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Quilting machines

For quilting at home, throat space matters most: the room to the right of the needle where the rolled quilt has to fit. Add a walking foot, a free-motion foot, feed dogs that drop and a large table.

Throat space, standard machine
about 6 to 7 in
Larger quilting machines
about 8 to 12 in

Throat space, also called harp space, is measured from the needle to the body of the machine. A standard home machine has about 6 to 7 inches, larger domestic quilting machines about 8 to 12 inches, and sit-down or longarm frames much more. The diagram below shows how it is measured.

For straight-line quilting, a walking foot or built-in dual feed moves the top layer at the same speed as the bottom. For free-motion quilting, you drop the feed dogs and guide the quilt by hand with a darning or free-motion foot. A knee lifter and an extension table help with large, heavy quilts.

Piecing needs an accurate quarter-inch seam, so look for a 1/4 in foot with a guide. A single-hole straight-stitch needle plate helps keep thin fabric from being pushed into the feed.

Front view of a sewing machine with the throat width measured from the needle to the machine body and the height under the armThroat widthHeight under the armneedle
Standard home machine
about 6 to 7 in
Larger quilting machine
about 8 to 12 in
Longarm on a frame
about 18 in or more
Throat space is the room to the right of the needle. Typical widths; check each machine's stated figure.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to quilt a queen-size quilt through a 6 in throat without supporting its weight.
  • Free-motion quilting with the feed dogs still up.
  • Piecing with a standard foot and getting seams that are slightly off on every block.

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