2cats

I'm a newbie to quilting and interested in trying free motion quilting. I'm considering the Singer 7469Q but would like to hear some feedback. I like the price of the Singer but if there are better options out there, I'd like to hear from some experienced quilters. Thanks!

Prism99

I would not consider a Singer machine nowadays (although the vintage Singers are still wonderful machines). For the same price, a Brother machine from Walmart is likely to be a better purchase. Quite a few quilters here have liked this one: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Featur...dp/B000JQM1DE/

2cats

Thanks for your input. I have my mom's 60 year old Domestic cabinet that I learned to sew on but it has its limitations so I need something for straight sewing as well. Would the Brother be a good all-around machine too?

Prism99

It's a good all-around sewing machine. The only thing is that, like most other domestic sewing machines, the harp is small for pushing a large quilt through. It also is not a particularly heavy-duty machine for quilting. However, it would be fine for baby quilts and lap size quilts. Anything with a larger harp is going to be much more expensive.

2cats

I'm not really looking to do anything large at this point. I'm just trying to get my feet wet with a good machine that will allow me to try some FMQ as well as the ability to do straight sewing. The Brother seems like it would fit my needs very well. Thanks so much for your input!

Dolphyngyrl

Just go on patternreview and see if people like the singer. Some models are more popular than others. I love my brothers, it is all I have had for the cheap to the TOL and have loved them all. for the price of the confidence quilter I would look at the brother PC-420 as it is a slightly larger harpp than your walmart brothers, has a good amount of features, a metal frame, more heavy duty than the walmart brothers without being too expensive you can find them on amazon for 400 and it is a good machine you can grow into and not be looking for more in a year or 2. If you do do walmart I love my SQ-9050 I got there as well but it is not heavy duty but is a good beginner machine with most quilting feet included and most basic quilting features wanted, needle down, drop feed, adjustable stitch width and length, along with a decent number of stitches. There are also a lot of good basic janomes out there, that brand seems to be another popular low end machine
http://sewing.patternreview.com/SewingMachine/

gsbuffalo

I had a new confidence quilter and it was in the shop 4 times in 6 months..took it back and traded up to a Husqvarna but I quilt on a juki. Not a fan of the newer singers out there but I do have some older ones I sew on. shop around and check out all reviews.

Blackberry

The Brother CS6000i is my favorite. I purchased one about 5 years ago and liked it so much that when Amazon dropped the price I purchased another one. You will love this machine for quilting. It comes with a walking foot and an FMQ foot, both of which are kind of expensive if purchased separately.