charsuewilson

I've heard the same thing about the newer Singers. I bought a new Singer Touch and Sew 758 new in the early 70's. It has lasted until recently when the expensive gear broke - twice. I found a replacement gear with a slightly different design, but that leaves me to do the replacement myself. I haven't gotten the nerve to go for it yet. My Singer ha a fairly large throat, maybe a little bigger than my new Viking - embroidery machine, not the bigger throat model specifically for quilting. I've done king size quilts on both machines by puddling.

I would echo the other posters to go for a wide throat.

That being said, it's also possible to do qulit as you go on just about any size DSM. That's what I was going to try next, but I still have a number of wide backs. I've thought about doing QAYG by using the large back, and sewing on one row of the quilt at a time, piecing the batting into each row or two. That should work too.

oldtisme

I'm in the same boat with you Rosie (I don't want to print the "knitwit part ) I have 4 machines all are old with small throats, they all work and I have managed to do a couple lap quits and a few baby quilts, they were fights to do but I just done SID on all them. I have done a lot of research on what I want in a machine and have decided on a Janome 6600, so I'm saving up for one, I'm sure it's going to take me at least a year. $10 here, $50 there, but I refuse to use that money for anything and haven't even counted it for fear of being depressed at seeing how far I still have to go. But it will be MINE and saved up for by ME and I figure by then I'll be even better at piecing and SID and binding ect. So I sit & drool when someone says they have the Janome 6600 and I'm happy for them and someday just someday I wont have to drool anymore. Good luck on finding your machine, research them all, print out what the have on them & compare your printouts & mark off what you don't want or need & highlight what you like about all the machines, to get it narrowed down. I'm a newbie too so I'm wishing you all the luck in the world with your choosing and saving
Jeri

Michellesews

Singers today have a lot of plastic parts inside them. Not good for the long haul. There are less expensive better machines, like Brother and Janome. I have heard that machines sold at Walmart are made expressly to be sold at Walmart and are of inferior quality, hence the "bargain" price. Bernina is the only machine made today, that I know of, that is not made in the Orient. Very high quality but pricy. That is the brand I would buy if I planned to save up for one. Baby lock is another less expensive but stay away from the ones in the 300 dollar range. I teach sewing/quilting and students with these machines had nothing but trouble with them, probably plastic parts again. Good luck in your search, it can be overwhelming. They sure don't make them like they used to!

Linda5734

Take your time. After I narrowed my search for a second machine. I went back and tried both again. Sad to see singer is not what the use to be

ScrappyAZ

I am so glad you started this topic. When I first started quilting around seven years ago, I bought a standard Kenmore that has only two decorative stitches. Although I have been sewing fine with the Kenmore, I would like to upgrade to a more modern machine with more stitch options. I would like to stay under $500. I'll keep checking this thread to see what suggestions are made.

purplefiend

Knitwitrosie,
Older machines that are 40-50 years old have a bigger throat space and the majority of them are all metal and last seemingly forever. If you just need a straight stitch, the Singer 301 is a wonderful machine. I used to sell the new Singers, they are Singers in name only; truly saddens me. I own and use some Singers that are 100 years old and still sew a beautiful stitch.
Sharon

bljackson58

I used a basic Singer for 30 years. It is a good sturdy machine. Four years ago, my Mom generously bought me a Viking Ruby which I love. We travel to our condo in Myrtle Beach often, and I was hauling my Ruby with me. I decided to buy a Singer to leave there. I can't remember what machine it was (maybe the Quantum). It sold for around $400 at Joann's and I got it on sale for under $300. I have not used it much, but compared to my old machine and my "new" Ruby, the quality does not compare. There is so much plastic on it, I am afraid I'm going to snap something off.

I had looked at the Viking machines for almost 2 years trying to justify the expense. They have no interest financing offers frequently, and if you can go that route, the better machines are well worth it. I know Viking has a great support system, offers user classes, and also classes every month to learn to do projects with your machine. I am sure most of the other high end companies do the same. It is a huge different in price, but the quality of the machine is incomparable.

pocoellie

Personally, I wouldn't buy any "modern" Singer, but would gladly buy an old one, my opinion of course.

DogHouseMom

Exactly what I was going to suggest. I also got a great used Janome 6600 from my dealer.

novicequiltergrandma

Check out the vintage forum. There are older machines that are awesome for quilting. I have several machines, a Singer 15-31 for fmq. (large throat and can sew through tin cans) , a Singer 401a for all kinds of decorative stitches, my mom's featherweight I learned on, and a few others just for fun. Except for the computerized embroidery machines that can be set to automatically do the quilting, my old machines can do everything a new, expensive machine can do....and they will outlast me and still be sewing long after I'm dead and gone. I learned how to clean and repair them on you tube so I can do all that myself. I've spent under $200 total for the machines and accessories. I honestly couldn't imagine paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a machine that will be finicky and/or only last a few years. I like a machine I can drop on the floor and it will still keep on sewing. Just my own opinion, of course. If I won the lottery, I might feel differently .