Mdegenhart

Go to a dealer & see what they have in the way of used machines they have reconditioned. I got my MC6600P for $300 or $350. you can get a lot more machine and a short warranty this way.

Fifee

Be honest with yourself, do you only want the newer machine for the extra throat space? I know extra stitches are nice and all but many a person has quilted beautiful quilts on an ordinary everyday domestic sewing machine.

The only reason I say this is because Im new to quilting and when I bought my machine which is a basic Janome I thought about what was it that I really needed the machine for and if I chose to make clothes and other sewing projects it will enable me to do so. Since I have however chosen to make or at least attempt to make quilts! Maybe in a few years I'll get a better machine, then again maybe not. So think carefully about it before you part with your hard earned cash

Fiona.

irishrose

Go to ebay and find a Singer 301. 7 1/2" wide and a vertical bobbin will do what you want. You already have a zigzag machine so it doesn't matter that the 301 is a straight stitch. You can still get one in the $100 range if you are patient. I have two, but neither is for sale!

knitwitrosie

Honestly, a little of both. My current Janome was a birthday gift from my parents a few years ago when I was only making pajamas and Halloween costumes. I never thought I would get into quilting, so what I have was fine for what I was doing at the time. Now I do want a machine with some fancy quilting stitches, but I also really want a bigger throat so I don't have to wrestle with it too much.

notmorecraft

Hi Jess, I fmq on my ancient Janome with regular throat space and have quilted as large as a king quilt on it without much problem. You say you want fancy quilting stitches, if you are fmq you don't use any of these, also the fancy stitches use a lot more thread and boo boos show more with any kind of fancy stitch than with sitd with straight stitch.

charlottequilts

I have an older, computerized Viking and love it, but I'd recommend finding a dealer other than JoAnn's. Surely there are some within driving distance in your area.

hugs,
Charlotte

nvb50

I had a Singer and just gave it away. I currently am using a Viking Ruby and a Viking HQ100.

Sewnoma

Don't sell your current machine short, either! Having a lot of throat/harp space is really nice but is not NECESSARY for most quilt sizes. I don't roll, I "puddle" so really only about a square foot of quilt at a time is flattened for working and the rest of the quilt is pooled around the machine. Having support IS critical (as someone mentioned) - set up spare tables and/or ironing boards or something around your machine so you're not fighting the quilt's weight as you quilt and it all becomes much easier.

You shouldn't have any trouble doing lap-size quilts on a standard machine. Anything up to & including Queen should be pretty manageable. Even a King is possible, just not as easy. Your lap quilts will be good practice!

I definitely think it's best to save up for what you REALLY want; if you don't you won't be happy and you'll just want to replace your new machine, which is a terrible feeling.

citruscountyquilter

I just recently got a new machine with a large throat space. My first new machine in 37 years. I have quilted many large quilts on my old Viking. It was a real eye opener when I was shopping for another machine and I saw my current machine in a display with vintage machines! The only reason I was looking at a new machine was that my Viking was having some foot pedal issues and I can no longer get parts of any kind for that machine unless I or the repair person can find one off another broken machine that is being used for parts. I figured that if I was looking at machines I would go for one with a large throat area. If I could get parts for my Viking I would have continued with that. You don't need a large throat machine to do quilting nor do you need a lot of decorative stitches. My Viking was top of the crop model when it was new with lots of decorative stitches (you use cams for them) and I rarely used most of them. I have made wedding dresses, a tux for a wedding and so many garments and quilts it makes my head spin on that machine. My avatar which is a fairly large quilt was free motion and straight walking foot quilted on my "vintage" Viking. Use your current machine, love it and use the extra money saved to buy more fabric. If it breaks and can't be fixed or you're feeling flush in the future then go for a new machine but until then your current machine should be just fine.

lclang

Since quilting on your domestic machine has become so popular there are machines coming out with bigger throats. I would wait a year or so to see if the price for these machines comes down. That usually happens after the new feature becomes more standard. I would not buy a new Singer but would look at Brother for a low priced machine.