It certainly is what you get used to. I am speaking as a non-quilter here, but I do make curtains now and then. I use my machine on the end of an oval dining table, simply because the window is behind me and it is more important to me to have the light. This means that there is only a small, curved space to the left of the machine. I have a chair next to it to take the bulk and weight if necessary. I have sewn like this for years without any difficulty and wouldn't use an extension table even if I could.