irishphoenix

Hi all, My brain is turned to mush and I posted this enquiry on the wrong thread..so here goes. Can anyone help with advice..
My DH is buying me an embroidery machine (Woohoo!) my first one. I have the Janome 7700 for quilting which is amazing.
Our dealer stocks a few machines but I dont know which one is best or most reliable.
I have a choice of janome 200, the 350 (Bigger hoop size and more features, with all the ports but no desgn software), the Viking 600E with Auto punch software ( its a dual machine, do I really need this?) and he also has an Elna 8300
I am kinda torn between the Vking and the Janome 350- havn't seen them yet and have been trying to sort out all the specs this weekend before I head to the store. If I go with the Janome I wont be able to afford the Janome Designer software, but will be able to get the Embird which doesnt look bad.
i was wondering if you have you any thoughts on either of these machines? The hoop size is 10" on the Viking and 8" approx on the Janome. I was also interested in doing a split design at some stage for a central piece on a quilt- one design broken into 4 pieces and hooped seperately, 4 times? I dont know if the Janome has that capability or if the design software takes care of it.
Phew!! Anyway thanks for looking at my post, and I would be really grateful for any help.
Lois

mlsa

Good Morning Lois

I don't know much about these machines since I have the Bernina Deco 600 but I can offer some advice. Get the machine that will do the largest embroidery size. Mine will only do a 4" size and many times I wish I could do a larger size without doing it in sections. Also, consider will you actually be digitizing a lot of designs yourself. The design software is awfully expensive unless you really plan on digitzng a lot. There are literally thousands of free designs to download on the internet and I've also purchased several designs that were excellent quality. I can buy a lot of designs for what the designing software would cost. I have embird and it's excellent. I use it quite a bit although I don't have the latest version of it.

No matter what you get I know you will enjoy it. I combine my embroidery with my quilting.

Good luck.

Gene

WandaVA

I have a Janome 350 and love it! I would definitely recommend it over the 200 because of the larger hoop and the thread cutter (a real godsend for embroidery, where you are changing thread frequently).

I don't know anything about the Viking or Elna, but I would rather have a dedicated embroidery machine than a combination sewing/embroidery machine. I love combining embroidery with quilting, and with the separate embroidery machine, I can be making the embroidery design on it, while I am sewing on my Janome 6600.

I bought the software with the 350, but have never used it! It's too complicated--or I haven't torn myself away from the machines long enough to take the time to learn. I get my embroidery designs online, which eliminates the need to design them myself. There are so many designs online that are free, or very inexpensive, so it isn't worth the time and effort for me to design my own.

You can get a Gigahoop (large hoop) for the 350, but I've never felt the need for it. The large hoop that comes with the 350 is big enough for me.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. And Good Luck--you will love the world of embroidery!

romanojg

I love Viking and the great thing is you'll get free classes to learn how to do it. I have the 5D software that isn't free for my Ruby and I know that you can do split screens with it. I'd go with the biggest hoop, the most support or classes that you can get for your money. You'll need some kind of software if nothing else but to view the designs so having it free is great. I won't say how much I paid for mine even though I did get the organizer free so that I could do somethings with the designs. None of my Vikings are finicky about thread and have been easy to figure out when I'm trying to learn things that I haven't been taught in class yet. This week I start learning to digitize as well so that'll be fun.

irishphoenix

Wow- thanks for that..I guess I will have to go into the store and see which one is easier to work. I have spent nearly all weekend on the internet, trying to find out about the two machines and which one would be best for me..the Viking has a super large hoop and the Janome has very intuitive interface and computer savvy also! Oh goodness! Thankyou Hubby!! Anyway I wil know more by mid-week, so will post up again!! I am really excited now- Iw ant to add to my quilts with this-am so looking forward to embroidering!

Pieces2

I don't think you need to worry about digitizing. The software is expensive, and there are lots of designs available.
My Bernina 180E stitching area is 5 X 7, and thats about as large as I want for quilt blocks.
As far as stitching a design and moving it 4 times, will you use it enough to make it worh the $$$?
So many features on embroidery machines never get used or used so seldom its not worth the extra $$$.
Don't forget after you buy your machine, you will need to purchase embroidery thread, you will need 30-40 different colors, you can pick up several each time you do a design,bobbin thread, stabilzer, adhesive, etc.
Good luck in finding the machine you want, just be sure to do your homework ahead of time, and sew on as many machines as possible. My vote goes for a Bernina.

jlm5419

I can't help you decide, except to mention that I cannot recommend Singer. My Singer CE-350 is only 3 years old and it has been out of commission for almost a year. I took it in for service in February of this year, they did not fix it, so I sent it back again for repair. It still is not fixed, so now I must mail it away to Washington to get it repaired.

jemma

biggest hoop and ease of transfer of designs-----carry a list of threads you have +want i love the robinson anton threads they have a great colour sample folder which is a great help

rjwilder

Embird embroidery software is very inexpensive. The basic software is easy to learn, will do color changes, splits, merge, resize, convert formats and a bunch of other things. Embird is sold in parts so you only have to buy what you need. For instance, the basic is one price to add Studio for digitizing that's another cost, etc.

irishphoenix

Hi everyone- thanks for all your help..yes, there seems to be such a big learning curve with embroidery machines. So far I havn't really got to grips with the software although have found out that many folk have the Embird software. The idea of buying in parts seems really good so you can get what you want as you go along.

I think , I am really concerned about having a really reliable machine that lasts past its warranty if that is possible but of course I want all the added functionality as well like a big hoop size and easy use, like you suggested Jemma. But cant afford the really big machines. Seems like a few people have said they started off with a small hoop only machine and then as you get into the embroidery more, there is no chance of getting a bigger hoop. So that's why I am spending quite a bit of time trying to plan for everything before I go trry them out.

My one reservation about the Viking, is that they have been taken over by Singer, and just my opinion, Singer are not the brand that they used to be. When they break down, like jlm said, that is the worry. Having to send it back to Washington after all the time spent trying to get it repaired is just awful.

Pieces, that is really good advice about the extra costs after purchasing the machine, in the threads, stabiliser, and everything, so I have to make sure I do the math as well. I ahdnt thought of that!!
So thanks everyone!...I will let you know what happens.