For those who truly take pleasure in quilting for family and friends, as well as quilters thinking about opening their own business, there are a wide variety of home quilting machines that can get you started off on the right foot. With fabric bars of up to 10 feet and capable of holding a king-size quilt, most home quilting machines can disassemble for portability and easy storage.

Foremost on the list of features quilters look for when considering buying home quilting machines is the ability to change heads and arm lengths. Being able to vary the lengths from six inches to seventeen inches can be a valuable feature when making quilts of various sizes. Additionally, the ease of changing the heads and how well they move over the fabric is equally important.

Free-standing quilting frames are usually designed so that the cloth remains stationary while the sewing head is maneuvered by the quilter. This makes tracing around intricate designs much easier to accomplish and brings about professional results from even novice quilters. As with many types of home quilting machines, the more often you use it, the more adept you will become.

Portable for Storage

Having the option to take the machine down to a smaller size for storage is a big plus for all home quilting machines. Many quilters do not have the space in their home to leave it set up all the time. Unlike the table-top home quilting machines that can stand up in a corner, many of the free-standing units disassemble except for the length of the fabric rollers. Many quilters just opt to remove the leg and leave the rollers attached to the top. This makes reassembly much quicker.

The amount of quilting you do will help you decide if a home quilting machine is what you need. For the occasional use, a sewing machine designed for quilting is probably sufficient. Many home quilting machines are capable of turning out two or three quilts per week. However, if you plan on starting a business, you would probably want a home quilting machines that can turn out five or six per week.

Calculating the cost of materials and notions, it would be estimated that a business must sell about 125 to 130 quilts per week to break even. As with most endeavors, if you are not making money doing it, then it is considered a hobby. While home quilting machines will save you time and effort, if it will not be used on a regular basis, you may not need it.