Still Trying To Decide

[judie01]

Ladies: I have really looked over the "compare sheet" for

all models.

I can't see anything really different except "throat size"

for Millie & Liberty. It appears that all "extras" can be

added to the Liberty including CQ.

So, would somebody tell me what I'm missing?

Also, anybody who had a Liberty and upgraded to a Millie ---

could you say "what made you upgrade"? What can you do on a Millie that you could not do on a Liberty?

Oh, what is the largest quilt a person can do on a Liberty?

vs. a Millie?

Thanks for your input.

Judie

[chickenscratch]

Judie,

I don't have either one yet, but from what I understand people upgrade to the Mille for the throat space. The Liberty is limited to, I think, 14" of quilting space. That limits some double row pantos, some large patterns, and requires lots of starting and stopping to roll the quilt.

[Mary Beth]

Judie,

Teresa is right. I have a Millie and I have lots of room to work. From what I have heard from others with the Liberty is that some times there is not enough room to complete a block when doing custom work, etc. I can say I have never had that problem until now, working on a quilt with 20" blocks and I am rolling back and forth. The reason the 20" block is not working in my Millie is that I have my base extender on and it bumps into the front roller limiting my work space. There are some base extenders that work better, someone else could give the you the info on that.

The size of the quilt will depend on the table size. I have a 14' table and have not met a quilt that wouldn't fit, and I have had a couple of doosies!

Hope that helps,

Mary Beth

[The Crafty Unicorn]

That's why I went with the Freedom. I knew I wanted the larger throat space. I didn't have all the bells and whistles in my budget. Mine is really pretty basic- I only added the laser light. Afte 2 years the only thing I wish I had added is the single stitch.

[SandraC]

I have a Liberty and am very happy with it. Width-wise I haven't had a quilt that wouldn't fit...I have a 12' table and I think I can quilt approx 120" side-to-side.

On the other hand, I would have to say I got the Liberty initially since it cost less. Now, I'm thinking with what it costs, I wish I had put the extra couple of thousand into the Millie. I think the extra throat space and visibility would be well worth it.

[judie01]

I'm sorry to appear so dense but which way are we talking about "making the difference"? The 26" vs. 20" or the 10 1/2" vs. 8"? I'm sorry to appear so ooooo dense; I was thinking the 10 1/2 vs. 8" originally -- I don't really see what 2.5 inches (presuming depth here) makes? But now

I'm thinking (maybe) it's the 26" vs. 20" --- but I don't know why. Wouldn't that 20" just mean you had to move it a little more often?

Tks. Judie

[Mary Beth]

wowse...now I'm confused

[uncquilter]

Judie,

Yes, the shorter throat space(20) on the liberty means you have to move more often. I would recommend you try them both and then decide. I selected the Liberty for the smaller size. I didn't feel I needed more room than that. Sometimes it would be nice to have more room but 20 seems just perfect for me most of the time. Also, I didn't care for the handles on Milli. They just were not right for me. Visibility is an issue on Liberty (and Milli from what I have read on previous posts). Overall I love my liberty and would not consider another brand or trading for the milli. The quality of the stitches is incredible on these machines. You will not be disappointed. I have not tried all the other brands, but I have seen quilts quilted on them and the stitch quality with the regulator does not come close to the quality of the apqs in my opinion. This was very important to me when making a decision on a longarm. Best of luck, I can't imagine you would be disappointed in either of these machines.

Carol

[ffq-lar]

Hi Judie--

Yes, the throat space and the handles are the main difference.

If you want to add a CQ I think the Millennium would be better since you can use or digitize larger patterns and thus cover more area in one pass (or drop a larger motif into a larger block.) As Teresa stated, you can do wider pantos with a Millie.

If you want to do art quilts with dense quilting, the Liberty will be more "comfortable" since you will be working in smaller spaces and closer to the front roller.

Try out both side-by-side if you can get to a show or dealership and see if you are comfortable with the "reach" of the Millie. I am happy with my Millie but seldom get really close to the back leveler roller.

What fun for you! The size of the largest top you can do is limited by the width of the table, not the depth of the throat. My largest top was 112" square and I have a 14' table. Hope this helps.

Happy hunting and quilting!

Linda Rech

[ramona-quilter]

Hi Judie,

It really is difficult to choose.

I have an Ultimate I which has a 26 x 10.5 throat and it is on a 14 foot table. I have done several kingsize quilts and not come close to filling up the throat height (10.5 inches).

I like the long (26")throat because it does give me more quilting space before I have to roll the quilt. However, like Mary Beth, I have monkey arms. We are both tall, like 5'11". So it is no problem for us to reach cross from the front roller to the take-up roller. If you don't have monkey arms, a smaller throat, thus less disance between front (called belly roller) and back (take-up roller inside the throat) rollers might be a better fit for you.

About the table length, my zippers are 144" long so that is the size quilt I can do. Have I ever done a quilt that big? No, thank goodness. My next macine will definitely have a 12 foot table.

[Mary Beth]

okay...I didn't say I had monkey arms....you did... Now I have a complextion...

[quiltmonkey]

Hey Mary Beth...

Regarding your base expander bumping into your top roller bar. I discovered that you can raise up the top roller bar so that the base expander does not bump into it. You have to take the top roller bar off and adjust (raise) the screws in the post then you will have to remove the brake and then take out the roller and lay it on the floor. Then you will be able to loosen that large nut and screw out the bearing holder that the tube was in. By screwing it out, it will raise the position of the roller when you put it back in. You want to raise it just enough for things to clear and make sure that you are even on both sides.

(PS: I haven't actually done this yet -- I will be moving my machine soon--to the new studio--so I am going to wait)

[pigletaz]

The way it was explained to me (the difference in throat space) was that you have to advance the quilt more often with the Liberty. That can be a factor in saving time if you are doing the larger quilts often.

[Myrna Ficken]

Judie,

Give me a call if you like and I will be happy to answer your questions and give you some things to think about in your decision.

The Liberty will do a king size quilt with a 12 foot table.

It weighs a bit less that the Freedom and the Millie

That extra space for quilting are very important to me.

Yes, with the liberty you do need to advance the quilt a bit more.

The Freedom SR is a great machine, you just dont get the bobbin thread cutter or the channel locks. But you don't get them on the Liberty either.

my number is 435-229-2703

Linda (from Romona) did you get the email I sent you. Let me know a myrnaf@q.com

Myrna

[judie01]

I want to thank everyone for their answers today. As always (as I hang out here) I learned really good stuff! I recognize I may be "over thinking" this whole thing but I'm trying not to make a high dollar mistake. And sometimes I just have plain 'ol panic attacks along the lines of "self: you just don't know enough to make a decision yet".

Thanks. Judie

[Quiltsinmotion]

Judie I don't have monkey arms LOL , I am only 5'1 maybe might be a little shorter . I have a millie even with my short arms I can sew from the front side using all the throat space .

It is a lot of money , this forum is a great place to find out all kinds of stuff

Let us know what you decide

[annlittle1]

Judie,

I may be too late to get in on this discussion, but I definitely have an opinion on this subject.

I have a Liberty and I would love to trade up for a Millenium. At this point, I'm even considering a Freedom w/o the SR just to have more workspace when I'm quilting. With the Liberty's shorter arm length I have to roll back and forth constantly when I'm doing custom work. I have a number of pantographs that have two rows of design, but I have to move my machine after each row. I know these things don't bother a lot of quilters, but they do bother me. It really slows me up. One thing I've become more conscious of in the last few months is that time is money. Sometimes I think it takes me longer to get everything set up between stitching than it does to stitch out a row of a pantograph.

Secondly, I have a much better view of my work using the Millie. Maybe its because I'm short, but it seems that I can see much better because of that extra height on the arm. Also, the handles are separate from the light fixture, so if you have a problem with the light fixture you don't have to replace the handles too.

I used a Millie in one of my classes at MQS, and my dear friend Mary Beth let me play on hers in the afternoon while I was there. The set up of the buttons was a little different and the handles took some getting used to after using the Liberty, but otherwise I loved it.

Don't get me wrong, the Liberty is a great machine, but if room isn't a problem, then go for the Millie. When purchasing it new its not that much more than a Liberty.

Anyone want to trade their Millie for my Liberty?

Phyllis:P