Handi Quilter Machines Compared: Moxie vs Amara vs Infinity (Which Longarm Fits Your Space & Budget)

Handi Quilter builds the most popular longarm line in home quilting, but the catalog is genuinely confusing: three machine families, sit-down and stand-up versions, three frame systems, and two robotics packages. This guide lays out every current model with real prices and — just as important — the honest floor-space math, so you buy the machine your room and your quilting style can actually use.

First Decision: Stand-Up Frame or Sit-Down?

Stand-up (frame) machines mount on a rail system; the quilt loads onto rollers and you move the machine over stationary fabric. Faster, no basting ever (the frame holds the layers — see why that matters in our basting guide), and the setup professionals use. Cost: floor space — frames run 5 to 12 feet.

Sit-down machines park the longarm head in a table; you move the quilt, like a domestic machine with triple the throat. Far smaller footprint, familiar motion, lower price — but you're back to basting and to muscling a queen-size quilt through by hand.

The Moxie Family: Where Almost Everyone Starts

• Moxie (15") — $5,495: the machine that made longarming affordable. 15" of throat, lightweight head that's easy to glide (a real advantage for new longarmers — less fatigue, smoother curves), pairs with the 8-foot Loft Frame that fits a spare bedroom.
• Moxie XL — $7,295: same friendly machine, bigger throat — more quilting area per pass and king-size confidence, on frames up to 10 feet. The sweet spot in the whole HQ line for most hobbyists.
• Moxie ST (18" sit-down) — $6,495: the sit-down answer for small rooms — 18" of throat in a table footprint.

The Amara Family: The Serious Step

The Amara is heavier and sturdier than the Moxie — and that's the point. The extra mass damps vibration for precision custom work (ruler work, micro-quilting), the display is bigger, and it rides 10–12-foot frames that load a king with room to spare. The tradeoff is real: the heavier head takes more effort to move, which custom quilters read as control and new quilters read as fatigue.

• Amara 20 — $12,995: 20" throat, the standard serious hobbyist/side-business machine.
• Amara 24 — $17,995: 24" throat — dramatically more reach per pass on big quilts and large pantograph designs.
• Amara ST (20" sit-down) — $8,495: maximum sit-down throat without the frame footprint.

Infinity 28: The Production Machine

The Infinity 28 — $34,495 is HQ's professional flagship: 28" of throat, built for daily customer work at business speed. If you're quilting for a waiting list, the Infinity's reach and speed are the difference between three quilts a week and six. For everyone else, it's more machine than the hobby needs — and that's fine; that's what the Amara is for.

Pro-Stitcher Robotics: Should You Add It?

Pro-Stitcher is computerized quilting: pick a digital design on the tablet, and the system drives the machine to stitch flawless edge-to-edge patterns while you supervise. It turns "I can't free-motion feathers" into "my quilts look professionally finished" on day one — and it's the backbone of every longarm rental business for a reason.

• Pro-Stitcher Lite — $5,695: fits Moxie, Moxie XL & Simply Sixteen.
• Pro-Stitcher Premium — $10,295: fits Amara, Forte & Infinity.

Honest advice: buy the machine first, quilt for a season, then add robotics if edge-to-edge production (or a business) is where you're headed. Free-motion skills are worth building either way.

Frames & the Floor-Space Math

• Little Foot Frame (5 ft) — $995: the smallest footprint — quilts any size in sections via zone quilting.
• Loft Frame (8 ft) — $995 + 2-ft extension — $450: the Moxie's natural home; 8 ft handles up to queen loaded sideways, extend to 10 ft for kings.

Planning rule: frame length + 2 feet of walking room on each end, and about 4 feet of depth. An 8-foot Loft wants roughly a 12' x 6' zone. Measure the room before you fall in love — and read our sewing room setup guide for making a tight space work. Add the HQ HighLight LED system ($104.95) — frame lighting is the upgrade every longarmer wishes they'd bought sooner — plus the standalone bobbin winder ($339.99) and HQ longarm needles ($14.95).

Full Comparison

FAQ

Moxie or Amara — the real answer?

Moxie if you're new, space-limited, or quilting your own tops: lighter to drive, friendlier price, easier learning curve. Amara if you're doing custom/ruler work weekly, want 10–12-ft frame capacity, or see paid quilting ahead — the mass and bigger screen earn their cost there. Between them, the Moxie XL steals more Amara sales than HQ probably admits.

How does Handi Quilter compare to Gammill?

Full head-to-head in our Gammill vs Handi Quilter comparison — short version: HQ owns the home/hobby entry tiers; Gammill's gravity is in heavy production iron. We stock HQ parts and Gammill parts for both camps.

What thread and batting should I run?

40wt polyester on 6,000-yard cones is the longarm standard — our new thread weight guide explains why, and the longarm batting guide covers roll batting by the 30-yard roll.

Is financing/spacing why people buy sit-downs?

Mostly space. If you have the room, stand-up frames win on speed, basting elimination, and resale. Sit-downs win when the alternative is no longarm at all — and the Amara ST's 20" throat is a legitimate machine, not a consolation prize.

Everything HQ lives in our Handi Quilter collection — machines, frames, robotics, and 59 parts & accessories, shipped fast from Arizona. Questions about a specific setup? Our HQ troubleshooting library starts with the hook timing guide.