Bernina BERNINA Q 20

The Q 20 is a sit-down longarm, sold as a machine head to pair with a dedicated table or, later on, with an upright frame. The BERNINA Stitch Regulator works with two integrated sensors on either side of the needle hole in the plate, facing each other: stitch length stays even even when the hand guiding the fabric speeds up or slows down.

Throat space is 20" (about 51 cm) and it sews up to 2200 stitches per minute; besides the automatically regulated stitch there is a manual mode with no regulation and a basting stitch regulated at 1, 2 or 4 stitches per inch, useful for tacking the layers before the actual quilting. Thread tension is set as a numeric value on the touchscreen instead of by eye on dials, and a sensor warns when the bobbin thread is about to run out. The laser that marks where the needle will land is an optional accessory, not included.

It suits someone doing free-motion quilting continuously who wants more throat space than a domestic machine offers: anyone looking for a fixed table to set on any surface should check table compatibility first, since the machine is sold as a head on its own.