Originally Posted by rubia
I wanted to sew. I had limited resources. I purchased a machine from someone on Craigslist. My expectations were that I'd make a few dresses a year for my daughter, maybe a couple other things, but that was it. Then I realized I like quilting. Trying to sew the thickness of quilts knocks my needle out of alignment and each time I take the machine in for a once-over, it's $90. I might as well buy a new machine for the amount these tune-ups are costing me!
I have a Brother CS 100. The little sewing machine that thought it could. LOL
Am I asking too much of my machine?
Also, once my husband graduates in May and gets a good job, I want to upgrade. What machine would you recommend?
I have a little White "school sewing machine." (I think they're advertised this way because they are the ones that are used in the schools.) It's one of those that you see advertised yearly at the sewing machine shops. I paid mine 149 about 15 years ago. It's a work horse. Doesn't have many bells and whistles, but it's a sturdy machine. It has 3 stitch lengths, 3 zig zags, a buttonhole feature, a blind hem stitch, and a couple of stretch stitches. It makes a beautiful stitch. I recently used it to make a quilt -- machine quilted and all. I've used it in classes that I taught (the students used it). It's the machine I pull out when my Janome is in the shop.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to but a strong dependable machine. Shop around and talk to the people in the shop to see what machines come in for repairs the least. My "sewing machine man" is very trustworthy and has always given me good advice.