Opinions please..
 

My husband would like to get his mother a sewing/embroidery machine for her birthday and asked me to ask the members on my quilting board what machines were their favorites. She is a terrific lady so I want to make sure he gets her a nice one. He is on a budget, $500-$1000,(his sisters are going to chip in). She is in her 70's and sews like a maniac, so I want to find something that will give her a lot of stitch variations and hopefully will last her for another 20 years ( I say this because her father will be 102 years old this September) so I figure she will outlive me..lol

How kind of your husband and his sisters.

For someone who sews like a maniac (love it!!!)............. I would not do a surprise gift.

What you might choose, may be a long way from what she would really like to have. She's an experienced sewist, so will already have the knowledge as to what she wants ... and if not, will have fun in checking out all the brands, models and features, to get what she really wants.

Just be sure that you encourage her to not limit her choices ... and perhaps go for a step or two above, what she thinks she might ever need or want.

You could have fun with this, by wrapping up a toy sewing machine with a note from all who are contributing as a gift certificate for her ... treating her like Queen for a Day!!

I'm sure she will appreciate making the selection ... rather than having something delivered, that perhaps is far from what she has always dreamed of owning, and feeling as though Mom should stay mum on any disappointments she might have! :)

I like QuiltE's suggestion. A gift certificate to let her choose a machine and lunch for the Queen of the Day!

I think the thought is wonderful. I think she should be given the option of getting a new machine - and having some say in what she gets - or maybe there is something else in the same price range that she wants/needs more.

However, some of us 'older' people really are quite happy with our older machines - and we don't WANT to struggle with learning something new.

Or maybe she is a vintage machine enthusiast?

QuiltE is right on! Go with that idea...and if she doesn't want an embroidery machine, which is a possibility as bearisgray says, then she can figure out what she does want that would be comparable. When one is 70 or so, choice should be available! :-)

I would get the family together, take Mom for a surprise drive, ending up at the machine store, with the rest of the family meeting her there, give her her price limit and let her pick it out. It is like buying a purse, don't know if you will like it, until you use it.

I hate to disappointment anyone but I am not sure you can get a really nice new sewing/embroidery machine for $1000 , I think mine was over $6000 and that has been several years ago. But a Brother is a really good machine.

I have to agree with everyone else. Let her have a say in the decision making process. All of us who have machines especially after we've been sewing for a while know what features we'd like to have that we may not have currently because they either didn't exist at the time or we didn't know about them. This is her time to be able to indulge. I think anyone who is getting a machine, especially when its emb too, should make sure they like the store where they are getting it and how the customer service, the classes and just good old support is. I've been sewing for tons of yrs but when I went high tech on my machine, my LQS held classes just on the features of the sewing part of my machine and the two more classes just on the emb part. I was surprised at what I could do on my machine. I never seen alot of this stuff in the manuals and never would have known about the features without the stores classes. What good is it to have a great machine if you don't know about all of its features. This is a really nice thing you all are doing for her and I'm sure she'll enjoy it alot but do let her have a say so in what she'd want for a machine. If nothing else, try and take the opportunity to have a discussion in general about machines, including emb and see if she mentions any certain one. She may already have one she'd like but can't afford.

My husband surprised me with a sewing/embroidery machine several years ago. He paid over $1000.00 for it and it wasn't what I wanted. Never used it much. I finally saved enough money and bought the one I wanted and my daughter now has the one my husband bought.

............... and please do not let her feel pressured to purchase that day!!

The day one objective might merely be for her to do some test drives ... and take home the brochures to compare features and consider what she wants. If she has been using her machine for a long time, she may not know what all exists out there ... and may not have been keeping eyes on the updates.

She'll want to purchase wisely, especially when spending your money! And too, perhaps an embroidery machine will not be what she wants. She might be happier for a better sewing machine she has, and with the newer features, etc.

Ditto what QuiltE said. I'm 63 and I know what I want. I appreciate what I'm given but some things, I would like to choose. Also look at what she has created and go from there.

You sound like me ... I'm cautious on saying about things I like (sewing, appliances, even novelty items, etc) ... I might like something, but it does not mean it is "the" exact thing I would want if I were to be getting it. I like to do my research and know I am getting exactly what I want ... and if I am not happy, I only have me to blame for it!

i think its awesome you want to buy your mother a machine go for it. and God bless you.

I really think everyone has the right idea, it would probably be best if she were able to choose it herself.

Thats the way I am also, if I admire something, it doesn't mean I want to own it. Often I'll pretend like I'm going to buy it, then list reasons why I love it or hate it. I have lots of conversations with myself. That way I'm sure about what I want to do.

I have a Brother sewing/embroidery machine - for waaaaaay less than $500 and it suits me just fine. Actually I don't use the embroidery part as much as I thought I would. If I had it to do over, I'd just buy a machine. At any age it IS sometimes hard to learn all the bells & whistles on a new machine.

I'd tell her the budget amount and take her shopping for it!

QuiltE is spot on! We all know how wonderful it feels to give a give like that; see the person opening it and the look on their faces. But the idea of giving a toy sewing machine with the give certificate or equivalent is so "the right thing to do", especially for an experienced sewist. I hope you have the heard to take QuiltE's advice and enjoy the day. I know your mother-in-law will be forever grateful.

First off, you are so kind to want to get her a wonderful gift like this. One thing to think about, with someone this great age, is if she would allow that kind of money being spent on her. I am 65 & would object to someone spending that kind of money on me. I am a penny pincher & if I had a choice, would go with the cheaper machine rather one for $1000.00. You know your MIL & if she is like this, you may want to pick it out for her. If she is not like this then I would say take her to pick out what she would like. I am sure it would be a Blessing to he no matter what.

Love this idea...want to make sure she gets what she wants and will use.

Thank you all for your input. I will let my hubby know what you've said...This board is the greatest, I knew you would let me down..Thanks again!!

I think most of us agree with QuiltE ...let mom choose . Sweet .

I agree that she should be involved in the choice of the machine. As much as I make my family listen to me talk about sewing and quilting, unless I said " get this machine", they would have no idea what to get me - even with the good advice of this board!! Plus, Mom may even want to throw a few more bucks in the pot to get a really good machine. Or she may just want to keep the machine she has. And use that money for LA services of something. You guys sound very generous and she's lucky to have you!!

Can't add much, but would like to suggest that if she has an old machine that still sews well, don't let her cast it aside just because she's getting a new one. The old ones were made to last. For one thing, it's nice to have a back-up or to have one set up for one function and the other set up for another. If the old one is great for piecing the new one will get less wear and tear. In other words, if it's not broken and not taking up too much precious space, it might be a great thing to keep around. Also, if there are grandkids or other youngsters around, maybe having two machines could help her pass on her skills, if she's so inclined.

if the old one must be unloaded, do a little research. It might be in high demand among vintage machine enthusiasts. Some Berninas from the 1970's, for example, are selling on eBay for over $500, if they're in good condition and have all their attachments.

I hope she'll be delighted with her new toy!