It cost $163 to build the complete 12 foot machine quilting frame in 2007. The cost of materials may have increased some what since then but not much. We have additionally added the front handles to these plans but they don't cost much to build. This frame will work with pretty much any machine as long as you can drop, cover or remove the feed dogs and install a free motion or darning foot. The only draw back to normal home sewing machines is the throat size. Typically they are about 7 inches from the needle to the back of the throat. They can be used just fine but as the "quilt sandwich" gets wrapped around the fabric pole in the throat of the machine it starts to limit the quilting area quite a bit half way through your project. The work around for that situation is to stop when your half way and turn the quilt 180 degrees or end for end and then quilt from the center out. The 9 inch machines such as the Janome 1600P or Juki 98 quilting machines are of course a better choice. My wife Kathy and I made quite a few quilts with a small 7 inch Japanese Singer clone we purchased at Goodwill for $7.50 and we had fun. It was also real good practice. "Kathy's Quilts"
Some of the pictures in this you tube presentation shows us using a small green Kenmore machine.
Some of the pictures in this you tube presentation shows us using a small green Kenmore machine.
Richard,
Did I see you offering larger carriage parts on Ebay for your quilting frame? If I did, are plans available for that bigger carriage? Also did you have to change the size of any of the rest of the frame when you used the bigger carriage?
I am looking to purchase a machine with a larger throat area of about 16" so I was curious if I was going to have to modify my awesome frame that my Dad built from your plans.
Any input you could give would be greatly appreciated. I love my frame but hate how limited I am to quilting only 4" at a time.
Thank you.
Brenda
Yes I do but this frame will work with the 16 inch machine. Your upper carriage platform is 24" long and the quilting area between the middle pole and the machine pole is 12". The carriage that is on the frame you have has near a 12" swing. As the fabric gets rolled up into the throat of the machine around that bar you end up with about a five inch diameter roll near the end of your project. 16 - 5 = 11 You would not want to do more than an 11" pattern with the 16" machine. Hope this helps. If you just want to build a longer carriage Keep the upper platform exactly the same. Extend the lower platform & long tracks from the 23 1/4" to 29 1/4" Keep the 2X2 stops at 3 1/8" from each end. Now extend the cross members and ends of your frame from 24" to 30". Make two new 30" bar supports and where it says to mark them at 2" - 15 1/5" - 22" change the 22" measurement to 28". Change the adjustment holes in them from 7" & 11 1/4" to 10" & 14 1/4" Now you will need to set up the machine and play with the position of the support arm brackets where they attach to the frame so that the machine is in the center of its travel as the needle is in the center of the quilting area. Thanks! Richard
Did I see you offering larger carriage parts on Ebay for your quilting frame? If I did, are plans available for that bigger carriage? Also did you have to change the size of any of the rest of the frame when you used the bigger carriage?
I am looking to purchase a machine with a larger throat area of about 16" so I was curious if I was going to have to modify my awesome frame that my Dad built from your plans.
Any input you could give would be greatly appreciated. I love my frame but hate how limited I am to quilting only 4" at a time.
Thank you.
Brenda
Yes I do but this frame will work with the 16 inch machine. Your upper carriage platform is 24" long and the quilting area between the middle pole and the machine pole is 12". The carriage that is on the frame you have has near a 12" swing. As the fabric gets rolled up into the throat of the machine around that bar you end up with about a five inch diameter roll near the end of your project. 16 - 5 = 11 You would not want to do more than an 11" pattern with the 16" machine. Hope this helps. If you just want to build a longer carriage Keep the upper platform exactly the same. Extend the lower platform & long tracks from the 23 1/4" to 29 1/4" Keep the 2X2 stops at 3 1/8" from each end. Now extend the cross members and ends of your frame from 24" to 30". Make two new 30" bar supports and where it says to mark them at 2" - 15 1/5" - 22" change the 22" measurement to 28". Change the adjustment holes in them from 7" & 11 1/4" to 10" & 14 1/4" Now you will need to set up the machine and play with the position of the support arm brackets where they attach to the frame so that the machine is in the center of its travel as the needle is in the center of the quilting area. Thanks! Richard
Stylus or Laser Question
Good morning. I have been reading your website and am very interested in your frame plans. Being new to machine frames, in fact I have never even seen one in person, I was wondering if your plan includes adding either a laser pattern reader or the stylus with the plastic patterns. I looked throughout your website and see nothing mentioned about pattern transfer. I have done quite a bit of woodworking an believe this frame is within my skill level. If you can answer this question for me I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for the inquiry. All I use is a paper pattern that I fasten to the table below a mechanical pointer for pattern transfer however the frame could be modified to accept a laser pointer by simply adding an adjustable clamp to the machine carriage. You could also mount groove boards to the frame that utilise a guide pin (stylus) attached to the upper carriage platform. Although these options are not in the plans they are quite easily incorporated. Thanks! Richard
Thank you for the inquiry. All I use is a paper pattern that I fasten to the table below a mechanical pointer for pattern transfer however the frame could be modified to accept a laser pointer by simply adding an adjustable clamp to the machine carriage. You could also mount groove boards to the frame that utilise a guide pin (stylus) attached to the upper carriage platform. Although these options are not in the plans they are quite easily incorporated. Thanks! Richard
Stitch Regulator
My husband made this frame and I am purchasing a SURE STITCH REGULATOR for it, I was wondering what Grace frame matches your plans the best, this is one of the questions I'm asked before I can make the purchase for the regulator.
Thank-You!
Our frame does not match the the grace frame but the carriage rolls on rails like the grace frame and the encoders have wheels like the frame your building so you will have to simply mount there encoders on the upper and lower carriages so they roll on the rails. One approach to this may be to drill a third hole in the rail that holds the carriage wheels then mount the encoder between the existing wheels instead of trying to replace one of the wheels with the encoder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXgzFYC48S0
If you notice in this video this lady says to remove the wheels. Don't because those wheels are similar to our wheels. Now I have seen Grace Sure Stitch with rubber wheels. They may have to be configured to roll on the wooden part of the frame beside the rail. ether way you will need to adapt our frame to accept the Grace Stitch Regulator. I hope this helps you to answer Grace's question. Please let me know how this works out. Thanks Richard
Thank-You!
Our frame does not match the the grace frame but the carriage rolls on rails like the grace frame and the encoders have wheels like the frame your building so you will have to simply mount there encoders on the upper and lower carriages so they roll on the rails. One approach to this may be to drill a third hole in the rail that holds the carriage wheels then mount the encoder between the existing wheels instead of trying to replace one of the wheels with the encoder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXgzFYC48S0
If you notice in this video this lady says to remove the wheels. Don't because those wheels are similar to our wheels. Now I have seen Grace Sure Stitch with rubber wheels. They may have to be configured to roll on the wooden part of the frame beside the rail. ether way you will need to adapt our frame to accept the Grace Stitch Regulator. I hope this helps you to answer Grace's question. Please let me know how this works out. Thanks Richard