long arm

A long arm machine is a type of sewing machine used for quilting. It has a large area under the arm and on the platform (hence the name “long arm”) and usually is mounted on a movable track so that it can be moved around the quilt top during the quilting process. The quilt is fixed in a frame and the machine moves to quilt, as opposed to a typical home sewing machine, where the machine is still and the quilt is moved through the machine for quilting.