BEST lightweight sewing machine for portability
 

As much as I am intrigued with the Singer Featherweight,
I think I'll stick with shopping for a more modern machine.
But I definitely want it to be lightweight.

I saw the new Baby Lock Rachel at my LQS,
but then I (think) I read here that the earlier Aubrey machine
weighs only 12 pounds. I like THAT!
Maybe the Rachel machine is just as lightweight?
I have not been able to find specs online that give the weight.

I'm not "stuck" on Baby Lock, though I think they make a nice machine.
Can you help me with ideas?

Thanks!

Check out the Janome Jem. Fantastic machine and lite enough to carry anywhere.

I am a Janome girl and used them when I was teaching littles how to sew/quilt. I used the 5812 that you can get from Hancock's for $179 right now. They go on sale often and can be picked up for $139 or so my only complaint about it is that it didn't come with the 1/4 inch foot but the 1/4 can be marked out so wasn't a deal breaker. I hope you can find a machine that is easy to tote around.

I had to carry 5 of these machines in and out of our class building once a week so light weight was a huge bonus.

Tammy

Check out the Janome Jem. Fantastic machine and lite enough to carry anywhere.

I agree with this. I have a Jem and not only does it sew very well, it is so light. I wouldn't be without it now even though I have a Viking d1 and a Juki TL98. Janet

I love my Janome Jem too. It's about 11 lbs. and is a little workhorse.

Check out the Brothers. I have two of them that I could lift with two fingers. Great for travel.

I have a Featherweight, but find I use my Brother cs6000i a lot more. I had a Jem and didn't like the fact I couldn't set the stitch length to what I wanted (it only has three options). The Brother is a fantastic machine with lots of stitches. The piecing stitch is exactly a scant 1/4" from the side of the presser foot, but I can also use a 1/4" foot with guide if I want. It even comes with a walking foot and a quilting/darning foot. I use mine to piece when watching videos and it sits just perfectly on a 14" media table. It also comes with a nice extension table if I'm using it on a larger surface. At $139.00, it really can't be beat. The weight is about the same as the Featherweight, and a bit less than the Jem.

Pfaff has made a lightweight machine called the Passport, it seems to be popular.

i have the brother cs6000i also and i take it with me almost weekly.

I also have a Brother..It's a Simplicity SB700T and I love it. It weights less than 10 lbs. Comes with a extension sewing table. The 1/4 inch setting is perfect with the standard foot. You might want to consider

I have a Janome 720...it weighs 12 pounds,is smooth little machine.

Janome and Brother both have great lightweight machines.

A few yrs ago I bought a Kenmore with lots of fancy stitches to do all of my sewing and now it's my lightweight machine. My teacher this weekend said if she had the money she'd buy the Passport because it has the built in walking foot and its light weight to carry when you don't need the big heavy machine. She's an award winning quilter and garment maker so I trust her opinion on what's good.

I bought a small Brother - its a sewing/embroidery machine - think the number is 390. Anyway, it is used mostly for regular sewing and I really like it a lot. My main machine is a Babylock Crescendo, but this little Brother is getting a lot of use! It costs more than some of those mentioned earlier, but since I was getting a second machine, thought it might be good to add the embroidery function. This particular machine seems to be at the low end of what is available through a Brother dealer (rather than a big box store).

I have a brother sq9000 (now the sq9050) that I got from Walmart for $200 that I use for classes and I love it. It was my main machine for 4 years before I got my Babylock. It's a great little machine and I think it weighs 10 pounds.

I have a Brother CS6000i and love it - the specs show it weighs 13lbs but is so much lighter than my Brother NSX 2000! It performs great and I just bought my niece one for 139! I use it as my backup machine and the nice thing for me is that both machines share feet, bobbins, etc.

I bought the Pfaff Passport 2.0. It weighs just under 14 pounds, but I absolute love it--it's small but has their built in walking foot, very easy to use. I have more expensive machines, and much larger, but find myself using it more than any of them.

the SQ9050 is what I use for classes also from walmart

I have one too and it it great!

Thanks for the comparisons. I also have the Brother CS6000i that I carry to classes, etc. It is a nice little machine, particularly for the money, but I've wondered how it compares to other lightweights. I have a Janome 7700 that I use at home but that thing is way too heavy to take out of the house.

I've have been sewing on the Pfaff Passport for a couple of weeks now, and if I wanted a lightweight machine to take to classes it would be this one. It really is a smart little machine, and the Integrated Dual Feet (built in walking foot) is a feature that I can't live without.

A great little machine for taking around and it sews great and it is cheap. The Brother 6000i which is available on Amazon right now for only $139.00. I have had mine for several years now and know a number of quilters in our Senior Park that have one and had it for over 5 years. The throat is not big but it certainly does the job for portability. Another Plus..........my $2000.00 Pfaff had a problem in the middle of an applique job and the Brother took over and you cannot see the difference in stitching. It weighs 14 pounds and is computer with 60 some stitches that work very well.

I have the Baby Lock Audrey and love it! It does just weigh about 12 pounds, probably less than my purse!! LOL. It is great for piecing, operates smoothly. I have quilted 3 baby quilts on it with no problems (just straight stitching), and am currently quilting a twin size quilt on it--but that is more of a chore!! I will probably get a bigger machine for quilting, but stick to my Audrey for piecing. Well worth the money in my opinion. I have had it for over 3 years, and just took it in for the first servicing this week. I am in withdrawal right now without her.......

I agree with trennag. I also have the Brother SQ9000. It's very easy to carry around.

Check out the New Elna Lotus. I have seen them on TV. I have the old one and just love it. Light weight and has all the stitches I want as well! Looks like a lunch box when closed to carry.

I see the Pfaff Passport 2.0 recomended by several people. Can you tell me what that sells for new?

These are really GREAT machines to tote to classes, etc.....sew very nicely....nice harp space..and priced reasonably.

I just saw on a website that MSRP is 699.00. You might be able to get it for less.

I have a Janome DC1050 I bought new from a sewing machine and vacuum dealer for a little less than 299.00. Weighs between 11 and 12 lbs. I made lined drapes for my son and DL's formal living room and it sewed through those thicknesses without a problem. So I'd say it's pretty heavy duty for a cheaper machine. I wag it all over the countryside and it works great. Oh, yeah. I love it for my 7 year old granddaughter because it will run without the "accelerator" and you can regulate the speed.

I love my Janome Hello Kitty Model 18750. I paid 400.00 from my Janome dealer, but it can be purchased elsewhere for around 300.00. It sews nicely for an inexpensive machine and is easy for me to carry whenever we travel.

I just purchased a Janome (Home or New Home) for my granddaughter, it weighs five pounds. Has 4 stitch lengths, I think 3 zigzag widths, and although the sales lady told me it didn't have backstitch, it does.

I have a janome 760 and I love it. Sews like a dream. Weights 12 lbs, manual is made for dummies tells you which foot to use and the settings for each thing you may want to do. Has 25 different stitches. I think I paid about 500.00 for it.

Sorry you are not in my area - I am selling a Platinum Jem, but don't have original box so do not want to risk shipping. Good luck with your search!

I just returned home today from a retreat with 42 other quilters. I'd say that at least 75% of the machines there were Janome models. I have a Janome 6500 and let me tell you, I will have a much lighter one for my next retreat!

Another vote for the Pfaff Passport 2.0. I have several machines, but this is pretty much my go to machine, since I've been taking it to classes. I love IDT (built in walking foot). I drove 600 miles to get it one month after it came out (May 2013). I couldn't find any in Las Vegas, so the closest dealer that had it was located in Tucson, AZ. They had a special for $599 and that also included the extension table for it.

I have a brother also, great little machine. but when sewing, it likes to "travel" all over the table and the foot pedal does also. I glued a piece of the rubber type shelf liner to the pedal, it helps alot. I also carry a piece of the liner to set the machine on so it stays in place.

I take my Janome DC 1050 to class and it's fine. It's the one I use all the time at home, too.

What is the harp space on the Passport? Thanks

I purchased a low end model Bernina for taking to workshops etc. It is much less expensive than their larger models but the harp size is smaller. I don't machine quilt anything but Linus quilts and rarely piece but it comes in handy when my full size Bernina is in for cleaning etc. I also own a featherweight that I rarely use. The Berninas have me spoiled with their knee bar and decorative stitches.

I like Baby lock , don't the weight . and the janome jem.... Good luck :shock:

I have the Janome 3160 quilters machine. It's about 12lbs. and I love it.