Ok, I've done a lot of research now, and will probably decide on buying a longarm and have narrowed it down to three machines. So over the next year, I will make it a quest to try out the HandiQuilter 16, the Gammill Vision 22, and the APQS Mellinium. :shock:

They will all either build a custom frame/table that will fit in my space or already have one. I figure I can get up to a 6' frame/table in my space comfortably, which is enough for my type of quilts. These include wall art, church banner quilts which are longer than they are wide, lap and baby quilts, and then I want to use it for bags and vests and jackets. All of those things work for a narrower frame. If I make a bed quilt, I can either quilt it on my daughter-in-law's full-size Gammill or have someone else quilt it because it won't be for competition. I still want the 830, but I think maybe I will have to win the lottery or some such to get both. I am excited to get this far in my decision, wish I could just rush right out and buy it, but I need to try these all and save a little more first.

Cheers, BJ

P.S. I finished the mermaid and got her to the Hoffman Challenge in time. I'll blog that when I get the photos from my son who took them, but hasn't given them to me yet.

I adore my 830, it is a dream sewing machine, but you can't compare the BSR to a longarm stitch regulator, it's like comparing apples to oranges. The BSR foot "reads" the fabric. It's limited in speed (very limited... perhaps not so noticable when quilting sitting down at a sewing machine, but VERY noticible when trying to go at the speeds one tends to use on a frame) and it also is prone to "skipping" when it comes across a section of fabric it can't "read"... such as applique with fusible under it, textured fabrics, or bumpy intersections.

The stitch regulator on longarms (any brand) work by way of a encoder wheel on both the head and the carriage, which tracks the speed of movement. They're pretty much fool proof.

You could always have a custom table/frame made for whatever longarm you want. This would be especially easy with the HQ set up if you buy one that uses their old track system, as the tracks can be cut to any length and simply sit on top any solid, level surface.

Leafy, Your point about taking it on and off the frame is a good point I hadn't thought much about (though I will probably keep my upgraded 200E and 1240) I simply don't have the room for a full 10 foot setup, though I have a space that would house a new machine. I'm not sure what I want even exists. See my plea to Gammill. [url]forum/longarm-machines/3777-to-gammill-my-dream-longarm-does-it-exist[/url]

Handi Quilter seems to come the closest, I think, but I must investigate further. I don't plan on taking in quilting for people, but using it to quilt my own wall quilts, banners, bags, jackets, and vests. I don't think I need to work bigger than 60" wide for the kinds of quilts I make. Even a large wall quilt banner (for churches, for instance) shouldn't be that wide, I think. But they get heavy and difficult to heft around under a stationary needle when they get that big. Additionally, I want to be able to easily do microquilting for tiny stippling and detail work. Of course, I still have lots of time, so I'll go try them out over the next year. Now, I'm trying to narrow the list of what I need to try.

I really appreciate everyone's input. It's very helpful.

Cheers,

BJ

I agree with Margo....try them out (for a long time, not just for a couple of minutes) before deciding.
I think the throat space would be a problem, too. I have a 16" Nolting Fun Quilter (similar to the Handi-Quilter 16), and find the actual area I can quilt is usually closer to 12", once I allow for the quilt on the roller and the extended base for the rulers.
Also, if you're planning to use the 830 for regular sewing & embroidery, do you really want to have to take it on & off the frame? What if you just need to sew up a hem on your pants?
You might want to think of getting a midarm machine for quilting, and an upgraded sewing/embroidery machine for other things. Used machines of both types are often available at very attractive prices, and some of them are hardly used. Check out ebay!
Another suggestion -- google "Bernina 830 reviews" to read what other users have to say. And check out MQresource.com; I know they have a forum topic about buying a longarm machine.
New machines are so exciting! Be sure to let us know what you decide!

HAPPYCAMPBELL wrote: Happy, I agree, I need a bigger house.

Hi all, Lots of good things to think about. I really appreciate your input. And Lorchen, I'll let you know--maybe I'll just throw the geezer your way when I come across him.

Sewdreamy wrote:
These guys are a very rare species. I have been looking for years and so far have drawn a blank. Let me know if you find one, and I'll take his twin brother.

Have you looked at the HQ-16 sit down style? Also Tin Lizzie now makes one that sits in a cabinet. It works much like a sewing machine cabinet but gives a larger throat space and does not take up a lot of space.

Just to add my 2 cents worth, I had a Viking Mega Quilter on an Inspira Frame a few years ago. It had about the same throat space as your Bernina 830 and I found that I outgrew the machine in a couple of years. The quilting space is pretty limiting and I got frustrated when trying to do a larger motif, I had to split the pattern (extra starts and stops too). I did follow the Mega Quilter with a Gammill Premier and was really happy with the extra throat space. I agree with Margo about trying the Handiquilter as it sure would give you more quilting space and allow for more "freedom" when quilting. Try out a number of machines and have fun doing it!!

I would like to get a mid or long arm some day but need a bigger sewing room

Margo, Thanks. I did not know that the Handi Quilter can be set up in that small a space...hmmm, now that puts another spin on it. I'll take your advice on trying out the machines before the purchase. I guess that means I'll have to attend several quilt shows over the next year...oh, darn.

BJ, I'm so glad to hear that you are doing the mental homework on this big purchase, but before you commit, please try out both kinds of machines for about an hour!
Take a sample sandwich, about the size of the pieces you usually work on and actually load on the frames and see if the throat space of the 830 is really going to be enough. You are right about getting all the other advantages with the 830 if you think that will give you enough room to work on your art quilts, but if space is the biggest issue, be aware that the Handi-Quilter frame can be set up at just 4-8 feet! I'm enjoying your journey towards retirement! (And forget the old geezer method!)

I have plans to upgrade my quilting/sewing machines sometime in the next year and have been investigating longarms and the Bernina 830 with frame and so forth. I wrote about this in an earlier forum and was convinced by some responses that a longarm seemed to be the better option, even though they would cost more. Unfortunately, after some research on sizes of frames, I remeasured the spaces I had thought a longarm would fit in after I found that all the good machines come with the shorter 10 foot frame. I found none of the spaces I thought I could squeeze them into will work. I had been trying to decide between them...one day I wanted the 830, the next day I wanted the longarm. I am not about to rush right out and buy it, so I figured I had time. But I decided to actually go ahead and clear and prepare the space just in case one dropped out of the sky and landed in my front yard.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is, I decided I CAN fit in the 830 and it's really smallish frame, and, afterall, I mainly make wall art and don't have to be able to quilt a big bed quilt. I know I could get a sit-down longarm, but if I'm going to heft the quilt around myself, I want the other advantages the Bernina 830 brings. Here are some things I found in my research:

-- The longarms are much faster and you can buy them with neat things like electric hydraulic lifts and electric quilt rolls, and overhead lighting systems, which as an woman who plans to retire and quilt seems the right thing for my mature bones and eyes.

-- The 830, on the other hand, can use it's wide array of fancy embroidery stitches even when on the quilting frame. I use a lot of fancy stitch work on some of my art quilts even when I'm quilting.

-- Both have a stitch regulator, but the Bernina is slower. Still, I usually quilt slower than some because of the way I approach quilting. I don't think this speed is a big thing. And it is supposed to be faster than the 200E/730, which is what I now use with some satisfaction.

-- The 830 has a dual feed option for when I want to quilt using the sit-down mid-arm option and maybe want to do straight line stitching, for instance.

I know the answer! I need to find some nice rich old geezer who likes old fat women who don't cook and marry him and he can buy me a great big house and BOTH the 830 AND the new Gammill with all the bells and whistles.

On second thought....I think I'll stick with my original plan. So I think I'll buy the 830, the frame, the huge hoop, and upgrade my Bernina design software, which comes to just about what a longarm costs. If I give it another year, maybe they'll upgrade the 830 a bit and solve such problems as the spool holder that I've seen discussed on the forum.

I'd love to hear your comments on this. I still have a load of time to figure something else out. Cheers, BJ