mamu

You did not list the age of the machine, single owner, price or location

I have a 12 ft table and have been able to quilt king size quilts on it with no problems. If I get a oversize king, more than 115", I wouldn't be able to do it because the backing would be larger than the top and it wouldn't fit.

The weight of these tables/machines will make indents in any carpet. I would be concerned about using stacked 2x4 under the legs as it seems like it would wobble with the movement and vibration of the machine. I have my machine on our carpet without anything under the legs. I haven't moved the machine, but I am sure that there will be large indents in the carpet and pad. It's just like having furniture on carpet... you get indents/marks from the furniture. The only thing I might suggest you try is the plastic chair mats people use at desks for their roller chairs. I wonder if that would work better for you?

You would have to take the statler computer off of the machine to use as a non computerized machine. I would contact APQS they would be able to help you get this machine back in good working condition. Since the set up is FREE, it would be worth trying to get it working.

BUY BUY BUY !!! This is a fantastic price for this year machine! For your first machine this price is wonderful and you can re sell it for more $ should you decide you want to upgrade or decide longarm quilting isn't for you. APQS has wonderful support and this forum will help you too. I don't think the warranty is transferable on this age machine. You can always contact APQS to find out.

This is a VERY GOOD PRICE for anyone wanting to get a Longarm!!

Now that you mentioned the cat hair and smell issues... that makes it a health issue for you and of course an issue for your machine. Then any quilt coming up after hers could possibly get some of the cat hair/smell on it too. That is a big problem. I agree with the other comments that you absolutely need to let her know about the cat hair/smell and that it has become a health issue for you. I would tell her that any tops she gives you that have cat hair and smells, you will not be quilting. Then I would adhere to that rule and send back any quilt that wasn't 'clean'. She will either correct the issue or find someone else to do her quilting. I have sent tops back to people when they were stained (blood or other ? fluids), excess hair and even excess threads. I don't feel bad doing that at all as I will not subject myself or my machine to this nastiness. I also include a paper on how to prepare a quilt top for the longarm quilter!

I would never tell an 80 yr old that her sewing is a mess and I don't want to quilt her quilts anymore. It's a miracle that she is still quilting at her age and enjoying doing it. She probably doesn't see well and can only do the best that she can. You have already made suggestions to her on how to improve her quilting. Instead, keep your custom quilting to bare minimum, nothing fancy, avoid those wads in the corners, let the borders be full by bunching the fabric up between quilt lines and allow all of the raw edges and misaligned seams to be as they are. I'm sure she is not prolific at producing quilts so it's not like you are doing one of her quilts every couple weeks. Not everyone's quilts are perfect (as we well know being longarm quilters) but they are all loved just as much as the quilts taking the Best of Show

I would pull it out and give it a good clean. Looks to me like the table is an upgrade with auto advance system. Take measurement of table, it is either 12' or 14' table. With it being in Canada, the electrical is made a bit different than the USA, however it can easily be adjusted to fit USA outlets. The machine will have a serial number on it, you can send that number into APQS and they will tell you the year of it. Once cleaned up, this machine could go for 3-4 thousand. Depends on how badly you want to get rid of it as to the price you ask for. I would then contact local quilt shops and quilt guilds letting them know you have this machine for sale. I should sell rather quickly. Hopes this helps

What I would do is load the quilt and then baste it.... very long stitches, verticle and horizontal rows about 2-3" apart. Then you can do your fill work, taking out the basting stitches as you go

I think that Inteli Quilter took over compuquilter. I would contact them

Yes, you should be able to do ruler work. It will take practice as well since you do not have SR. There will be alot of stopping and starting with ruler work so you may have to shut off stitching when you come to a stop area to minimize thread build up. With practice you will get quicker at moving the ruler and hand placement so you won't have to shut off in stopping areas.

It would be great if you could post pictures and where you are located. And the asking price!

Yes that seems to be what is happening. I would change your needle again....I have gotten bad needles before and even had a whole pack of needles that would do this. Sometimes the size of your needle will do this, maybe try a smaller size. Also, relax your backing so it isn't tight. This might help. If you still have issues you might want to consider using a different backing fabric. Some fabrics will do this no matter what you do to keep those poky threads from coming through.

machine still available?

I would contact APQS and see if there is a dealer near you that could possibly take your table. Or they might know of someone looking for your size table.

JollyDude I would not scrap this machine! If it only runs wide open, then the settings are not adjusted or the stitch regulator is not engaged. Pictures would go a long way in us helping you to figure out what is going on with this machine. The ULT1 machines are power house machines and there are many of them that are still running very well today. Another option would be to contact APQS and see if they have any suggestions for you.

RobyM , there is a phone number listed in the ad...try calling it. Since they are moving they might be gone?

I have an Ult2 machine and use it primarily for pantographs. Ult2 is not stitch regulated. It is not computerized. For pantographs you stand behind the machine and move it with a laser light reading the design. My machine did not have the laser light but I was able to get one from another company and attach it. Mine is battery operated which works well as I don't have to fiddle with electric cords. Battery lasts a very long time but you do have to remember to turn it off when not in use! The throat space or quilting space before advancement is about 21". Depends on thickness of batting and the amount of quilt on the take up roller. The ULT2 is a workhorse machine.

If you feel you can make her an offer within your budget, then do that. There are a lot of variables that come into play when purchasing a used machine. Like the age of the machine, only one owner, when was it last serviced, support for problem solving, what type of frame, and so on. Are there any additional items like patterns (pantographs), thread, bobbins, needles and manual book included in price? These are all things to consider when purchasing a used machine. I am not familiar with this type of machine so cannot comment on the pricing. I would google this machine or go on eBay and see if you can find the machine there and what prices it might sell for

The only thing I can think of is that it stretched when rolling the quilt. Since it was a T-shirt quilt, it should have been basted through out prior to quilting no matter which direction you had loaded the quilt top. I do not trust T-shirt quilts to not stretch, even if they had the proper interfacing on the shirt part, as they love to mess with you when quilting....lol.

SueD is correct. You didn't quilt her quilt, she rented your machine and did it herself and that is what she will tell her friends and family...she did it ALL. This in no way reflects badly on you. Quite the opposite, she will tell them how much you helped her. For being in business of quilting for others, you need to take the bad tops with the good tops. You start picking and choosing what tops you will quilt and what you won't you WILL get a very bad reputation! I do agree that quilt instructors need to properly teach finish techniques, which most do not. I quilt for others and will 'fix' a wavy border on the first quilt. I do tell the owner the problems with the quilt and instruct on how to correct that in the future. Should I get more quilts from this person with the same problems, then I charge more money and tell them why the cost went up. It doesn't take too many of the increase in fees for them to do their quilts properly!! I have Never refused to quilt for a person because their quilt wasn't up to my person standards!

Siska, The pattern is called Elephant Abstractions Quilt Pattern by Violet Craft you can purchase it on Amazon or google to find the pattern.

For weight I probably would use a double bat...like 2 cotton battings. Wool is very nice for warmth and works well with cotton when using double battings.

Would be good to know where you are from.