Originally Posted by kathy
a few questions, was it a new machine? no warranty?, does the light come on?, is it computerized? does ANY part of it work? would you consider taking it to a sew/vac repair shop for an estimate? mine charges about 60.00 bucks
I have a Singer that was bought for me about 25 years ago, still works fine I just wanted a new one, I gave up on wearing that one out and I wanted more bells and whistles! I have a White that I bought online last year, very simple, less that 100.00 including shipping and it's great for a nothing special machine. Not much commitment in the pocket book in case you decide you don't love sewing.
Thanks. My MIL bought the machine three years ago, but we just took it out of the box about a month ago for me to start working on this quilt. So no warranty, she bought it at the base exchange. She tells me she didn't pay that much for the machine to begin with and would rather just buy a new one rather than pay to have the machine fixed which would cost her more to fix than she paid for it.
Originally Posted by auntluc
Good advice Mama.
Rayone, your going to get all kinds of answers and advice on which machine to buy.....
I unfortunatly knew that before i posted the question. I just have no idea where to even start, i don't even know what to look for in a sewing machine. At the moment i just want it to sew.
Originally Posted by mamatobugboo
I just went throught this same process and it totally depends on how much you are willing to spend and whether or not you plan on quilting your own quilts or sending them out to be done - as well as the size of the quilts you plan on making!
I piece with a Kenmore and have quilted with it too, but have upgraded to the Janome 1600P for quilting.
Great to Excellent brands include Elna, Janome, Brother, Bernina, Pfaff, and others. But, you will pay more!
You also can't really go wrong with a Kenmore for the price - they are solid machines more for piecing than quilting your own.
I'm sure you can get more extensive advice from others on the board! Good luck!
Thank you. I don't even know where to start, heck i don't even know the brands of machines to start looking at. I don't know about the whole machine quilting thing, right now i just want to finish piecing my first one and then go from there. I do know my second quilt will be sent out to get quilted, its a very special present.
Thank you for your help ladies (and anyone else who can help my crisis). I just started quilting three weeks and and haven't touched a sewing machine since junior high, so learning how to even thread my bobbin was a learning experience. I have no idea what makes a good machine or bad machine or what attachments. Heck, right now my sewing machine (the one that just broke) I had my teacher help me set during my class, b/c that is really over my head. I just know how to sew in a straight line and what pieces go with each other.