callen

To be fair here - Oneonone misunderstood my first post. She thought I made 2 trips to my dealer (1 hour away) one to look at the machine & a 2nd with my DH to purchase it. This was not the case. As far as permission is concerned that is a NON issue with us - I look for his input especially when a machine is costly & in Canada the HQ Diamond Royale has a retail price of almost $14,000, I would NEVER make that kind of purchase without his opinion. I was lucky & got a store demo machine & with my trade in saved several thousand dollars. I must say I traded in a Bernina 820 which was a quality machine BUT the Bernina dealer is 7 hours away or I would probably have purchased the Bernina 830 as I was already familiar with the 820 which is the same machine minus the embroidery module. The HQ dealer is just 1 hour away & that's just a nice drive & she is fantastic. So far I love the HQ & yes, I have started to make a stitch diary which I also did with my Bernina.
Thank you ladies for all your suggestions & support.

vschieve

I had to sound illiterate, but what is a stitch diary? Where do you record or put your stitches? totally lost!

ChattyKathy

I have a Viking Diamond Delux that my husband talked me into getting 4 years ago. He bought it for my years combo BD, anniversary And Christmas presents. The machine is great and the free classes and pay classes are terrific. The ladies at the Viking store are all extremely knowledgeable and always helpful. My only complaint is the lack of a proficient manual. If I run into a problem with my machine the manual is worthless. I always have to call for help and majority of time the Viking sales people can help me. If not I have to bring the machine in for help. And they figure it out for me. But to figure out on my own the embroidery or anything besides straight easy stitching, there is no good directions or manual available. You have to take the Viking classes to develop proficiency and expertise. I found that very frustrating, since I wanted to do quilting and creative type sewing of my design. I could not go to a Viking manual for help. Although, one of the members mentioned utube tutorials which are for newer Viking Diamond machines so maybe that will help me. I guess this is one of the reasons I have developed a love for vintage sewing machines...they have manuals. Yes, I realize each has its own place and time and JOY!!!

grann of 6

The manuals are made so they apply to any language, cheaper to print that way. I have a Diamond Royale and a Diamond. I only took the original class that was offered. I love to experiment on my own, and have learned lots of wonderful techniques through experimentation. I fine the HV machines to be very user friendly and easy to understand. I love the way the manuals are set up. I think the #1 thing we need to remember, is not to be afraid of the machine. You really can't break it. We also have to remember that when these sophisticated machines are designed, they assume that the new owner will be relatively proficient on the use of the machine. The old machines assumed everyone was a new sewer with little to no experience. I dearly love all my HV machines and wouldn't change manufacturers for anything.

4dogs

Re. the comment on her husband making the purchase, my DH and I always consult on big purchases. It saves us both from making costly impulse purchases which may not be wise. Also a good excuse to use on pushy sales people. LOL Besides he's my best friend, is smart and has good advise and also is always excited for me to get something I love. We make a good team.[/QUOTE]


This sounds just like my hubby and me...............always talk over everything............and he is my best pal of almost 50 years.............. he is great is supporting me and my "collection" of Iron Ladies.........blush, I counted them all this morning and I now own "13" sewing machines....12 are old ladies, plus my Bernina (5 year old) and all but 2 of them work just fine.......they sew such great seams........I save the Bernina for the fancy things, and try to rotate among all the other ones for sewing almost every day...I am a quilter, of course, so have to keep them all running and they all need their exercise.............

romanojg

I did have the Ruby, loved it and then a yr later traded it in for the Diamond Deluxe, love it so much. No tension settings, it lets you know what needles to use for different stitches and fabric, great at embroidery. You can adjust the speed which is really important on some things that it does. I've had mine for a few yrs and love it so much. When I take classes and they supply the machines the one thing that none of them do and would miss is that when I push start, it lowers the pressure foot and starts, the others beep at me because I always forget to put it down since mine does it for me.

marshaKay

Nice hubby. Congrats. Have LOTS of fun.

romanojg

If you go under your Viking software installed on your pc, you'll find tutorials and a whole lot more about your machine and projects. They have the manuals that come with the machine plus a whole lot more info. Make sure you check for updates too.

huntannette

Ahhh good for you....just saw this post...lol as you can see I don`t get on much...ha ha ha....I don`t have that particular machine but I `m on my forth Husqvarna s and I loved each and everyone of them, I`m sure you`ll love yours....what an awesome present from your hubby...he s a keeper....