Question

The two sewing machines that I use regularly are my little Brother CS-6000i and my Janome 1600P.  The Brother machine is lightweight, easy to set up and take down and is perfect for many projects.  The Janome is a work horse and I use it for making purses (it can handle heavy weight fabric and lots of bulk) and quilting.  In my studio, I have a large sewing cabinet my mother purchased years and years ago from Yield House.  It is solid pine, very sturdy and has a nice leaf that pops out for added surface space.  The downside is that the sewing machine sits on top of the unit.  That is where I use my Janome.  I have a very nice, ergonomic chair and under normal circumstances, it works fine for general sewing.  When I quilt large pieces I am dragging the quilt up and over the quilt table that is attached to the Janome.  My shoulders ache every time I quilt and it really is much more cumbersome than it should be.  In a perfect world I would just cut a hole in the top of the cabinet and affix a support underneath to hold the Janome flush with the cabinet top.  Unfortunately because of the desk leg support, I cannot do that.

I was seriously thinking about getting a small frame for the Janome so that I could easily quilt runners, wall hangings and baby quilts.  Then I thought about what a pain it would be to keep hauling the Janome off the frame and back to the table top for purse work.  I started looking for a sewing table that the Janome would drop into with a flush mount.  I found some that were more expensive than a frame and knew I was not going to spend $600 on a table.  Then I discovered the Gidgett II for less than $200.  The plexiglass insert will be another $70 but I really think that is a much more practical (and less expensive) solution.

So - here's the question:  If you have a heavy weight sewing machine, what kind of set up do you use for quilting?  I haven't made a final decision and I am looking for some input.  Don't hold back - I know quilters ALWAYS have an opinion!