What sewing machine do you use to do your free motion quilting?
Thanks! Michelle in Nevada
What sewing machine do you use to do your free motion quilting?
Thanks! Michelle in Nevada
My Elna Quilter's Dream machine -- a regular domestic sewing machine.
Julia in MN
Until just recently, all my free-motion was done on my Elna Quilter's Dream (domestic machine) and it worked quite well but there was no stitch regulator. Now I have my new Bernina 440 QEE with the BSR and I'm doing my free-motion quilting on it. So far, so good!
Aha. We wonder what you're up to. Almost any SM will free-motion okay. The question would be what bells and whistles would either help you or be big fun? The Bernina has a really great light, is quiet, has knee-lift and needle down and a BSR if you want to FM while propping up your feet. Some SMs have more arc room if you're doing bigger quilts. Some are quite powerful if you are into heavy stuff. Some have such bizarre controls that you have to become fluent in another language ... and some are miserably unreliable. So.... why are you asking? It will be our secret. Polly
I use a Janome 6500, with a larger harp. The only problem wit it is operator skill (or lack of it!). I'm still happier with my walking foot and the feed dogs up >gWhat sewing machine do you use to do your free motion quilting?
Depends on where I am :-). At home in Magnoliaville, I use my Janome
9000; at home at the cabin in Lizard Land I use an old Sears Kenmore. I prefer the Janome simply because it has a needle down option, a knee lift and a setting specifically for FM so I don't have to make a lot of adjustments. As Polly said, with the proper adjustments, any machine will do FM quilting. The only thing I wish one of my machines had is a larger harp. VBS, if I didn't already have five machines, I would tell Santa I want a new machine with the stuff my 9000 has *plus* a larger harp. I'm with Polly, *why* are you asking -- I'm nosy :-). CiaoMeow >^;;^<PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at
I use my Juki 98 with stitch regulator and needle down on a HandiQuilter 2 frame. I still don't care for the quilting part of making a quilt. And here I sit, with two quilt tops done and both needing to be quilted. Sigh...
Trixie
I do most of my quilting on my Juki, but used to do it on my old Pfaff. I do a bit of quilting on my new Pfaff, but the Juki has that extra bit of room for larger quilts....
The only one we have! ;-)
I have never owned a flush set machine but have used a friend's. I had totally forgotten about the difference it makes and I must agree! HMMMM, when DH can *finally* retire and we make the move back to Lizard Land & into a new home, I might just push for a machine that comes with its own cabinet and is flush set. it really DOES make a huge difference IMNSHO! I have the add on extension table and it helps but really isn't the same as having a flush set machine. CiaoMeow >^;;^<
PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at
I have a Bernina 630 (no embroidery, so no "E" ). Love it! :)
Babylock Quest, Babylock Ellageo, or Brother Quattro----depends on which one is handy at the moment. Gen
I use my Viking Lily 550. I wish the harp was a bit bigger, but other than that, it works great. I do have it sitting on a big table, so that helps me move the quilt around. ME-Judy
Hi Polly,
Preliminary research. My mom and I have very inexpensive but reliable Brother and a Kenmore, which we use for quilting. The Kenmore is a great machine for straight line quilting. No problems. When I try FMQ I can't get it to go slow enough though. Anyhow, whether we eventually move into FMQ or not, eventually, we'd like one with a bigger harp. However, I thought while I was doing research in that regard, I'd find out what machines were being successfully used in FMQ too. Cover two birds with one stone.
Thanks Polly! Michelle > Aha. We wonder what you're up to. Almost any SM will free-motion okay.
Hi Mary,
My Kenmore will do FMQ--but not without leaving eyelashes on the back. If I go slow enough to dispense with the eyelashes then the machine is hovering between off and on. Hence the question about the other machines. :-)
Thanks Trixie,
I don't mind hand-quilting, but machine quilting is definitely not my favorite either (and I have two tops requiring machine quilting too).
Michelle in Nevada
Not shopping yet, Taria, just research. Want to be ready in case the time comes when I have extra money and can convince myself I'm justified with the extra expense. In other words, I want to be prepared for the nanosecond in which these two things may occur simultaneously. ;-)
Thanks! Michelle > I mostly quilt with the Janome 6600 these days. When I bought that
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