I've found one!!

WOW, that was quick!

As part of my quest for a sit-down long-arm,  I added a post to a Wanted thread in the HandiQuilter's Sweet 16 forum.   I received an email response from a lovely lady who has one to sell.  After several good email conversations between us, I have agreed to purchase it!!  She has allowed me to share her pictures.

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She bought this machine only a year ago, so it is near new condition, and still under the manufacture's warranty.  She is selling it because she has gone back to work full time, and so this machine sits unused most of the time.  The stitch count is 800K, which equates to 6 or 7 quilts, plus lots of practice time.

Side

She has bought some extras that are included in the purchase as well.   You can see the Q-snap rails on the table, as well as the other accessories shown in one of the photos.

Front
I am so excited!  It is hard to find these machines used for sale.  The Tiara is too new to find used, and there are not many used Sweet 16 being sold.   Maybe everyone loves their machine too much to sell them?

Bobbin Winder

The time it took between my initial Want Ad post, and the decision to buy this unit was only a few days.  I really liked this seller, and thought her machine is the best scenario I could hope for when looking for a used one. I know there were other interested parties to her machine, so I had to decide quick before someone else did.  Now I can cancel my shopping trip to the Baby Lock dealer this week.

Extras to be included!

This machine is in California and I am in Virginia, so once we finalize the details, it will take about a week to get here via UPS.  To sweeten the deal, this seller is covering the shipping and insurance costs as well.  Gotta love that!

Almost all packed for a trip to the east coast!

There are a couple things I'm considering purchasing for this machine:
  1. The Table Overlay.  I thought the fabric didn't always glide the smoothest across the table when I tried the machine before.  I've read that users love this accessory for that reason.
  2. The TruStitch Regulator.  Not cheap.  Because this machine shipped before April 2012, it requires a (free) factory-installed upgrade to support it.  The HQ dealer is not super-close to me either.  I may wait until the next quilt show comes around and see if I can get a good price then.  
Anyone have experience with either of these?
Table Overlay
HandiQuilter TruStitch Regulator


Santa did come early for me this year.  I'm looking forward to having my Sweetness arrive!

Happy Stitching!

4 comments

  1. Wow! That was fast! Sounds like you made out!
    I stopped by one of the local dealers today and will stop at the other tomorrow. I got to play with one today, it was FUN!
    There will be a show in town in early November, so will wait to see if they offer any discounts. I think the price they quoted me today was pretty reasonable, though.
    I will watch for the arrival of your new toy!
    June

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    1. Thanks June. I hope you have fun shopping for your new toy too. :-)

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  2. Hi Sylvia, I see you went ahead with the Sweet 16. I have the Tiara 111 & I'm teaching myself right now so I made up Small Table Runners & Placemats to practice on that way I can use them & not feel like I'VE waisted thread & material. I'm going to go take a class on the ststch regulator but so far I like this machine. Hope you'll like yours, I know there the same. Happy Quilting

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  3. I'm looking at a preloved sweetie tomorrow, i'm sure i will be coming home with it. Never tried one but it ticks all the boxes for what i need. So exciting to read that other peoples thoughts about the process of aquiring one. Count down is on.

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