I am looking for a superlight sewing machine to tote around to my quilt classes and bees and relatives and vacations. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Janome Magnolia.
Very lightweight but a good solid machine. Check with your local machine dealers. Sometimes people have traded up and you can get a used machine that's been totally checked out and sometimes even has a limited warranty. Also make sure that you use a reputable dealer with a good service reputation. Even the best machine is worth nothing if the place you bought it doesn't have good repair service.
And quilt lady is right too. The Jem is a great little machine.

Janome Jem

ive got an old elna just straight+zigzag light as a feather--but i am eyeing off the featherweight singer but need more info on that one

I have a Gem Janome.

I bought a Brother HS2000 last year because I have a 20lb lifting limit (back problems) & I can lift it with one hand, but it has been working almost non-stop since it got here & is wonderful!! I just started using the walking foot & FMQ foot for it & those are great too! I'm very happy with it!!

I have a Brother CSI6000 - light, sews well, has a table and is not expensive,

I have the Janome Plantium, I love it! Great and light weight to travel with! I just quilted a full size quilt on this baby! I will post a pic shortly!

If you check with your lqs, many times you can pick a little machine up used, fully checked out and most of the time a bit of a warranty with it!

You can't beat a featherweight.
JulieM

A Featherweight is what I use. I have a very bad back & can't lift anything heavy so this is my win win solution!!

Singer Featherweight :)

I like my Brother CS6000i too :)

Singer Featherweight, 11 lbs., or Singer 301, 16 lbs.. The 301 also has a carry handle built in and you are able to do FMQ as the feed dogs drop. Both are excellent machines.

Original Featherweight or 301 is my call as well.

Tomilu, I absolutely love your avatar. Did you refinish it or was it beautiful like that when you got it?? I am looking for a treadle now too.

It was like that when I bought it. A Damascus that a lady had who didn't sew, just thought it was pretty.

Janome Gem weighs about 12 lbs. I have one and they work great!

Janome Jem if you want a new one. A lady on here has 2 Janome's for sale, one is a Janome DC2007LE and it is a great class machine, too, for the money.

I love the vintage machines, and although I would love to have a featherweight in my collection just because it's so cute, I would much rather sew with the 301 because it's so much more powerful.

If you want a new machine, the Brother CS6000i weighs 11 pounds, plus it comes with a bunch of different feet, including a darning foot, even feed foot and hard plastic case for less than $200.

As light as it is, I'm betting that it isn't great for free-motion quilting - it also has a drop-in bobbin, so the stitches with FMQ might not be very good, either.

But, it handles quilt piecing, garment construction and ordinary household sewing tasks very well and it's easy to operate.

Have fun! :)

Janome has a new machine the DC5010 (I think) and it's awesome, small and provides a lot.

Janome Jem - 12 lbs and love it

Toni, I have a couple of machines for sale.... There's not a thing wrong with either of them. They are great little Janome's like posted here....if yor are interested in either let me know.. thanks

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-87594-1.htm

Janome 3160QC. Most classes are piecing, so I have to have the auto thread cutter and the needle up/down feature. This one has both. It also has a wider stitch width and more RPMs than the Jems. It also has what they call Superior Feed System that the Jems do not. It weights 12.5 lbs. I love this machine. It travels well.
I work in Cleburne TX. Feel free to PM me anytime.
Diana in TX

If you really want a small machine that works great - try the Janome Sew Mini. Regular price is $49.99 at Hancock Fabrics, sale price is $39.99. I work there and have never had one returned. The gals buy them for just the reasons you stated - bringing them to classes, lake homes and rv's.

My little trooper is an Elna 1400, small but sews through anything I have asked it to. Fits into the bottom of my shopping cart and goes with me when I leave the house to sew. MyDD has a Riccar that she takes with her when traveling.
If you only want a second machine for sewing away from home, look for a used one at a dealer, they guarantee it will work and it will not surprise you with a breakdown. Try it out before buying.

Carol J.

Amen. Had mine for three years.

I have the same exact cabinet Tomilu! It is very old and was handed down from my stepdad's wife's family. Don't really know how old it is but it houses my mom's old Singer sewing machine. I love it but now that I see yours, I know that I need to refinish it so it will be shiny like yours! Beautiful!

I have a Janome Gem foand love it.

I'd recommend a featherweight if all you need is a straight stitch. It's fun and light. The brother HS2000 with needle up/down and 70 stitches that I bought for my kids is also super light and only $200 or so. The Janomes mentioned above are great machines, but more expensive. That 3160 is a great main machine. The last time I looked at it, it was $630. I had bought a Sew Mini for my kids, but on mine (maybe it was a lemon-other folks like theirs) the stitch quality was awful and it was so loud that I didn't think it was safe for my kids' hearing. It was also so light as to scooch around. Sears recently had the Kenmore Mini Ultra for sale for $50! I haven't tried it out, but I was highly recommended.

Janome Sew Mini. It weighs about 5 lbs. and is less than $100.

The Brother SQ-9000 (from Wal*Mart) weighs 10 pounds. I bought it to take on vacation and to classes. I looked at the Janome Gem but it weighed 12 lbs. My back is really bad so I opted for the Brother. I'm still playing around with it.

Tell me why everyone here is gaga about featherweights.

Featherweight is my choice - but then, I am biased, very biased. I have two of them :-)

Featherweight or 301 would be my choice.

I bought myself a Babylock Sofia2 a few months ago for just that purpose. It came with a wheeled tote, making it even more portable. It also has an embroidery arm, though it is restricted to 4" x 4" designs. I've never used the embroidery, except when I took the new owner classes. It is perfect for taking to class and it sews like a dream.
Carol in FL

Singer Featherweight is what I'd try to find. They are light and sew a wonderful straight seam. Perfect for piecing.

And they are cute too!! :lol:

i love m

i love my baby brother #cs8150. under $200 best machine ever sews nice i do free motion quilting with it

I'm another Janome Jem lover! Tried the Gold, didn't care much for it (limited stitches, including few stitch lengths as it is manual rather than computerized). Now I have the Platinum and couldn't be more thrilled - great stitches, excellent choice of stitches, computerized, etc., and only 12 lbs.!