Quilting Sewing Machines

Knowing what you need in a machine will help you get a quilting machine best suited for your needs.

Features vary greatly, and you will pay for what you get.

So it's important to decide how you will use your machine and how much you will use it.

• Number and kinds of stitches – what kinds will you need? Do you need fancy, specialized stitches? Heirloom stitches?

• How much control (and variety) do you need for length and width of stitches? Bernina is the only company that offers a stitch regulator that will keep the size of your stitches even while you are free motion quilting at varying speeds.

• Do you prefer to adjust your own tension or have it done automatically?

• Do you like to operate your machine with the foot control or without, using the built-in one-touch start/stop and reverse functions?

• What presser feet do you need? A walking foot is almost indispensable in quilting. And dual feed makes pieces quilts and comforters more accurate by feeding both layers through the machine evenly.

• A drop feed allows you to create free form patterns when quilting.

• How high does the presser foot lift? You'll be handling lots of bulky materials when quilting.

• How fast can the machine go? Can you adjust the speed easily? Faster sewing saves time. The Pfaff Grand Quilter 1200 can do 1600 stitches per minute.

• How heavy is the sewing machine? If you will be taking your quilting machine to classes or to a group session, you want it to be portable and lightweight.

• How much room is there between the needle and presser foot and the neck of the sewing machine? A deep arm space, or throat, is essential for quilting without frustration.

• How large is the table for the quilting sewing machines? An example of a sewing machine with a nice sized work table is the Brother QC-1000.

• Does the quilting machine have a knee lift? This will allow you to raise the presser foot by pushing your knee against a lever. This, in turn, gives you two free hands to work with your quilt. If this is important to you, you might like the Elna knee control lever feature.

• What accessories are available--just in case you find that you want to do additional activities with your quilting machine.

• Automatic needle threader – makes life a lot easier!

As you will see when you read the quilting machine reviews, there are inexpensive quilting sewing machines and there are high-end machines--top of the line, expensive sewing machines that almost do the work FOR you!

Keep your budget in mind, and choose a sewing machine that has a few features more than you think you'll need. Most of us end up doing a lot more with a new machine than we anticipate.

Here are some quilting machines and accessories:

• Janome 6500

• Brother XL-3750

• Handi Quilter II

• HQ16 Quilting Machine

• Janome 6260QC

• Pfaff Grand Quilter

Quilting Sewing Machines to Best Sewing Machines

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