show you ways to go about it.

shatzi03

OMG . . . never realized there were so many different machines . . I am not really looking to buy a new machine just to be able to quilt; but will rather now research if my old Singer Golden Touch and Sew can accommodate any attachments/upgrades to make it more of a 'quilting' machine . .it works like a dream but these attachments may be available for such an old machine . . I have also ordered a book by Diane Gaudynski (sp) "Guide to Machine Quilting" and will see where that takes me . . guess I just don't see how one can maneuver such a large item when there is such limited space on the sewing area between the needle and the bulk of the machine but I guess I will find out when I read the book . . Plus, I am definitely going to look on U-Tube so thanks for the suggestion . . and many thanks to all of for the wonderful responses and suggestions . . . this is the best site !!