Over the past several years I have sold tons of Machine Quilting Frames. Kathy has a Gammill Classic Longarm Machine Quilter, that is a huge monster of a set up. She loves it, it is her baby and a very good source of income as well as a great way to develop her gift for quilting. She is very well acquainted with it, since she spends about 40 to 60 hours a week quilting on it. Not everyone can or would like to have to run a business to justify spending the kind of money that she did to machine quilt. If the Grace Company would have had their machine frames out at the time Kathy bought hers, her life might be much different.
When Kathy first started out, she just wanted to quilt for nieces and nephews, and other members of her family. There wasn't a lot to choose eight years ago, like there is today. Today the market is flooded with frames that in essence are from manufacturers trying to build a better mouse trap. We like the frames that the Grace Company sells because they are really the best available. We know the people at Grace very well and work with them closely to have them incorporate features into their frames that we want. Kathy has eight years of machine quilting experience and is one of the most successful Professional Machine Quilters in Utah. She really knows what works and what is a waste of time and money. We like working with Grace because they know and trust Kathy's input.
With the Pinnacle - Professional Machine Frame from the Grace Company hitting the market, we are proud to say that there are metal machine frames for quilters that don't want to speed a ton of money up front to get started. Whether you plan on starting a small business or just want a frame that will make doing your own quilts a lot easier, the Pinnacle is a great frame. There are a few features on the GMQ Pro that still make it a great frame, but with the Pinnacle, Grace has done a great job of venturing into Professional series machine quilting frames.
The Pinnacle has larger diameter frame rails which are the strongest rails that the Grace Company has ever produced. Loading your quilt on your frame is easier with the larger diameter frame rails. One of the most dramatic improvements with the Pinnacle is the No-Flex Carriage. One reason that this will have such a huge impact upon machine quilting is that this carriage is also available for owners of the legacy model frames from the Grace Company.
If you ever found that as you quilted side to side on your frame, if you moved too quickly, your carriage handles would flex. I have seen a lot of things that people did to modify the carriage, but with the No-Flex carriage upgrade you will be able to have greater control and precision in your quilting. You can put machine heads as long as 18 inches long on this new carriage. It works with regular sewing machine as well.
If you are considering purchasing the Pinnacle or just upgrading your frame with the No-Flex Carriage, the good news is that your Grace SureStitch, or Quilter's Cruise Control will still work on your new setup. If you have a sewing machine that doesn't work with the Grace Speed Control , SureStitch, Quilter's Cruise Control, or have its own speed control, then you might need to upgrade to a different sewing machine. There isn't a place for your sewing machine's foot pedal or any way to control the speed except for attaching some sort of speed control. If you have the Gracie Laser, it will work with the new carriage. They Grace Company is working on compatibility issues with the Pattern Perfect if you have the original GMQ or Little Gracie. We are so excited about these new products.
If you have been thinking about moving up to a longer arm machine, then you will want to put the Pinnacle or No-Flex Carriage at the top of your list as the go to machine quilting frame!
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