WesternWilson

I attended a quilting class and used that opportunity to test drive everyone's machines. For quilting, the Berninas did the best job at finishing the seam straight, without the piece tugging to the side as you ended the seam.

I have a fabulous independent machine tech, which gave me the confidence to buy a used Artista 170 off eBay.

And...I love that machine. It is my piecing workhorse. It has a fabulous stitch. So no, I do not own a Bernina so I can brag. They have for decades been reliable, well made machines. My sister sews on an ancient 830, a very dependable machine. I take mine for servicing every year or two, my tech makes it run like butter. I have added extra lighting for my aging eyes.

I rented a new 570 for a week to do a quilting class I travelled to, and I did like that machine although it was very small and did not feel as solidly made as my 170. It actually did very well at both straight stitching and free motion.

My tech did warn me to take a pass on the newer machines, a topic we addressed when it came to free motion as the Artista 170 has a small arm. I decided, after test driving all the machines in my free motion class, to go with a Juki 2010Q for free motion projects.