Do you have a control that would let you put more pressure on the needle bar for thicker fabrics? Most machines have a pressure control for thick or thin fabrics. If your Kenmore isn't feeding the fabrics it may need more pressure applied. Hope this makes sense.

Good Luck

Suzy

I bought the singer confidence quilter last year and I love it. Have had no problems. Use it to fmq on a large queen quilt and it worked great.

I recently purchased the Husquevera Viking Saphire 875, quilters edition and I love it. When you stop stitching the presser foot raises slightly, and with needle down this is just the most fantastic time saver...it also has the thread cutter. I am afraid I could not go back to the conventional machine now, I have become spoiled! I think they are having a special on that machine right now and throwing in a quilt package, which I did not get with mine. It does not have the knee lift, but with the presser foot feature, you don't miss that. That always got in my way, anyway. Good luck on your quest!
Michelle

I hate my newer Singer. The thing is a piece of crap that DH (bless his heart, he thought he was doing something great by getting it for me as a surprise) paid over $300 for.

I have 3 Brother machines and I love them .. one is an embroidery machine and all 3 are worth their weight in gold as far as I am concerned. I had a kenmore that gave out 6 years ago that was 25 years old, and that is when I started buying Brother machines. I have the original one from 6 years ago that I use for sewing heavy garments and then I have my electronic one I bought 4 years ago, that I use for sewing and quilting and then my Embroidery machine that I received at Christmas last year!
I loved my Kenmore as it made more clothes and quilts than I can remember ! I looked for another like it (paid 99.00 for it and that was expensive back then and it was on sale!)
but they don't make that style anymore I was told. So that is when I went to a sewing machine store and they told me to buy a good brand:Brother, Janome, White, Pfaff. So I did !LOL

I have a Singer Quantum XL1000 sewing/embroidery machine. Have had it about 10 yrs. and never a problem. In fact I have had several Singer machines over the years and have yet to have a problem with any of them. Keep them clean and treat them right and they will serve you well.

I have a Singer Perfect Finish that I bought in March...I just can't say enough great things about it! I absolutely love, love, love the built in stitch regulator! It took me from being an average FMQ-er to a confident, ready to go quilter! I love the speed adjustment and that I don't need to use the foot pedal! I have never taken my pedal out of the wrapper it came in...it was a lot easier to get used to than I thought..and I don't have any back or neck pain anymore..the "auto pilot" allows me to sit at a much more comfortable, natural position!
And...I had a great experience with their customer service tech line...I had been quilting for hours the night before and everything was fine..I shut the machine off as usual...when I went to quilt the next day, I turned the machine on, and the needle just vibrated and it made a horrible noise! I was heartbroken...none of my buttons did anything and turning it off and on didn't help...I thought I had fried my computer...so I called...reluctantly...expecting the worst,but I got a very nice (English as a first language) lady...I held the phone to the machine so she could hear it...she told me to unscrew my FMQ foot, re-attach, rotate my handwheel till the needle was high, and turn the machine on again...and it was fixed! It has only done that once...user error...I shut the machine off with the needle in it's lowest position...so...like anything else, I guess it has it's quirks, but it has not dampened my love for this machine!
I have seen a brother machine at Walmart for just over a hundred dollars with the built in stitch regulator, too...and Singer has a cheaper model, but I don't know anything about them.
Good luck...and Happy quilting whatever machine you get!

I have found that doing a search for consumer review sites is helpful when I am considering a purchase. They generally give you both sides ( have & love) and give some pretty good reasons and stuff to think about. I just typed sewing machine consumer review in my google and came up with the ones I usually use. Good luck.

I love my Vikings also. They are older models and made in Sweden. I would not buy a Viking made in China. I think the quality has suffered alot since they started making them there. I will probably always buy used anyway so it shouldn't be hard to find a Swedish model!

I would buy the Pfaff that was for sale on this site a few days ago.