Hello all,
I just graduated from Nursing school this weekend (hooray!) and my fiance and parents surprised me with $1,400 for a new sewing machine. I was totally shocked!
So my questions is... If you had this amount of money (with possibly the option to add a bit more) what type of sewing machine would you invest in?
Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful gift!!!! :)

Are you looking to do embroidery, free motion quilting, sewing clothes or piecing? Some machines are better at some things than others.

Congratulations on becoming a nurse!!!! :thumbup:

6600 is a good choice. If you could come up with a xtra $1,000 then the 7700 would be my choice.

Congratulations! Good luck in your career and with a new machine. What a wonderful gift.

Congratulations on your Nursing degree! And Woot! Happy shopping, as mentioned, it depends on what sewing you do or wish to do. A combo sewing and embroidery machine or just a great machine for quilting.!!

Congratulations on becoming a nurse. Thats a job in itself. I haven't a clue on what kind of machine to buy but I am sure that lots will be able to give you suggestions.

congrats on your graduation! my suggestion would be to go to a sewing machine center and try out the different types. that will give you a better idea of what would be good for you. there are so many great machines out there.

Go to more than one sewing machine dealership to try out machines in your price range. You may be surprised to find that you "bond" with one brand more than the others.

If you can, try out Janome, Bernina and Pfaff brands; they are three of the top brands right now.

Also ask at a dealership if they have used machines in these brands in your price range. You get more "bang" for the buck with a used machine; some people trade up every year, similar to cars.

Instead of going for a machine that can both sew and embroider, I would get one machine dedicated to sewing and another machine for embroidery. Embroidery takes time to sew out; with two machines you can still be piecing while one machine works for you on embroidery.

I would add that, for me, the sound of the machine is important. My Bernina purrs when I sew. Loud machines and clunky machines are annoying to me. However, YMMV!

congrats on your graduation, and what a wonderful gift...

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would be using this primarily for piecing quilt tops. I'm not that into FMQing or embroidery.