Hello from GA!
06-07-2016, 05:01 AM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 1,969
Welcome from OHIO! 
I wish I could offer some worthwhile advice on your machine choice, but I have never looked at any of them. My Pfaff 7570, which is over twenty years old, is such a great machine and I hope I never have to replace her. We've been through a lot together! Read as many reviews as you can find on each machine and hopefully someone on here will have some insight for you.
I wish I could offer some worthwhile advice on your machine choice, but I have never looked at any of them. My Pfaff 7570, which is over twenty years old, is such a great machine and I hope I never have to replace her. We've been through a lot together! Read as many reviews as you can find on each machine and hopefully someone on here will have some insight for you.
06-07-2016, 03:19 PM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: 25 yrs in TN; now back home in MI
Posts: 1,871
Welcome from TN!
I have a 90’s Bernina for projects and a Janome 3160 for quilting. I purchased the Janome because I needed a lighter weight machine to carry to workshops. It doesn’t have as many features as a higher end quilt machine, but I love it. I cannot use it for projects with heavy fabric or really thick layers, but I have my Bernina for that.
You have a number of options though. I understand there are a plethora of quilt shops and quilt groups around Atlanta. Visit quilt guilds and workshops and visit with the quilters. Read online reviews from a variety of sources.
If you have a trusted dealer with used models you might consider that. Also you may find a fellow quilter who wants to trade up. If unsure of the working condition of a machine ( as with a car) take it to a repair shop to make sure it is in working order. You’ll pay for a cleaning and get recommendations.
If you are near a quilt show (eg AQS) you can try out many models and brands. Often times you can get a discount at the end of the show so dealers don’t have to take the machine back home. I got $50 off a sewing table at the end of a Ricky Tims workshop some years back.
Good Luck and welcome to the community!
I have a 90’s Bernina for projects and a Janome 3160 for quilting. I purchased the Janome because I needed a lighter weight machine to carry to workshops. It doesn’t have as many features as a higher end quilt machine, but I love it. I cannot use it for projects with heavy fabric or really thick layers, but I have my Bernina for that.
You have a number of options though. I understand there are a plethora of quilt shops and quilt groups around Atlanta. Visit quilt guilds and workshops and visit with the quilters. Read online reviews from a variety of sources.
If you have a trusted dealer with used models you might consider that. Also you may find a fellow quilter who wants to trade up. If unsure of the working condition of a machine ( as with a car) take it to a repair shop to make sure it is in working order. You’ll pay for a cleaning and get recommendations.
If you are near a quilt show (eg AQS) you can try out many models and brands. Often times you can get a discount at the end of the show so dealers don’t have to take the machine back home. I got $50 off a sewing table at the end of a Ricky Tims workshop some years back.
Good Luck and welcome to the community!
06-08-2016, 04:20 AM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 9,300
Hi from MD. I started quilting on a Janome DC 1050 and it was a wonderful entry level machine. I used it a LOT as I fell further in love with quilting to the point I realized I wanted to make bigger quilts and wanted a larger harp space and more features. In 2015 I tried out my niece's Skyline and loved it, but it only has like 7" harp" . I wanted the 11" of the Janome 8200.
If you still do a lot of sewing, I'd say buy the biggest, best you can afford after visiting dealers. You'll get a feel for different machines and one will "call out to you" and you'll know. You also want to feel comfortable with the dealer because good service is king. I'm a Janome girl but I also like Brothers. Stay away from Singers built after 1970. They're plastic and don't hold up.
If you still do a lot of sewing, I'd say buy the biggest, best you can afford after visiting dealers. You'll get a feel for different machines and one will "call out to you" and you'll know. You also want to feel comfortable with the dealer because good service is king. I'm a Janome girl but I also like Brothers. Stay away from Singers built after 1970. They're plastic and don't hold up.
06-18-2016, 08:22 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 448
I'm a great fan of lower price machines, but indeed they may not last long.. Either price machines are pricey to repair, and many don't repair them due to lack of parts. But it is I think a decision your budget can accept.. Myself have gone through many sewing machines in my 20yrs. Of course the White, Janome and Pfaff seem to have a longer life span. But the Brother machines have improved greatly.. I do have some really may I say: "dirt cheap" old model singer forward/backward only and work very well. Have gotten one donated and another purchased $10.00 in yard sale so if $10.00 things don't work could probably get money back in the metal weight alone.. So see, it is totally up to you what selection is for you..
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