Buying a new sewing machine
 

I would like some help buying a new sewing machine. I will have a budget of a $1000.
I do like computer type and lots of stitches.
I am open to all brands and tips.

Thanks

I have 3 Baby Locks and a Singer. My Singer is old, from the 80s, my Baby Locks are newer, a serger and 2 embroidery machines. I love them all!

I have had a singer sewing machine ( that would sew backwards, when I wanted it to go forwards), sent it back to the shop where i bought it and went and bought a Janome machine. I was just getting started with the quilting bug and that Janome was wonderful. I traded up a few years later to a Janome 6600P and then, just recently I received a Janome 8900 for my birthday. Loved that Janome 6600P, but I am really enjoying the 8900! It is a wonderful machine and great for quilting. I quilted everything from lapsize to King Size on the 6600P and it did a wonderful job! looking forward to quilting on the 8900 real soon. :)

I bought a 1500.00 Babylock about a yr and a half ago. The Serenade. I enjoy many things about it, but it does have a few bugs and a less than perfect straight stitch and a very generous 1/4 inch. Since then, I have purchased a portable Janome to take to classes etc. I think I paid 375.00 for it and am in LOVE with it! The straight stitch is perfect, the feed dogs are strong and the 1/4 inch perfect! All in all, I would buy a Janome over just about anything else out there. I have many friends that also have Janomes and love them too. Good luck on your hunt!

My Daughter just got a Baby Lock (Molly) which is way under your price range, but I really like it. I also have an older Kenmore machine that I also LOVE... but I don't think they make them anymore. I have heard to stay away from Singer as they are nothing like they used to be. (I'm jealous of your sewing machine budget) Happy shopping!

I think certain Singers can be fine.. I have a Quantum L-500 and it's been great for me, but if you read reviews online they are quite mixed... but it is literally the same machine as the Pfaff Smarter C1100 Pro.

That said if I were shopping right now with a budget of $1000 I'd look strongly at the Pfaff Ambition machines - they have a large harp space and Pfaff's built in IDT :)

I love my Janome machines. I don't think you can go wrong with a Janome. I think Kenmore and Elna are from the same company.

Baby Lock and Brother. Quality for an affordable price. Lots of accessories, stitches, and dependability. I've had them all, and love my Brother the most. Mostly because of ease of use. You get the most for your money.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

I love my Walmart brother sq9000 that I paid $200 for. I am looking at getting Another machine (for embroidery) and I am leaning towards another brother.

No opinions. I use two straight stitch only machines. I don't need any other stitches.

I vote for a Bernina. They have some models under $1000 or you could get a used one that was a trade in at a dealer.

I toss my vote for a Janome! I got a new 6500 for $900 and love it! BUT.... with that being said.... go to any place and take a test drive of different machines. They all "feel" and "sound" different. Think about what you really want in a new machine. for me... it was a auto thread cutter, needle up & down button, and a BIG throat area for space to roll up quilts when doing my own quilting. I almost bought a new Bernina then realize the one I could afford only had a 6 inch throat area. I bought my Janome online from http://www.american-sewing.com/ about 3 yrs ago and LOVE IT! He offered a 30 day full refund and even to pay for return shipping if I didn't like it. I just he knew I would love it!!!

Good Luck in finding the right one for you.

I have a Janome also, and I just love it! You should try and find a dealer and test drive one, I think you will love it!!

Well, I love my Pfaff - it has the built-in IDT (walking foot) for quilting (no separate walking-foot attachment required). I had a combo Brother sewing/embroidery machine (LB6800 - same as SE400) but it wouldn't quilt correctly - even with a walking foot (stitches irregular; had problems going thru multiple layers).

Pfaff has their Ambition line for under $1000 - and you may find an Expression on sale right around $1000. Lots of pretty stitches (and pretty machines!) and great, even stitches.

Brother hands down because like someone said ease of use, quality, amount of accesories, excellent straight stitch. I have sewn on bernina, husky, singer, but have loved my brother the most, most high end babylocks are the same as brother as they are made by them but usuallly come with a higher price tag for the same machine so unless you find a deal where it is cheaper like my espire I would pick the brother over the babylock just for cost. what features are you looking for

I didn't know that about babylocks. I had one from a sewing machine shop that was considered high end and I hated that thing. Same with my babylock serger-total piece of junk. The sewing machine was given away. The serger, which doesn't work (as usual) is sitting in my sewing room, taking up space.

So that would make me avoid Brother as well. I have a Brother embroidery machine but only got it because of the price-I don't plan to embroider much and didn't want to spend too much.

My first choice would be Pfaff, second choice would be Brother.
Best thing is to go to a sewing machine shop and try them out. See which one offers more options and best warranty. You can get really good deals on machines that have been barely used too.

I would look at the Janome 6600 or 6500. Although they are computerized the machines are heavy weight, very well made and customer service is fantastic. Another machine I would look at is a Juki. They have a great quilting machine without the bells and whistles that I have heard rave reviews about.

Pfaff, Babylock, and Brother are all made by the same company. Why pay more? Go with the Brother. I have 2 Brothers. Awesome.

Everyone has their favorites as you can see. My suggestions is to shop around, and find the machine you like and the dealer you like. Remember that dealer is the one you will have to talk to about anything that might go wrong, or to help you understand your machine.

Also while shopping, ask the sales person if they have any open box machines for sale or demo machines. You can save ALOT of money by getting one of these and they come with the same warranties as a new machine. You get more for your money this way.

As for my fav., I love Babylocks. I just sold my Quest and will be picking up my Serenade this week. I got the Quest as a demo machine. The Serenade I got as an open box, and saved bunches on it.

Which ever you chose make sure its a good fit for you. Enjoy your search. Make a list of the important things you want your machine to have on it. Take that list, and some sample fabric (the type you will be sewing on ) and have fun shopping. This is also where you will find out if you like the dealer. If they are friendly and take a lot of time with you, and have a good knowledge of the machines your asking about, this is a good thing. Most of all take your time and have fun!!

No they are not. Pfaff is made by SVP (Singer Viking Pfaff) Brother makes Brother and Babylock in the same factory, but Babylock is made under standards set by Tacony, which are a bit higher than Brother.

No they are not. Pfaff is made by SVP (Singer Viking Pfaff) Brother makes Brother and Babylock in the same factory, but Babylock is made under standards set by Tacony, which are a bit higher than Brother.

The Janome 6300 is within your budget. I have the 6600 and the 6500 and the 6300 is a similar model with fewer stitches. I also love my 7700, but that was $2000.

I recently bought a BabyLock Elizabeth. Love it! Lots of stitches, many great features and it fits your budget!

Depends on what you want on your machine.
My favorite feature is when in needle down mode my machine lifts the foot just a little when I stop sewing.
This is great for aplique and chain stitching as you can rotate the fabric.
I have a Viking Sapphire and love this machine with its 10 in throat area.
It has lots of stitches but I dont use them much.

The Juki F600 has a lot of high end features and is in your price range (I paid $899 for mine and love it).

I just bought a Brother PC 420 PRW from Walmart for $400 and it is a wonderful machine. I have a Janome and a Viking and like this machine better than either of my high end machines. It sews like a dream, has a perfect 1/4 , has a automatic needle threader that works better than the ones on my high end machines, has a knee lift, an automatic thread cutter, and comes with a walking foot and a FMQ foot along with many other feet. I am sold on the brother machines, and I hardly use my expensive machines anymore, plus it is light enough to take to class where my other machines are both so heavy. Highly recommended.

new sewing machine
 

I just bought a Brother NX450Q and love it..I shopped around and was able to find it alot less than at my dealer close by. My other choice was going to be a Brother PC 420, which had great reviews, and was less cost wise. Some of the brothers sold at Walmart and target, ect are not the quality of the Brother machines sold at the dealer stores. I researched and talked to alot of people about this. Thats also true on other brands. Each line makes a little less of a machine for the stores. I think I found the Brother PC420 for $379. at Kens Sewing Center.com 1-877-536-7739 free shipping also. I bought mine on line and it was shipped and had no problems. I bought a brother because I have the Brother Quatro and wanted to be able to use the same feet, ect. I have heard the Pfaff and Janome brands are good too. Good luck but shop first.

I have a Brother SQ9000 I bought on Amozon.com and it came from a dealer on there and has 80 stitches, needle up/down and I do not have to use foot peddle, with with the dogs, that is good, one less thing for them to chew. Also comes with extension table and was $139.00 or so on sale.

I love my Janome. I will never buy anything else else again. Bought a Husqvana 830, which is a beautiful machine but I just can't get use to it.

I have 2 Pfaffs a Select 3 and an Ambition 1.0. I love both of them the Ambition is computerized, has lots of stitches and a bigger opening and both have the IDT (love,love, love). The Ambition was $799 so within your budget. That said go to your local sewing shops and test drive to find the one with the features you will need and like.

Happy shopping.

I bought a Janome 6600P recently to replace my old Pfaff. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably go with the Pfaff for several reasons. The Pfaff has a built in walking foot and you don't need to keep changing the shaft to change feet. I thought the Janome's monogramming would be fine for me, but now find I wish it could do just a little more in that department. The biggest positive with the Janome for me was the great buttonholer! I do a lot of blouse sewing, etc, so really needed a machine that accommodated that. (the Pfaff buttonholer was a four-step process and never worked properly) But, guess you can't find everything in one machine, and all machines have positives and negatives. You just have to try them out until you're completely satisfied with one.

I was going to suggest a Pfaff also because of the IDT. I have a Bernina that is fine but I hate using the walking foot because it always seems to be in the way of my sight plus it seems to be a bit finagley to put on. The Pfaff just flips down easily and back up when you don't want it. I have a Pfaff 7550 that I bought used that has enough extra "fancy" stitches for me. The only thing it doesn't have that I would like is the knee lift. However, you would have to decide just what you want/need for your type of sewing. Maybe write down what you "must" have and what you would "like" to have and then check out all those machines online that people have suggested to see which one fits your list best.Kind of like buying a house but cheaper! Oh and maybe check out reviews of the top 3 to 5 that you like the most. Good luck. Shopping for a new or used machine can be ..... well ..... mind bending.

A LQS(Creekside Quilt Shop) in Clive Ia, has a Pfaff 3.0 Expression floor model on sale for $999.00, originally 19??.??.
rarely used. (has a large throat!!) If you don't mind paying shipping??
PM me if you want more info
Good Luck on your search!

I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket a few weeks ago, and went up to Bowling Green to a visit a sewing machine/quilting shop and walked in and showed one of the ladies my handful of money and said "what can you offer me in this price range that is light weight with lots of good features. She smiled and showed me every machine in the $250 to $300 range, then showed me a Janome Sewist that I fell in love with. I told her if she could take my husband out of the extra $50, I'd buy it even though I didn't need the quarter inch foot and quilting foot. She did, and I left with a great little machine that I do love. It sews great and makes wonderful buttonholes automatically.....

BTW_ I am not afilliated(sp) with Creekside quilt show, only as a patron who happened to be there early today who saw the sign in the door.:)

Should say "store", not "show" ;)

Larger Bobbins
 

I have been looking & looking & looking at the Walmart Brother CS-6000i for $154.97, I'm just learning to quilt. My question is....is the bobbin bigger (holds more bobbin thread than) than my DSM? I like the extra features on the Brother CS but since I have 3 DSM I'm wondering if a bigger bobbin is really a plus also?

Buying a machine is like buying a car. Test drive it, does it "feel" right to YOU? Its all about function and ergonomics. There are lots of great brands and you just need to find the brand that fits your budget and needs.

Sandy (janome 4 me)