terri bb

hello and help!! my very dear friend was surprised last nite when her hubby gifted her with the dollars for a sewing machine for mother's day!! she's been saving forever, but always has to dip into the fund and what a great surprise!! she's the mom of 3 small kids and runs constantly for all of them and it couldn't be sweeter! i have a Janome DC2010 that i told her she should come up and play on so she can see if she even likes it~~i just LOVE it but i guess im biased! her dollar range is about $400 if she can keep it there. she sews everything under the sun from clothes to curtains to diapers to quilts and mends pants, etc etc etc. she needs a machine that will hold up last for years and wants to get every little bit of bang for her buck. can you guys please do me a favor and take a sec and give her your opinions? it would be greatly appreciated!! thank you so much!
hugs, terry

Prism99

You can almost always get more bang for the buck by purchasing a used machine. She should check out local sewing machine dealerships for trade-ins. I'd try to hold out for a Pfaff or Bernina, but not sure what you can get in that price range in those brands.

Love angels

I have the Brother PE-400 it costs just under $400. It's a sewing machine and embroidery machine. You can hook it to your computer to have access to even more designs. You can get it for a good price from Amazon.com I look forward to hearing from others.

justwannaquilt

I have been on the search myself and although I haven't had the chance to get to the city to check out machines I think I am going to go with a used machine. I will be able to spend the same amount and get a little more bang for my bucks by buying used than buying new!

I myself am a brother fan. However I have only ever had a cheap brother xl2600i from walmart and a brother 1500 9" quilting machine.

kwendt

Have your friend goto several sewing machine dealers, shops... and 'test drive' the newer machines. She'll soon get a feel for which company she does/doesn't like.

Also have her do a list of what types of sewing she already does... and what she 'wants' to do. From that, figure out what features she MUST have and what features she WANTS.

Then start looking on Craigslist, local papers, local sew shops, and local ebay for what is being sold and for how much.

From all of the above, she can make a list of which manufacturers she likes, which models (used or not) that have the best of the features she wants, and all the features she Needs. Search the ads for used machines, cross off those out of price range.... buy.

Remind her that she needs to find a local sew shop/dealer to service and repair her machine later. Best to find a dealer she likes now. Dealers will sell used machines, refurbished and cleaned up. They're usually more expensive, but they are ready to sew and don't need service.

A lot of sewing is personal preference.... it's what she likes... Good luck and happy hunting. There WILL be a machine out there for her. Perhaps once she knows what models she wants... you could post a want ad on this site, asking for anyone local to her, that has one of the listed machine... who might be willing to sell it to her for less. Worth a shot... <smile>

charismah

Personally I like Janome the best! I have one as well..The other think I love about my Janome is that if I want a specialty foot they are usually less that 20$.
I have had my Janome for 7 years now..and I haven't had a problem and I think we all knew how prolific I was before I started LAQ....about 150 projects a year...She is still my main machine...Tried and true!

M.I.Late

I have a brother PC 420 and wouldn't trade it for any more expensive machine. My sister has a Pfaff and spends plenty on parts, servicing etc. No way for me. I had my last brother for 12 years and only lost it because of Katrina.

jdiane318

I am a huge Janome fan. Have owned one for 5 years now and due to its performance, have switched exclusively to Janome machines, 6600P, 2008 Heart machine (Same as your 2010), serger and 350E embroidery machine. She would be well to find a 2010 like yours, they have the best automatic threader out of all the machines. They are workhorses.

Maggiesmom

My choice would be a Brother or Janome for a good solid machine. I agree you might get more bang for the buck if you bought a good used machine from dealer.

terri bb

thank you all for your suggestions and ideas! i have some solid things to go on now, things i would not have thought of before :) i'll let her know what you all said and let her take it from there. i agree, i love my little machine, i wouldn't trade it for anything! the only thing i wish it had was a fmq that wasn't so f with the mq...its going to take me years to be able to turn out a real beauty!!