What's the best long arm quilting machine to buy?

Question

I am a hobby quilter maybe working into a business.

Answer 1

There is no "right" answer to this question. There are a lot of great machines and frames on the market, ranging in cost from a couple thousand dollars up to forty or fifty thousand. It depends on what you want to do. You can buy a top end machine that has a 36" arm, a frame capable of handling an oversized king quilt, and a computer that will run the machine and stitch the design for you. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are frames that are designed to hold a domestic sewing machine (although I wouldn't use one with an arm shorter than 9").

Here are a couple of resources for you:
1. There's a new issue of Quilt magazine that has an article and a list of midarm through longarm machines.
2. Join the Yahoo Groups called homequiltingsystems and Machine_Quilting_Professional. The people in those groups can tell you first hand experiences with all sorts of set ups.
3. Test drive as many machines as possible. Find dealers near you (or near relatives who you want to visit!). Go to trade shows or quilt shows like International Quilt Festival in Houston, Chicago, or the new one in Los Angeles.