molly4503

I guess I should have said WANTED! Had one,worked fine was just older with no bells and no whistles. You always need a back-up plan! I was a girl scout, I was taught to be prepared!!! :oops:

MadQuilter

I have a fairly basic Brother that I love. I don't remember just how much it cost (about $300), but I did some research and ended up negotiating. (Yes, even on a low end that is possible). It doesn't mind being carted to the quilt classes, and it does a better blanket stitch than my higher end Pfaff.

I wonder what is wrong with your machine, since you just had it serviced. It is possible that you have the bobbin in incorrectly like a previous quilter postet. Can you take it back to the service place to have the tech walk you through proper setup or have an experienced sewer in your realm check it out. Sometimes the older machines are better work horses than the new ones, and for quilting you need to be able to sew a consistent 1/4" seam (straight stitch).

If you end up getting a new one, make sure you test drive it and put it through its paces.

Good hunting.

twistedstitcher

One thing you might want to try is adjusting the bobbin tension. I know many people warn against doing this but sometimes it's necessary when adjusting the top tension doesn't work. Here's some information that might help.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/HES/fcs/FACTSHTS/CT-MMB-213.pdf

littlehud

I really love my Brother. Got it at the fabric store. It doen't have all the bells and whistles some do but was a great price. It works wonderful for all my needs. The only thing is if you want to quilt your own quilts, it didn't work well for that. I battled with it for about a year and then got a refurbished Juki. That was about 500 dolllars, but I figured it would pay for itself. The thing is the Juki isn't great for piecing and the Brother isn't great for quilting. It all depends on what you expect from your machine.

pocoellie

I personally would take your machine back to the shop who "serviced" it and tell them to fix it right. Just because it's an older machine, you should still be able to quilt with it, at least until you can decide on a machine that will fit your needs.

pocoellie

I forgot to welcome you from NE CA. Glad you found us.

zyxquilts

Welcome to the Board from So Cal!
My 'new' Janome "Heart Truth" machine was in your price range & I love it! As I understand it, Janome makes one "special" machine every year that they sell at a lower price - mine was from last year, and a portion of the proceeds went to Women's Heart Health charities. It has a few 'fancy' stitches...but my favorite thing is the needle threader! lol One other nice thing is that the optional feet are reasonably priced. :D
(I also have a 1953 Singer as a back-up.)

Look for a quilt guild in your area & try them on for size. Most guilds offer workshops at very low prices, and there are lots of brains to pick too! :wink:

shaverg

I have to say my machine was quite a bit more but it is 25 years old.

But you can definitely get a good machine for under $500. At a recent quilt show there was a baby lock for under $500. I was looking at it and as I was doing so several quilters walked up and told me what a wonderful machine it was and how much they loved it.

Also there are many dealers in my area that have really good used machines that were traded in.

Take your time and do a little research on the computer. You will find what you want. The main thing is make sure you can test drive it.

humbird

I agree with whoever said to take it back to the service center. The machine I use most of the time is much older than 25 years, and I wouldn't give it up for anything!. I have had 3 new machines, (over$500 each) and now my daughters have them! What ever you decide, I wish you good luck. I am sure you will enjoy quilting. You will receive lots of encouragement here on this board.

Phyllis

LindaR

I would take the old one in first and see if they can adjust the tention. There is a way to adjust the tension yourself...I'll try and explain, might help. On your bobbin case there is a little screw (very little) be sure and ajust over something you can see the screw if it drops. LOL the rule is "righty tighty and lefty loosey" It sound like you need to tighten...turn a half of a turn and then try it. This should help and then thoroughly clean the machine and your all set :