Quilt Path vs. Intelliquilter

[Crazyqltr]

I just got my Lenni about 8 months ago and am loving it. I am considering adding either Quilt Path or Intelliquilter but don't know much about either, and which one might be better with my machine.  Do any of you use either one of these, and what would be the advantages/disadvantages of one vs. the other. Its a big investment & I don't want to make a mistake. I do a little quilting for others but it will be mostly be used for my own personal use. I'm looking for something that does more than pantographs. One concern I have is the additional weight that will be added to the machine, as I still plan on doing hand guided and custom work. One of the reasons I chose a Lenni was because it was so light & easy to move. I have quite a bit of arthritis so I don't want to add a lot of weight or drag to the machine.

Carol

Thousand Oaks, CA

 

 

[vegaslady]

Carol, You've made some great points (for me, anyway).   I have a question for you since you brought up the weight that would be added.  Do you know how much?  I cannot find this answer anywhere listed in specs.

I have been researching machines and settled on APQS.  I have test driven the Millie, Lucey and Lenni.  I am torn between them all - desiring (of course) all of the goodies that Millie has to offer.  What I love about the Lenni is 1) cost!, 2) the 20" and 35 lbs felt great, but it was only practice!   Most of the quilts I do are Q or K.   I called my dealer today asking about Quilt Path and Lenni (because you could put together a package with them and pay no more than you would a Millie!)....but you would be giving up a lot of bells and whistles for the Quilt Path.  She mentioned to me that they had no one put a Quilt Path on a Lenni - mainly because of the size.  They said the 20" would give you about 14" of real quilt space when working......which certainly would limit patterns.  Like you, I quilt (or have anyway) mostly for personal use.  My idea of going to Millie would be to expand and hopefully pay for some of the machine!  If I were to choose Lenni, based on what I've been told and looking at future resale, I think I would be sticking to pantographs and doing a whole lot of FMQ.  If you really want to expand - look for a class.  I know Angela Walters does classes, as does the wonderful Karen McTavish.  And look for inspiration all over the internet for new designs that YOU can do.  They're free to almost free!  In the end I opted for the Millie (ordering today!)  And without the Quilt Path.  Perhaps if I ever get into commercially selling I would consider it.  In the meantime would stick with Panto and FMQ.....I cannot justify the added investment.   And all this is after a ton of research.   (Would add that part of this is age.....if I felt I had another 25 years to quilt I might feel differently.  But already having some issues with my neck that could limit hours to work.)

 

[vegaslady]

Additionally, Carol, I might add that there are many other things - like getting proficient with rulers in addition to those wonderful classes.  And many are free, as I said.  Get on You Tube - you'll find wonderful videos there.  Jamie Wallen is another great teacher.  Loads of stuff on design, marking, FMQ.  Working with wholecloths........so many things that, in the end, you will feel tremendous sense of accomplishment....perhaps more than if the computer did it for you!   Good luck..  And, would love to know if you found out what the add'l. weight is.    

 

Thank you,

Roxanne

[Sue E.]

vegaslady, a computer system will give you the additional years to continue quilting because you are not stressing your body like you do with FMQ. I have a bad back, bad shoulders, and lots of other aches and pains and having an IQ lets me continue using my Millie. As to the added weight, it is very minimal and you can always easily take the tablet off the machine. See my message in the other post with same topic to see what I had to say re: QuiltPath vs. IQ.

[HeidiP]

I have Quilt Path and love it. My Millie with Quilt Path is very quiet. I can design and stitch pantographs, custom quilt blocks, design patterns to export them, adjust my design to fit an imperfect quilt and so much more. Download Demo versions, watch YouTube and try hands on. It has to be right for you. 

[vegaslady]

Thank you both for the answers.   I LOVE to FMQ but do already have some neck issues - part of my reason for moving up to Millie from a sit-down.  I can't (at this time) justify the price after just paying for a brand new Millie but surely will consider in the future!  Really depend, I think, on how much outside work I get or want to do!  (And my neck, of course!!).  Thanks again for the great advice.  Somehow I already KNEW you'd recommend it!

[gkazee]

I have a Millie with Intelliquilter. The IQ doesn't add much weight to the machine. The difference between quilt path and IQ begins with quilt path operates on a belt system and IQ operates on a motor system. Quilt path is a windows based operating system and IQ is not windows based. At the time I purchased IQ had capabilities that quilt path didn't such as setting up a no sew zone but that may have changed now as they were working on a upgrade. The two systems "think" differently so if you could find somewhere to watch both systems in action it might help you see which one works better with how you think. I went with the Millie even though I knew that the IQ would add the electronic channel locks that Freddie and Lucey lacked because I wanted the channel locks to be available even if the computer wasn't available for some reason. I also love the glide option on the Millie for the detail work (pebbles, micro stippling). I think glide is available on the Freddie but not Lucey. My only regret is the Millie 30" wasn't available three years ago. 

[HeidiP]

Another thing to think about is support. With Quilt Path it's one call and you get help with your machine and Quilt Path.