Hi,

I have been quilting for a few years now - but ready to take myself up a notch.

I know this is most likely a personal choice - but I am looking for a new machine. I would like to be able to get a home machine quilting frame at some point and would like a machine I could use with that. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks, Merry

I love my Bernina - never had a problem with it. Others here swear by their Janome, Pffaf etc.

Love my elnas!

you are about to be flooded with testimonials and advice. :lol: :lol: :lol:

if embroidery is not an issue, something like this will serve you quite well.

http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/janome-mc6500p.php

no matter which brand you settle on, make sure it has at least the features included in this particular machine. most especially, search for something in your price range that has at least 9" to the right of the needle. my newest machine has that. i knew it would make a difference, but man-o-man-o-man does it truly make a HUGE difference.

if you don't need specialty or zigzag stitches, look for a 15-16" throat or more. i know many have machines with smaller throats mounted on frames, but if you already know you'll someday want to "frame" it, you may as well get the longest throat you can afford.

Thanks folks!

Not sure if I want to be able to embroider or not - never really thought about it! It will be helpful to hear what folks think are the positives and negatives of their machines.

Babylock Quilters Dream Series - Espire. I absolutely love my machine, it does everything I could want it to do.

The warranty is very good too.

Best of luck in your search - there's a ton of great machines out there

Let me give you the same response ive said probably 100 times...

Don't shop for a brand name.. get a good one a known one ..

but here is the bottom line

the real secret is the shop and the service you get before during and most importantly after you drop your hard earned money

Go into all the shops more than once. talk to the rep's .. ask to talk to the repair tech in the back room does he/she get excited about machines? can they discuss all the ins and outs of motors that you never really needed or wanted to know?.. who teaches their new machine classes.??. ask to meet the instructor.. do you get along w/ them? can you learn from them? Do you walk out of the store feeling like the employees there respect every single one of your hard earned pennies? Did you leave happy? Did they make you feel like what ever machine you pick they really hope you get the right one for you??

when you find the shop that fits you the best that way.. then simply pick the best machine you have pennies for from there...

i cant tell you how many friends i have that have bought because of brand name and cried after the fact..

there are so many great products out there .. you have seen commercials for all the brands.. IMHO you cant go wrong with any of the brands if you have the right support behind you


Rachelle

DH says the best machine is the one that is reliable and does what you want it too. :) So think long and hard about what matters, an extended (enlarged) throat could very well be in your future, it's all about what you want. :D

what crawysong said, plus (even though it kind if contradicts a bit of what she said)....

I was treated quite well at both the Pfaff and Bernina store. I found the machines to be quite similar, but ended up choosing Pfaff because of the IDT (built in walking-foot).

Ideally, I'd buy 3 machines to supplement my Bernina 1230 (which I wouldn't give up for anything!).

#1 would be a Pfaff for the easiest accurate piecing because of its IDT.

#2 would be a stand-alone embroidery machine if I decided I wanted to do embroidery. This is because I would want my embroidery machine working away independently while I am piecing or quilting on another machine. When you have a machine that does both, you can't be sewing while you are embroidering.

#3 would be a mid-arm or long-arm machine for quilting on a frame. The HQ16 sounds like it might be my choice for a mid-arm; not sure yet about a long-arm. For quilting in a frame you really want the deepest harp you can get to allow for as much depth in your quilting as possible. A large quilt takes at least 6" of harp space when it is rolled, so you have to subtract that from the machine's harp to figure out how much space you have left to quilt with. Regular sewing machines like my Bernina just don't have a deep enough harp for serious frame quilting, IMHO.

I love my Bernina 1230 because it is completely reliable and purrs. The only things I could wish for on it are a bobbin-getting-low light (hate piecing for ages only to discover I ran out of bobbin thread yards ago!) and the IDT feature of the Pfaff. Piecing is more easily accurate with a walking foot, and with the Pfaff you don't have a big bulky foot in the way. I suspect my 1230 makes a slightly nicer quilting stitch, though.

It's too bad one machine doesn't do everything the best!

this is truly one of the best advise I have read I have 3 different machines and believe me the dealer makes all the difference in the worl I got a new Babylock quilters dream and the dealer is of no help at all on using it I took it to the Bernina shop and they were very helpfull so be sure you find a good dealer