LaurMac, I have a Singer Xl5000! I love using it for gifts and things! If you like embroidery there are a couple groups on the internet you might like to join! One is Stitchnswap.com. They have swaps with certain themes! So much fun!

Well, I attended the Quilting and Embroidery Expo in Raleigh last week, with the intent to try to find a charm pack for a specific project - and nothing else. However :D I came home with a Janome 500E Embroidery machine. It was a very good deal, I think. I absolutely love the way the hoops attach -- very easy, very secure, no "give". But the reason I bought it was the 11" space from machine body to the needle that will really help with embroidering on quilts - it feels soooooo roomy. It came with 4 hoops, but so far, I have only used the 5 X 5, as I am doing some small applique squares for a baby quilt. I will be going for a class on using it for the Edge to Edge Quilt Embroidery in a few weeks. My Brother 700 PE was a very good machine, but the small black and white screen made picking out my design difficult - and I have a lot of 6 X 10 designs from a previous situation.

Anyone else purchased a new machine lately?

I haven't bought a new one lately but I bought the 500e right after it came out and I love that machine. Did they tell you that there are 3 more hoops you can buy for it? The 11" hoop that comes with it is a quilting hoop, you'll love quilting with it. I've embroidered everything with my 500e and never had so much as a hiccup. I love that I can service it myself, and I especially love the on board editing capabilities. The only thing they didn't upgrade with this machine is the built in color palettes. They're the same as they've always been in previous machines.

Cari

I have been looking at machines but just can't make myself invest in another embroidery machine. The one I have is the Viking Designer Topaz 20 - it has been discontinued but I haven't had any trouble with it. It has a large hoop - the largest width is 8 inches and goes about 10in. long. I haven't tried quilting on it much - I need to do more practicing.

Rennie, congrats on your new machine. I have a Brother PE770 to and upgraded to the Innovis NQ1400 for the same reason as you. The black and white pictures are the pits. It's hard to tell what design you want. Have fun with your new machine.

Cari, they did advise that there is also a snap hoop now available for the 500E (I love my snaphoops) but it will be awhile before I can even think of doing that one, if I even do. Right now I am happy with the 4 hoops that came with it. So far, so good, and I know the Janome brand is great - my first machine was the Janome 9000, which I still have, still works and is over 20 years old.

No I didn't know there's a snap hoop for the 500e. I have a snap hoop for my 350e but I've never used it. I also have the clothsetters for my 350e and 200e, I think there's one for the 500e too but I don't have it. Since I'm usually doing something for one of the grands, I actually use the smaller hoops more than the bigger ones. I love the 2" hoop on my 200e.

Cari

love these! Thanks for posting them
sandy

Kreative Kiwi has great designs I’ve been using the journal cover and the teddy bear in the sleeping bag in the hoop designs, on hols at moment will post pictures when I get home

now that we have a whole section, i think it's time to retire this thread.

i'll leave it stuck to the top for a while in case anybody who hasn't looked at it before can read through it.