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ProStitcher or not?
administrator
Joined: Aug. 26, 2008
Posted: Nov. 9, 2008, 7:18 AM
I am a handquilter who has paid someone else to do machine quilting when quilt was needed quickly, but I can't keep up with all the beautiful tops that I want to make. After much research (I've been reading the forum for quite a while) and shopping around, I will be ordering my HQ16 with studio frame during this new financing offer. My quesion is should I go ahead and include the Prostitcher now or wait to upgrade later? Is it worth the price? Does anyone have pros? Cons? Any input will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mel2sew
(near FW, Texas)
ProStitcher or not?
administrator
Joined: Aug. 26, 2008
Posted: Nov. 9, 2008, 11:51 AM
mel -
my opinion...:)

>you will LOVE the HQ16 and will wish it was bigger.
you will LOVE the Pro Stitcher. Easy to use and dependable.
you will love the folks at Handi Quilter. Very friendly, helpful, and concerned that you be sucessful.

> You will NOT love the Quilt Cad software that comes with the Pro Stitcher. Very tough and time consuming to develop your own patterns
You will not love the patterns that come pre-loaded with Quilt Cad. Limited and mostly useless.
No one will give you new patterns. You may buy them from 3rd party developers. (around $6.00 each)

my suggestion is to go to your dealer and really look at the patterns that come with Quilt Cad (count them! ask your dealer how many patterns she/he has designed..)
then make your decision.
ProStitcher or not?
administrator
Joined: Aug. 26, 2008
Posted: Nov. 14, 2008, 8:59 AM
Hi Mel

My wife and I bought our HQ this spring and did not get the Pro Stitcher. We just love this machine and have started to take in customer quilts. So far we find that people really like our free hand work as well as using our Groovy Boards. Personally, I don't like the look of perfectly stitched Computer patterns, they seem lifeless, like a really nice mattress cover.

We probably won't be getting the Pro Stitcher for that reason.
Re: ProStitcher or not?
sewingmom3
Joined: Feb. 16, 2009
Posted: March 4, 2009, 4:57 AM
I purchased my handiquilter with the prostitcher. I am really glad I did, I have been doing all my friends quilts and they have turned out beautiful. They are all happy with the designs that I have used. I was even finally able to make a star on the quilt cad-it did take me quite a few days to figure it out, but did. O only have about 138 quilts to go to pay for the whole thing! check out my glog to see some of the ones I have done-quilting in HK
Re: ProStitcher or not?
sewingmom3
Joined: Feb. 16, 2009
Posted: March 4, 2009, 4:58 AM
I purchased my handiquilter with the prostitcher. I am really glad I did, I have been doing all my friends quilts and they have turned out beautiful. They are all happy with the designs that I have used. I was even finally able to make a star on the quilt cad-it did take me quite a few days to figure it out, but did. O only have about 138 quilts to go to pay for the whole thing! check out my glog to see some of the ones I have done-quilting in HK
Re: ProStitcher or not?
grandmajuki
Joined: Dec. 2, 2008
Posted: March 4, 2009, 9:22 PM

I do have to respond to your comment of computerized quilting looking like lifeless mattress pads. All of us have ideas about how quilting should look like or what our preferences are but to say it is like a lifeless mattress pad is a little much. We had a little lady come into our quilt show a couple years ago with white gloves and a"pocket book" for a purse wanting to see "hand quilted" quilts and if there weren't any it wasn't real quilting... you kind of sound like that person... I wanted to ask her if she had a dishwasher, microwave, or did she arrive by horse and buggy.. it is a sign of the times we are going forward... are you using a treddle machine do you own a computer? I have yet to see beautiful feathers on a mattress pad or for that fact a hummingbird like One Song puts out... they are beautiful... As you can guess I do have and use computerized quilting and I rarely put feathers on unless they are very detailed...nothing that free motion or panto guided can do. Can you quilt roses and make them look like roses? How about kokopellies or roadrunners? The longarmers I've watched are pretty much doing feathers and a few flowers. I learned long ago that if you are a doodler freemotion works for you pretty good if you don't doodle computerized works for you.. I'm not sure what the difference is for a long armer that uses a panto and stands behind the machine following the panto not looking much at the quilt...would that be ok with you? Or would you call that cheating too? Computerized quilting takes a lot of work and creative planning to blend a design with a quilt.. I could put my computerized quilting up to free motion any time but that is not my style... I think everyone has their own niche.. just don't condem something you haven't tryed.
Just my two cents.
Re: ProStitcher or not?
Connie
Joined: Dec. 3, 2008
Posted: March 11, 2009, 5:49 PM
I bought my HQ 2 years ago and did not practice enough to get real good at hand guided quilting and I have a bad back. I purchased the ProStitcher 3 months ago and it was a great decision to do so. It is very important to find a good rep, mine is Richard at Quilters Cocoon in Riverside, CA and I live in Arizona! He was/is worth the trip. I use the digitized designs and do some handguided on each quilt and this help with wear and tear on my body. It is interesting that my spouse wouldn't even say the word quilt until I got the ProStitcher, I think he thinks it is like a power tool and doesn't feel 'fem' and it is fun to finally share my passion with him. With the ProStitcher, I feel confident enough to do others quilts (and I get paid) but never felt this way when quilting freehand. So my vote is YES, dive in, I doubt you'll be disappointed. Connie