My new baby – an Innova Longarm!
Yes, I said those words! I bought a longarm. After doing research, and testing machines, I decided that a 26″ Innova was going to be the best purchase for me. Let me start by summarizing why I decided I should get a longarm.
I have a Pfaff Powerquilter 16.0 sit down mid-arm machine. It has been a great machine. I have quilted a lot of quilts on it, but I found I was having back and shoulder issues (even with bungee cords rigged up to take the pressure of the quilt off the table). I also found it was difficult to do large motifs. Even if I was doing an overall pattern, I made it much smaller than I desired. And, it would take forever to finish a quilt.
This is a very large purchase in more ways than one; in terms of dollars, and in terms of size! It is very scary to pay that much money for something that you aren’t sure you will even be able to use! I know that sounds crazy, but the only way to really improve your longarm skills is to use a longarm. So, it is kind of a catch-22. How do you improve without taking a leap of faith and just purchasing one?
I decided on the Innova by ABM International. http://www.innovalongarm.com/ I felt that it was the best engineered machine out there, and I found that after a few hours of testing on a friend’s Innova, I was able to make some motifs that weren’t half bad. Everything I read said that you have to find the machine that suits you. And that was my Innova, hereafter known as Maxine. Maxine arrived a week ago. I purchased my machine from JoAnn Gemmill at Jo’s Quilting Studio. http://www.josquiltingstudio.com/ My dealer was here all day setting up the machine. Levi and Dustin worked hard, and did a fantastic job getting Maxine installed. I have been practicing, and completed two charity quilts. I am really pleased with both.
Below is a picture of Maxine, in her new location, and my first practice feather!
Happy quilting ….
Nancy
NancyE_Quilts 
That’s both so true (catch-22) and cool (that you did it). Congratulations, may it lead to hours of fun, creative and fulfilling work.
Wow! How exciting! I have a midarm and really like it. Maybe some day I’ll
You know, I have a midarm – Penelope. It’s a Pfaff Powerquilter 16.0. I loved it, but I found that it was hard on my shoulders (even with the bungees holding the weight of the quilt). Also, it was taking me a long time to quilt my quilts. My motifs were small and too detailed. Much easier to do large, overall patterns on quilts that call for it.
I can completely relate to quilting with too much detail. That is exactly my issue. I tend to quilt got an hour or so at a time so my I don’t have the soreness issues.
I love that you named her Maxine! Have fun with her!
😊 Thanks!