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Quilt-EZ?

jmcclannan

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loraquilts Advanced Member

loraquilts

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Just my humble opinion, while I think price is very important, it wasn't the driving factor for me when selecting my computer system.  I'm all about what the system can do for me and how easy it will be to operate.  I want a LOT of functionality and a very low learning curve -- yes, I admit to being lazy about stuff like that.  I know myself and know that if the system isn't easy to learn and doesn't do everything I want it to do (and more) I probably won't use it. 

 

I checked out several systems before I decided on one and found that the lower priced ones were very basic and didn't do everything that I wanted to do (such as echo quilting, voids, rays, etc.).  I do a lot of custom work so need the extra functionality.   I also wanted to be able to manipulate the quilting design and tailor it for different quilting areas.   If you do mostly pantos, a basic system might work very well for you. 

 

Bottom line, first and foremost think about how you quilt -- then look at the systems that will make what you already do easier.  Also, and I can't emphasize this enough, make sure that whatever system you go with comes with unlimited customer support.  You're going to have questions and want tutorials, so before you buy a system, make sure the after purchase support is there too. 

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Sue E. Advanced Member

Sue E.

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Hi Julie, I know nothing about this system as I own another one but there has been a thread on the MQResources board about the Quilt EZ - Butler system. After doing quite a bit of research and testing the system, Bethanne Nemesh has decided not to purchase it because she doesn't think it will do what she wants/needs it to do. She mentioned that there is a group just about the system - you might be able to find it and "speak" to people who own it. I have been given permission by Bethanne to copy her message here so you can see what she has found out. It is best to get as many different opinions as possible. My best suggestions for you is to figure out exactly you want a computerized system to do and then find the system that will do it the best and the easiest. Here is Bethanne's post ...

 

"So here are my final conclusions after my research and going to the studio to test the product extensively. 

Essentially it is a very nice lower cost option for certain things and would be a perfect system for a hobbiest, but not for me and not for the demands of a output based longarm studio.

In terms of function...honestly it seems to work pretty darn well. It uses your own SR, so as long as that functions, the stich outs are very nice. It is also pretty simple to engage and disengage the belt drive. Not the 3 seconds of IQ, but still, very easy. Also the entire drive box can be removed easily if you wanted to do say 10 hours of microquilting freehand and didn't want the 2 lbs of weight.

The failing in my opninon is the software. Mainy for my purposes, the panto feature. It works just fine on muslin samples. It nests and scales, flips, etc. What it cannot do is clip. So you are limited to rectuangular pattern repeats. There are plenty of designers who use them, but I don't prefer them. I prefer a true interlock to avoid a tiled look. So, if you use an interlocking pattern, you always have hanging peices at the start of a quilt and running down each side. With Butler your choices are 1. freehand those (obvious and glaring) 2. start quilting one whole repeat off the quilt (totally unrealistic) or 3. import the design into something like Quilt Magician and change the starting points individually for each quilt and re import to the butler.

None of these address what happens at the end of the quilt when the panto ends where it ends....their answer is to simpley quilt one whole repeat off the quilt....or freehand what you lost.

If I were a hobbiest, importing and tweaking , or running my patterns far off the fabric might be realistic, but I am not.

Advancing pantos seems a little cumbersome, but not hugely so. You mark the far foward points of the quilt at the belly bar left and right, then advance (guess), then you re register those same points. Then you again guess at your interlock point. So it may vary slightly row to row. Unlike say IQ where that is set up in your inital programing. 


As far as the block designs go. Frankly, no complaints there. It has 4 point scaling, so you can outline the wonky blocks. Any design you like and it looks pretty good. The blocks can be set up so you can use sashing designs as well all with fliping and rotation by degree.

The speeds it can go seem slow to me, but then so does IQ. Im used to freehanding lightening fast. I suspect it is a little slower than the average IQ pace.

finally, it can in fact record your quilting. In fact, I couldn't feel the drag on the belts very much at all. What it does not do is smooth that recording. So the stiched out recording is a lot rougher than it's original. To avoid this you need to import the recording into another program, like Art and Stich or Quilt Manager and clean it up. It is my understanding you have to do this with IQ too....except it is built in.

So, since I want primarily a panto workhorse, I am not satisifyed with how it will deal with dangling panto peices or the starts and finishes of non rectangular patterns. Otherwise, for a lot of folks, this is actually a really decent alternative to the more expensive market. "
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