Looking for machine for quilting and embroidery
 

I am looking for advice. I am in the market for a machine for quilting and embroidery.up to about $700. I looked at Bernina and they are wonderful but I cant afford a Cadillac ....Yet. Got to sell some more quilts first ;). What do you have that you love? What features do you consider indispensable? I do QAYG and enjoy freemotion quilting. If you have a brother, where do you get them serviced?

Hi and Welcome to the Forum:
What brand of machine do you currently sew on? That may be the first place to start looking for a combination machine. I love Janome machines and they are all I own. My first embroidery machine was a Janome 350E (it is embroidery only)but a new one might be out of your price range. But you may find one at a local quilt shop that was a trade in. Some local quilt shops also sell Brother machines and that would be a good starting point. Find one that sells Brothers, go talk to them, and get a feel for what the price range is. And finally, do a google search for embroidery/sewing machines within your price range and see what pops up.
Wish you luck in your search.
Oh and by the way, think about having two machines if possible. One to sew on while the embroidery machine does its thing. Multi-tasking!!!

I have the Eversewn Hero, and I love it! I haven't done QAYG, but I have no trouble with fmq. It is only $530 on Amazon.

With your budget, if you already have a sewing machine, I would recommend an embroidery only machine. Try to get the largest hoop size you can afford. Definitely look at used machines. The Brother PE 700 is one to check out. Good luck in your search.

Brothers are the easiest and also most advanced when coming to features for embroidery wouldn't use anything else. Great for quilting too. My brother dealer services my brother. I adore my dreamy

I 've had my Janome sewing/embroidery machine for almost 20 years. Wouldn't trade it for the world.

My Janome MC is a combo machine and it has been tried and true. I prefer the combo machines. I like the extra options of quilting or whatever with it

I’m new to machine emb, but been sewing for years. I’d like to suggest that you goto your local sew shop/dealers, look and try all the various Emb options out there first. Figure out which functions and hoop sizes that are ‘musts’ for you and what you plan to create. Then narrow your machine search based on your ‘must haves’. Also, you’ll want to have a great relationship with a local dealer so you can get your machines serviced.

Some emb machines cost well over 10k, others cost $5 or $6k. But if you don’t mind buying an older machine (make sure it’s serviceable/upgradable) you can get under $1k.

Getting a used machine from a dealer is best, it’s already been serviced and checked out. But like a certified pre-owned car... a bit more expensive than when bought on the open market.

Best bet? Ask around at sew shops, churches and guilds... ask your friends... sometimes... a older friend who cannot physically sew anymore will Gift his/her machine onto another sewer.

Look for hoop size! Most people start out with a machine only to realize that they would have loved a larger hoop...get the machine with the largest hoop that's in your budget.
Go with a known brand...always safety in other people's experience and a good brand.
Look at the size of the screen..it is no fun at all to look at a design on an itty biity screen.
Don't forget to watch for sales..September is national sewing month..there will be deals .

When you have a machine that does both embroidery and regular sewing, your machine is tied up for use of regular sewing while it is embroidering, and many embroidery designs take hours to sew out. That's a huge disadvantage. So if money and space are no object, I suggest machines for each task (my personal fav are Janome's). But that's a personal thing - I like to keep them separate, but it might be best for you if you get 2 in 1. And as machine embroidery is addicting, get a machine with the largest hoop you can afford.