Hi All,
I really enjoy hearing from other quilters about their favorite make and model sewing machine for quiltmaking. I just sold my Bernina 820 machine. Although it is a fabulous machine for general sewing, including heirloom, garment, etc. I personally felt it was not the perfect choice for quilters. It does have a hugh harp which would entice you to think it answers all of us quilters' demands, but even the BSR works better on the 430/440, 630/640, 200/730 machines. I am currently using my Berina 230 machine which I absolutely love, but I don't feel it is suited to be a primary machine.

In addition to Bernina owners, I would love to hear from Janome, Pffaff and Viking owners.

In stitches,
Roberta in CNY

I have a Bernina 830 and a 630, and I love them both, but use neither for quilting. I adore my Juki TL2010Q for piecing, and I quilt on a longarm.

I don't have one machine to do it all. Is there such a thing? I hated having to switch the machine from sewing to quilting so now I have a Viking mega quilter for FMQing. It stays set up for quilting. Then I have a Singer 201 for piecing and a Singer 401 for fancy stitches. I do have newer machine, like a Brother and Singer Confidence but I prefer the vintage.

I love my Viking Topaz 30. Even has embrodery capabillity, which I still need practice on. Nice sturdy machine!

I'm devoted to my Bernina 1030 and to my Jem Platinum

I'm currently looking also..but will tell you what I won't buy again "VIKING" 6 years ago I wanted a new machine and had always wanted a Viking..so 2,500.00 later..I took it home (Viking Lilly 555) I hate it..use my old Singer and a 200.00 Brother from Wal-mart with less issues..so there's my imput..it's just a personal opinion and I have a friend who won't buy anything but Viking..in my quilt group the Janome seems to be the favorite !! Good Luck !!

Loving my new Bernina 440 QE. Just switched up from Bernette 92c and its much quicker and sturdier. Only wish there was a little more space for the quilt but it sews like a dream. Just quilted my first quilt on it and it was a pleasure.

I am searching as well. I have narrowed it down to 3, well maybe 4, that I want to check out next week. Since I have a very small work area, I do need one that can do as much as possible. So I will keep tabs on this post and see what folks come up with.

I'm really interested in this subject! I made my first quilt 2+ years ago. On the advice of my LQS I purchased a Brother 6000i - light and cheap and does the job. Mostly, I do charity quilts and stitch in the ditch to finish them. I've rented the long arm for other projects or had it done by someone else. I'm ready to upgrade! First, why is everyone so cagey about pricing? I do not have space or budget for a LA but I would definitely like to do free motion on my own machine - not practical on my little Brother - but I don't want to pay for features I won't use. I also don't want to skimp and then find out I could have paid a little more and gotten important features. What do you DSM users think are the most important features?

Love my Pfaffs.

I love love my Janome 6600P and I also have the 350E embroidery machine by Janome...Love love them both and sooooooo user friendly....

Me Too! Love the wide throat and wouldn't be without the IDT.

Be sure to read about the Singer, Pfaff, Viking merger/buy out while you're considering a purchase. Google SVP buy out.

I have the new Bernina 830 and think it's a perfect quilting machine. But, I also have a Janome 9000 which I love and several other vintage machines. There's a new Janome machine being released, so stay tuned... Have you checked out the Janome Horizon?

For quilting I would suggest looking at the newer ones that have larger throat area - Janome Horizon, Elna now has it as well as others. You need the space. So go to that feature first and then check the other features you may want to determine if they work well for you. For quilting, I am not impressed with a machine having 250 decorative stitches but they all have them. Space and good straight stitch quality is paramont to good quilting.

Are you talking about just the quilting? Because then a longarm or sit down midarm might be for you. While the 240 might be great for piecing and binding, it only has a 6" or so harp, I can't imagine quilting anything bigger than crib sized on that! The 820 has the biggest harp (12") on a domestic machine, so anything else is going to be much smaller. I have a 440 which is superb for piecing and quilting, and I know of a few award-winning quilters who use it for everything including quilting queen-sized quilts, but I wouldn't like to quilt a large quilt in its 7.5" harp. My Baby Lock Quest Plus is also excellent, but I never use it for FMQ because I use the BSR. I'm just getting acquainted with my 820, but I can't imagine any currently available domestic sewing machine (except the 830!) being better for quilting.

Hmmm, do you mind me asking...what do you use the 830 and 630 for, they would be some of my "dream machines", but it sounds like you use the others for what I would want the Berninas for. Thanks.

I currently have a Babylock - and I do love it but for bang for your buck and reliability - Janome wins hands down!

I love my Janome Horizon; it replaced my Janome 6600 which I kept as a backup. They're both wonderful machines!

I have a Babylock Ellisimo and I really love it. Check it out.

This may be to easy. I like any machine that sews a straight line! I'm a simplicity purist and as long as I can get the seam sewn, I'm happy. I need no bells and whistles to confuse me! I am always amazed at the beautiful emb. and stitching that some people can do.
peace :D

nest to Bernia, I have been told by a guy who fixed machines for 20 plus years, Janome is the best. I recommend the 6600. You will get a different from everyone. And no I don't have a 6600, just an Elna Quilters Dream (MY love), a babylock quesst plus, brother 1500, HQ 16 and my newest machine FW 221.

Good luck:)

I use both my singer 301 and my Bernina 430 for FMQ (very happy with my Bernie), and I have a 221 for piecing, but I have not used that much since I got the 301.

No sewing machine is made in its home country any more. Viking and Bernina are made in Thailand with one Bernina model made in China. Singer is made in Brazil and China, Janome is made in both Thailand and Taiwan. Not sure about Pfaff. Chances are it's also in Thailand.

In regards to the SVP merger. That happened back in the beginning of 2010 and that's when Singer, Viking & Pfaff became 1 company. As far as I'm concerned, that's no different than K-Mart buying Sears and each keeping their brand names.

I completely disagree with your statement about the merging of the 3 companies. I think it's very important and is not a benefit to the Pfaff or Viking name at all... And the TOL Berninas are not made in Asia.

I tried various brands of machines over the years I have been sewing and quilting. I think I have found the best machines for my needs. My main machine for quilting and sewing at home is a Bernina 440. I must add that I also have a Janome Gem Platinum that I use when I go to quilt classes, guild meetings, retreats, etc. It sews great and is much easier to cart around. They are both great machines.

I have the Janome Horizon and I love it! I bought it for the 11 inches of workspace and basically use it just for FMQ. I have a Janome 4623 LE Plus that I use for all my quilt top piceing and any other sewing I do.

Ditto, here also. I love Janome, have switched completely over to Janome. Am currently looking at the new Janome 6300, has a lot of bang for the buck. Having a 6600P, why move up to the Horizon 7700 for two more inches. I love the thread cutter, has a great blanket stitch. Very user friendly. I even have a serger that works great, too. My 350e, is a nice plus, I make my own labels and those for friends, too.

I have a Berning 1230...have had it for 20 years...still love sewing on it...a few years ago I got a Brother machine for quilting...has a larger area for quilt...and it sews very fast...I use it for piecing sometimes, but still prefer my Bernina for that.

The 830 is my everyday machine, I do all my creative sewing on it, general sewing, garment sewing, and lots of machine embroidery. This machine is like gourmet chocolate!

The 630 I use for sewing groups, as a backup machine, small embroidery projects, and often just for the sheer joy of sewing on it. Of all the machines I currently own and have ever owned, this one is the most reliable, rock solid machine. I will NEVER part with it. I used to do all my piecing on it, but when I went into business, bought the Juki... I don't want to wear my 630 out with all the non stop quilts I make.

Have two Janome's - bought the second one - 6600 because it had the needle down function. It is a workhorse and very user friendly. Last year purchased Pfaff Grand QUilter with frame in order to save time quilting my quilts.

Well, I guess that I am not in this league of machine owners....

I have a Kenmore and I just love it. Have been using them for years. I bought this last one almost 3 years ago and have had no bad experiences with it...I take it once a year to get an "overhaul" and she purrs like a kitten.

Don't even need the walking foot for quilting, she just slides right along........

So, I will keep my Kenmore.....she and I make a good couple. MJ

Have a quilters choice by baby lock. I enjoy using this machine, love the scissors and adore the automatic threader. Wish it had a bit larger area to move around larger quilts, other than that the machine is great. That and the dealer is closeby, that counts for a lot too.

kingspb, Why do you only use the Horizon to FMQ? I just bought one and I am curious.

I just bought a Brother "Laura Ashley" quilting machine. I had an old Singer that was 35 years old. (My first Christmas present from my First Son. So you know why I never upgraded.) I wanted a good maching and the websites gave this one a good rating and the sewing shop lady really liked this over the other brands in the shop. (they had the Singers and Janome, Babyloc and Brothers.) So far, I have only pieced with it and learning all the details but it is a far cry from my old Singer. (the Old Singer will still be around.) Anna

This reminds me of the times my husband and sons (4) got into discussions about what the newest and best cars were.

I have the Bernina 440 with BSR. It's a good sturdy, dependable machine, but quilting on a large quilt is too hard to do given the size of the harp. I had a Janome before the 440 and hated it. I had multiple problems with it.

I have a Pfaff Quilters Expression 4.0 and love it. It has the wide throat, IDT, and for the most part has caused no problems piecing and quilting. i only quilt smaller things myself, otherwise have a longarm do them for me.

I simply love my Bernina 440QE. She is my main machine. I use the BSR for quilt as you go. I use a long arm for other quilting. But for everything else, I use Bernie. I also have several other machines that are in waiting in case Bernie becomes ill, but I think they have given up.

I love my Janome 1600QP for quilting and piecing. I also have a feather weight machine. It is a true workhorse and has a really good stitch. Everyone moves the fabric through the machine a little different, the trick is to find one that suits your style. Good luck.

This is true. For years used a FW and loved it....just did simple straight-line sewing and it suited me. A couple of years ago came into a little money and decided to upgrade. I researched, talked to others about their machines, etc., etc., etc. and decided I would go with Baby Locke. The only problem was the dealers were all between 50 and 75 miles (one way) away. Spoke several times with one of them and the machine I was interested in came on sale and I purchased it...a Babylock Quilters Choice....Got a basic manual with it but had to purchase the "good" manual for something like $35.00 extra and when I first found out it was even available "my" dealer wouldn't order it for me and I had to find someone else who would. That's when I found out a few things like....2 people can purchase the same machine from a dealer and one might have been made in one country and the other in another making it impossible to send it back to where it actually came from.... customer service is poor...the company takes no responsiblity, that's why when you purchase from a dealer you're expected to go to them for all your problems. When I said I wanted to change dealers was told I couldn't. Was told I could buy another machine from another dealer and they would take care of all my needs OR I could trade in the current Baby Lock and the new dealer could then sell me another one and THEN they could take care of my needs but the first one I bought would forever have to be dealt with through through the dealer I purchased it from. Needless to say if I have a problem (which I haven't) I have to drive roughly 150 miles round trip and again if I have to leave it.