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    Old 04-19-2012, 03:58 PM
      #21  
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    momto5
    -- Actually, I'd forgotten all about a little Bernina Minimatic 707 that's in the closet! It was my sisters. Hmmmm, I'll have to drag it out and see what it can do. It's a small machine, bigger than a Featherweight though. Who knows? Might do well.

    Originally Posted by momto5
    Have you looked for an older Bernina? I have a (really) old 1008; not much of a harp space but I love the way it sews. HAve had h er since she was born and she ain't going nowhere...some of her "siblings" might before she does...
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    Old 04-19-2012, 03:59 PM
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    Quiltngolfer
    - Thank you for the info! You're the third person who likes this machine, is it around $1000 new?

    Originally Posted by Quiltngolfer
    The Brother 1500 is a great one to leave set up for free motion quilting. It is a workhorse and fast.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 04:42 PM
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    If its just for FMQ I would go with a simple straight stitch machine like the brother PQ1500s or the juki 2000Qi they run about 4-600 and get great reviews and are workhorses from what I hear, great for piecing too.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 04:58 PM
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    Originally Posted by Candace
    If you have a vintage Singer sitting there, why wouldn't you try it out first before buying a new machine? I love my vintage machines for FMQ.
    I have several vintage singers and I FMQ on all of them. My 401 and 500 slant needles do great quilting. I have a viking mega quilter on a frame I use for large quilts now and just use the vintage for baby quilts and wallhangings but I have done a king size on the vintage with no problems.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 05:15 PM
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    Janome makes Brothers and some of the Brothers are virtually identical to the Janomes. I have had the Janome 6500 and now have the 7700. Both work well for FMQ -- if you are looking for less expensive, the 6500 and 6600 are the two older models that should come in your price. There is also a 6300 -- they all have good harp space (which you need for FMQ). Sorry, I don't know the model numbers of the Similar Brothers.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 05:19 PM
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    I have a Janome 6500 that I love and Free Motion quilt on. It has a knee lifter, touch button thread cutter, larger throat space and needle up and down.

    Last edited by Annaquilts; 04-19-2012 at 05:22 PM.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 06:09 PM
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    Originally Posted by QuiltnLady1
    Janome makes Brothers and some of the Brothers are virtually identical to the Janomes. I have had the Janome 6500 and now have the 7700. Both work well for FMQ -- if you are looking for less expensive, the 6500 and 6600 are the two older models that should come in your price. There is also a 6300 -- they all have good harp space (which you need for FMQ). Sorry, I don't know the model numbers of the Similar Brothers.
    Brother makes their own machines, as well as some for Babylock. I'm pretty sure janome and brother have no relationship.

    Janome did make machines for kenmore, but they have all been clearanced out and kenmore is working with singer now.
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    Old 04-19-2012, 07:09 PM
      #28  
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    My sister-in-law has a Babylock that she does fmq on. She loves it. Don't know which model she has. You could go to all the dealers and check out all your options and then when you find one you like, you could go on ebay and see if you can get a used one for a cheaper price on there. I have a Bernina 440QE and I wanted another Bernina for taking to classes and quilt retreats.. I found one on ebay for a very good price and am actaully still waiting for it to arrive. I decided to stay with the Bernina brand so I could interchange the feet and because both machines are very similar with how they operate. That is something you may also want to consider.
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    Old 04-20-2012, 04:37 AM
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    I had a straight stitch machine but did not keep it long as if you do want a any other stitch then you have to go to your other machine. I have the Janome 7700 and love it. It has the thread cutter plus
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    Old 05-01-2012, 03:53 AM
      #30  
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    Just to finish this thread.....I finally decided on the Janome 6600P!

    Great machine with tons of features for the price. Plus, I felt this machine was very sturdily built, didn't feel flimsy at all. I test drove it last week and will pick up the one ordered for me this Thursday. Can't wait to play! I've already joined the Yahoo group for this line of Janomes.

    Machines I had considered included: Pfaff Ambition 1.5, Viking Tribute (I still like this machine!) and Pfaff Grand Quilter.
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