Shiny New Toyota Oekaki

[Gernella]

But it's too heavy for me to lift off the table in the porch... I'm currently dismantling things in situ as far as I can.

I remember receiving around 5 or 6 years ago I received my Ebay purchase of a Husqvarna Mega Quilter, 16kg, packed in large Janome Embroidery machine box.  I hadn't told DH I had bought it and I knew if I took it upstairs he would never notice it (anything out of place in the garden he will notice, in the house no).  I picked the box up and carried it upstairs (8 steps and a turn and  another 6).  I was knackered at the top but there was no way I was asking for help. Trust me, 6.5 kg will be a piece of cake

[Sewingsue]

Well done that woman
 

[wrenkins]

I bought my first sewing machine in 1979/80 (an all metal Singer) near my work and carried it, in it's box, all the way into town to get the bus out home. When I got off the bus at t'other end I had to set it on the church wall, then the dentist, then the garage and some random houses... all the way home. Now I can barely lift it onto the table! It's a ton weight!   
Where there's a will.....

[Bodgeitandscarper]

I'm still looking at this machine and still telling myself I DON'T need one...

[Acorn]

That's how I started... 

[Snowgoose]

I'm still looking at this machine and still telling myself I DON'T need one...

But you know you WANT one... lovely shiny 

[Ellabella]

Oooh they do a red one!!!

[Acorn]

The red one is much easier to find - even Hobbycraft sell it, I think...    (It doesn't have the extension table or quilting extras, but they are available separately.)

[Sewingsue]

The red one is much easier to find - even Hobbycraft sell it, I think...    (It doesn't have the extension table or quilting extras, but they are available separately.)

Hang on - you can buy a matching extension table and quilting extras for the RED one?

[Acorn]

   Yes.  Have a look.   

[Snowgoose]

I  the lime green but that red is gorgeous, too 

[Fiona M]

I bought my first sewing machine in 1979/80 (an all metal Singer) near my work and carried it, in it's box, all the way into town to get the bus out home. When I got off the bus at t'other end I had to set it on the church wall, then the dentist, then the garage and some random houses... all the way home. Now I can barely lift it onto the table! It's a ton weight!   
Where there's a will.....

I did the same!  I only gave mine away a couple of years ago, and actually now rather wish I hadn't 

[Sewingsue]

To be completely honest, though, I was looking to see if there was a cheap machine with a large harp space for quilting.  There isn't.  This has a respectable one, but it's only on the higher side of normal.

Just as a matter of interest, is there an easy way of working out harp size?

[Snowgoose]

I would love this machine for embroidery, frantically saving the pennies - currently without a machine as my  are all being re-homed I found this http://www.pocketmouse.co.uk/distanceme.php and thought it might be a huge help to me?  It's not prohibitively expensive and seems to be ideal for a beginner?  I adore sketching and glass work and would so like to try drawing with thread and fabric 

[Acorn]

Just as a matter of interest, is there an easy way of working out harp size?

Manufacturers (when they bother to tell you) often just give the distance from the needle to the upright part on the right, which isn't really enough, because you need to know how high the space is as well.  They do sometimes give both dimensions.  This machine is 7.5inches by 4.5inches, so the area is 33.75 square inches.  My Pfaff, whcih is supposed to be a specialist quilting machine, is 7in x 4.25in, which is 29.75 square inches.  That is, as far as I can see, top of the standard range for an ordinary machine.  I suspect vintage machines tend to have larger spaces.

Of course machines are curvy, so the calculation is relatively vague anyway...

BTW, when I asked the British Sewing Centre live chat how big the harp space was, they didn't know what I meant.

@Snowgoose, that course looks brilliant!