Handi Quilter Sweet 16 Review

I've had my Handi Quilter Sweet 16 (I call her Chloe) since July, so almost 6 months, and in that time I've quilted several lap quilts and several runners on her. I really, really enjoy using her, and overall she is a joy to use, but it took a little bit of getting to know her before I was consistently happy with the results. I know it's always good to send a review of the machine out into the wild to help other buyers make informed decisions, so here's mine.

General Usage:

In general my Sweet 16 works really great. I've found it very easy to use. However, I have never even tried a queen size, so far the biggest quilt I've done is 60" x 80", and already, I can tell that there's a huge amount of gravity and drag fighting me. However, I've been able to manage it so far with my suspension setup with dog grooming stands. I don't consider it a bonus ... it's a necessity. Otherwise, even if my entire quilt is lying on the table, even if there's no downward drag, the physical weight of the quilt becomes an issue as I'm stitching, resulting in some directions being excessively hard to maneuver, causing wobbles and uneven stitch lengths. The suspension setup, while not perfect, makes a huge difference.

Stitch Regulation:

I bought the TruStitch regulator because I thought it would make my life easier. Well, I never use it, I wish I could return it. It's simply not very user friendly, and has a learning curve all its own. I wrote about it extensively here. I'd suggest you save your money. My reason for this is pretty simple ... even stitch length doesn't matter as much as I thought it did. All of the "ugly patches" of quilting in my quilts is caused by poor traveling, bad tension, wobbles, hesitations, drag, and not one of those problems can be fixed by even stitch length. As I practiced and got better at all of those other things, my stitch length consistency also improved.

Tension:

This took me awhile to figure out, and no doubt every machine is slightly different as people use different threads and have different sewing environments, but I don't go by Handi Quilter's official way of testing bobbin tension. Their way is to load the bobbin, then let it drop down slowly, like a spider. I've found that when I get that sort of bobbin tension, and even adjust the top tension accordingly (so that the stitching looks great), my thread breaks more. What works for me is to make the bobbin tension tighter than their "spider" drop, and up the top tension too, and then my stitches look perfect and my thread hardly ever breaks. I'm not saying do what I do ... I'm just saying don't necessarily go by Handi Quilter's recommendation for perfect bobbin tension! Some people just get a Towa tension gauge, and combined with the easy-set top tension number on the machine, find their own happy tension number for each thread and write it down. It might be nothing like what Handi Quilter recommends, but that doesn't matter if your stitches look great and your thread rarely breaks.

Maintenance:

So far maintaining this machine is really easy. I clean the bobbin area with a pipe cleaner every bobbin change, and I oil the bobbin area every other bobbin. I plan to take it to the shop about once every two years for a "cleaning". So far, after many many hours of stitching on it, I've not run into any issues.

Bobbin Winder:

I don't like the bobbin winder. There, I said it. It took me a long time to figure out how to wind polyester thread properly. Aurifil was easy. Polyester thread (like Isacord or Superior So Fine) was tough. It kept flying out of the tension disk. Eventually I figured out to wind the Aurifil thread around the tension disk once, Superior twice, and Isacord three times. But even in that scenario, the bobbin isn't able to fully fill up. It just doesn't wind evenly after a certain point, and I've not been able to remedy this. It works, but it's not optimal. I try to use prewound bobbins as much as I can to avoid having to wind bobbins.

Accessories:

I didn't buy a whole lot of extras. As I said TruStitch was a waste of money, but I did like the table overlay, and find that it completely eliminates the need for a Supreme Slider. I bought one extension table because that's all that would fit. I really like the extension table and find when combined with suspension it works really well.

***

Here's a picture of the suspension in action. It's not pretty, but it really works, and I wouldn't quilt anything remotely sizable without a setup like this.

Overall I love this machine, and I highly recommend it. It has so much more visibility than my domestic sewing machine, and it sews at a much higher speed. I have spent a lot of time enjoying this machine and hope to spend many, many more hours with it.

Shiny Happy Threads

I used to not care about threads. I figured black, white, and a tan were all I needed. I bought Gutermann 100% Polyester from Jo-Ann. When I went to Quilt Festival back in April, I was baffled at the people crowding the Aurifil booth, drooling over their threads.

That was then.

... And this is now. I've built up quite a collection of threads between 3 brands (Aurifil, Isacord, and Superior Threads). I use them for different purposes, though, and like them in different ways.

Isacord #40 Weight Embroidery Thread

I flocked to Isacord at the suggestion of Leah Day after I found my Gutermann thread shredding and breaking like crazy during free-motion quilting. I liked how strong Isacord is, it hardly ever breaks. However, I discovered quickly that Isacord has its drawbacks. It is extremely shiny ... which is a good thing when I want to showcase the quilting, but usually I prefer the quilting to add texture, and not steal the show. Also, it's *extremely* slippery, so I basically have to tie off my thread tails and bury them instead of the easier ways to start and stop, and I hate burying tails. It's very hard to wind onto a bobbin properly, due to its slipperiness. On My Handi Quilter winder, I finally figured out that I needed to wind the thread around the tension disk *3* times in order for it to not fly out of the tension disk during winding.

Superior Threads #50 Weight So Fine

I tried So Fine after Angela Walters recommended it. It's a very nice thread, thin, strong, and not shiny or slippery, so it's easy to work with. It's the thread I use the most currently for machine quilting. While it looks great on my quilts, my favorite thing about So Fine is that I can buy prewound bobbins. I'm just so lazy about winding bobbins, and I go through bobbins so quickly, that being able to buy that is very convenient. Of course prewound bobbins only come in a very limited selection of colors. When I wind my own bobbin for my Handi Quilter, I need to wind the thread around the tension disk *2* times for it to wind well. I only have So Fine in a few neutral colors, though, as for color, I was lured by ... Aurifil.

Aurifil #50 Weight Mako Cotton

The folks at Aurifil know how to do marketing, I'll give them that. It seems to be a universal favorite for most quilters, although not without good reasons. Personally, I like Aurifil a lot, and I've certainly invested the most amount of money in them. The colors are just so gorgeous, and I love that I can buy all these thread collections. I also like that the normal sized spools are almost 1500 yards. Aurifil is really easy to wind on my Handi Quilter winder, I only need to wrap it around the tension disk once. Most importantly, for some reason, I just like the look of Aurifil on my quilts the most, more than So Fine or Isacord. My only beef with Aurifil is that it lints more and is just a tad more prone to breakage than my polyester threads. (Of course, it's cotton.)

Next year when I go to Quilt Festival, I'll be joining those people drooling over Aurifil at their booth.

To Regulate or Not To Regulate, That Is the Question

When I decided to buy my Handi Quilter Sweet 16, the feature I was most excited to have was the TruStitch stitch regulator. I loved the idea that I don't have to worry about my stitch length and can concentrate on the design. The idea sounded pretty fabulous, because in the beginning, I was sure that consistent stitch length is the be-all end-all factor in the quality of my free-motion work. (I blame that idea on marketing.)

I've discovered pretty quickly that it really isn't so. It doesn't take very long to find a pace that produces stitch length that is good enough in consistency. What's challenging is everything else, which the stitch regulator doesn't solve. I find that I only use it for a little while when I haven't done free-motion for awhile, for it gives me a little boost of confidence that the machine wouldn't take off like a runaway horse. I usually turn it off after just a few minutes when I've gotten used to the sound of the machine.

The problem with TruStitch is how it works. It requires that the disc shaped sensor be moved at the same rate that the quilt top is moving, so that it can send a signal to the receiver that let's the machine know how fast to move the needle to produce a consistent stitch length. There are 2 modes for it:

1) Clip-mode - I clip the sensor to the side of the quilt and then can only hope that it will move at the same pace as the quilt itself as I stitch. Of course, this only works either on the edge of the quilt, or on very small quilts, as in mug rug sized quilts. I find myself adjusting it a lot even then, and at the end it slows me down. There are also times when the quilt top will prefer to fold than pull the sensor along, as the sensor is heavier than the quilt.

2) Magnet-mode - This is the most common usage as it's the only option for bigger quilts. I place the quilt between the sensor and the magnet, and then place my hand on top of the magnet to navigate the quilt which moves the sensor, sending a signal to the sensor. The problem with this is that I'm just not able to be as precise as when both hands are on the quilt surface, guiding it. So in this mode, my stitch length may be consistent, but it's harder to make the design look as good.

On top of that, when using TruStitch I definitely can't stitch as fast. The machine's motor whirs on and off, and can throw off my rhythm a bit, and sometimes, for reasons I can't understand, it stops working just for a second, and my stitches suddenly get really big, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Sewing machine companies and their marketing department has convinced a great many of us that stitch regulation is the key to free-motion quilting. It really isn't. While I like having TruStitch, it is not worth the extra money.

Chloe, My Handi Quilter Sweet 16

I've just introduced a new machine to my sewing room, the lovely Handi Quilter Sweet 16. In the end, I decided on that one over a traditional longarm as it fits my space so much better and I can sit down. Plus, it's less of a shift from quilting on a domestic sewing machine.

In addition to the main machine, I also ordered the table overlay and the TruStitch regulator, as well as one table extension. I'm using my pressing table to function as the extension on the other side.

The quilt shop I ordered it from, Gentler Times, delivered and set it up for me. It will be a bit of a learning curve but I'm so excited to use her! I named her Chloe. Hopefully after I've used her for awhile I can post a more detailed review.

The Longarm Dilemma

I'm in the market for an entry-level longarm machine, but it's a big decision so I'm indecisive. I have my eye on a Handi Quilter Sweet 16, as I like the idea of being able to sit down, it takes up less space than a traditional longarm, and being able to move the quilt instead of moving the needle means it's not a paradigm shift from quilting on my sewing machine.

Yesterday I went to my local Handi Quilter dealer to try the machine. It feels different certainly, but I love the stitch regulator and the visibility offered. One of my biggest problems on my DSM is that I cannot see behind the foot very well. Though I know the regulator is like training wheels, it does offer beautiful and even stitches when I want to concentrate on nothing but the design itself. I like to go really slowly and stitch really precisely. I recognize that it's a lot better to stitch slowly than to stitch quickly and have to rip ... ripping takes longer and is a lot less fun! However, the regulator obviously has limitations of it's own ... that is, I always need to make sure it's at a position that it's moving at the same rate as I'm moving the quilt. If it's lying in a corner or bunched up and doesn't recognize my quilt movements, it's useless ... as I discovered when my stitches suddenly looked very unregulated.

While there, the salesperson also asked me if I have considered a traditional longarm with a frame. Though the idea of bringing home something so big scares me, I've always been curious what it's like to stitch on a traditional longarm. I tried my hand at the Babylock Coronet, which is on a frame and is a bit more expensive than the HQ Sweet 16, but not prohibitively so. If I had never done free-motion ever, it would have been easier to stitch doodle by moving the machine, but I'm already used to moving the fabric and don't even think about it anymore in terms of design, so now moving the machine feels a bit odd to me. The Coronet has a built-in stitch regulator, so my stitches looked good, but my lines were definitely wobbly and my work looked worse than on the sit down. However, I know it's because I'm not used to the movement and the awkwardness will go away with practice.

So I'm torn about which machine to get. The HQ Sweet 16 has on its side a slightly cheaper price tag, the ability to sit down, a less steep learning curve, and most importantly, it will fit in my sewing room. The Coronet will not fit if I get the frame that will fit queen-sized quilts so I'll have to place it in the open where my young children can access it, and that's not appealing at all. Even if that's not a concern, it's still very inconvenient if it's removed from all my other sewing supplies. However, I know once I'm used to it, I'll probably be able to quilt faster on the Coronet.

Tough choice ...