Encouragement
 

Hi,
I'll start out and say I'm not a quilter, nor do I intend to be one. I'm posting for help for my wife. She recently started quilting with a friend and has become addicted. She has been using her friend's machine (a very VERY nice one from what I hear) and is now discouraged from starting to quilt on her own. We don't have the finances to acquire a machine of the caliber that she has been using (several thousand dollars), and she is now saying that she doesn't want to do it at all since we can't afford the machine her friend has at home.

My question is: how can I encourage her? I want her to continue since it makes her happy, but she seems convinced that she can't sew without a high end machine. I know nothing about sewing machines, but I do know that there has to be some sort of machine that can do the basics (which is her skill level at the moment). There's surely some sort of machine that can support her new interest and carry her through until we CAN afford a nice machine.

I would really appreciate some advice on this. I want her to continue quilting but I need advice on how to keep her going until we can afford something really nice. Is there something she could start on and step up to another machine later? I'm out of my depth here.

I am a beginner quilter and have dreams of the uber expensive machines one day.

There are many on here that use a basic domestic machine. I have a basic janome magnolia 7318 that works great for quilting. Sometimes we have to start small to work up to the big things.

I hope she doesn't give up. Just because a machine doesn't cost a gojillion dollars doesn't mean it won't do what she wants it to do.

Try and find out what features it is that the friend's machine has that she feels are essential. It may be that the features she likes are available on a machine with a smaller price tag. Also, many dealers have good used machines that may fit the bill for a much lesser cost. It's important to be sure you are dealing with a dealer that has a good reputation, perhaps if you post your region, board members from that area could chime in with some helpful dealers. Good luck, it's nice to see a spouse being supportive! (Mine is too)

Talk to a dealer. You may be able to get a good refurbished machine with lots of the bells and whistles your wife would enjoy. With quilting, the main stitch you use is a straight stitch and a 1/4 inch seam so a 1/4 inch foot really makes it easier. Ask her friend what features she likes and that will help with your choice.

There's some good advice here. Just want to thank you for being such a supporter of your wife's interests! I hope you can find a machine to please her within your budget. I think you can.

You don't need a machine with all the bells and whistles to quilt. Yes, the bells and whistles are nice. I have a simple Kenmore $200 at Sears, and it gets the job done. I will probably never have the machine of my dreams. But, that's OK. I'm still going to quilt.

I guess maybe you need to sit down with your wife and discuss options and maybe saving for the machine she'd really like to have. And in the meantime, get lots of practice in on a basic machine. It's awful hard to settle when you've test driven the cadalac. But hey, everyone has to start somewhere.

Good luck. I hope you get lots of helpful hints!

try kensquilting, or allbrands. they have very good machines at good prices. my machine is not fancy, it is a brother. it has a lot of stitches, but i only use about 3 or 4. i would like a fancy machine but its not necessary and i sure can't afford it. brothers are a good machine and are inexpensive. their customer service and warrenty work is very good.

If you look thru the posts on this board, many members piece with very 'simple' machines. Lots use older singer/singer clones from the 40's 50's & 60's. These machines basically sew a nice seam and go backward. That's pretty much it. I agree with the other posters, ask what feature(s) this machine has that she would need to continue her hobby.

My machine is a $200 Singer from Wal-Mart. I have made many quilts. Do I also want an expensive fancy sewing machine. Of course I do. I can not afford one. My simple one does the job just fine.

I have 2 very very nice machines...what do I use...the basic one I've had since the late 90's. I really just go forward and backward when I piece so there isn't any real reason to have a fancy one to do the piecing portion of the quilt. Until I had the bigger machines, I used the basic one to do simple quilting. As long as she can drop her feed dogs to do free motion quilting and is willing to quilt in sections, I've heard of people doing huge quilts on their basic machines.

There are many videos on Youtube that show how to quilt using basic machines...maybe if you qued up some of them for her to watch she'd realize she is only limited by her own imagination.

Of course the flip side is for you to learn to do some basic quilting (on the sly of course :) ) and show her just how easy it can be. Your practice pieces would be great at a local animal shelter for beds.

When visiting with people who want to quilt and question their machines my response to them is "if it sews forward and backward that is all you need. A bonus is being able to move the needle, needle down and a button hole stitch." None of us need to be intimidated by what someone else has for a machine. We can always upgrade as our skill level advances, but that is a choice.

I have been sewing and quilting since I was eight years old (and believe me, that is a LONG tme!) I have used some very simple sewing machines and some of the "expensive" machines. I believe that most important part of quilting is a machine with a good stitch. I have a sewing machine that I got at an auction for $1.00, yes, that is one dollar, and it sews a beautiful seam. So price doesn't really matter to me. Hopefully, your wife will eventually believe that too.

Much good advice has been given so far, my advice may not be up to the previous level. Here's what I'd add, have your wife address her concerns with her quilting buddy. Your wife may be surprised at the machine her friend started quilting with. She, like many here, probably started with a basic Kenmore from Sears, or a Singer she got from her mother.

One other thing, have your wife look at the section on this board called "For Vintage & Antique Machine Enthusiasts." There's a thread that's pinned to the top called "Quilts Made Using Vintage Machines." There's wonderful quilts there made with pre-1970 machines. In fact, many people on this board seach Craigslist and yard sales trying to find good condtion vintage machines to use.

Tate

She needs to take some classes where they might supply the machine. and also try using different machines. Some quilters do absolute wonders on a domestic sewing machine and boggle my mind. If she wants to quilt, she can. Good luck.

I started with a $50 dollar used machine. It was an excellent machine. I bought it from a dealer that even gave me a warranty. I sewed plenty on that machine... and regret giving it away. Look for a dealer in your area that takes in trades. They offer very good deals and ask for a warranty.
I don't have a machine that is nearly as pricey as her friends and have been quilting for over 4 decades.

You're getting great advice here! I started with my 30 year old Husqvarna plain Jane-r, so you don't need anything fancy. The new machines available today have some added features for quilters that make life a little easier, but you don't need a cadillac to get them. Happy shopping! If your wife sticks with quilting, you will find in the end, that the machine was the least of the financial investment ;)

I have a Janome with bells and whistles, it was away for a service recently and I bought a cheap toyota quiltmaster from amazon uk cost £150. I have pieced and free motion quilted a couple of king size quilts on it and honestly I have to say the fmq stitches on it are nicer than the ones on my janome. It doesn't have a needle down function, but I found if I hand crank the needle into the down position when starting sewing it always stops in that position. The machine is only one of the many tools we use, I hope your wife continues to quilt as it is such an enjoyable hobby.

Simply tell her that if everyone needed a fancy machine to quilt the world would be a very cold place because there would be a lot less quilts. Fancy machines while nice are not necessary. Tell her you'll never be able to drive a car unless you have a ferarri and she will see how silly it sounds. Also tell her there are nice machines that don't cost thousands of dollars. Also most people start out with the low end machines. I did for 10 years before i got my nice machine.

They have a craftsy class quilting on small machine that will show her it can be done, maybe this will inspire her
http://www.craftsy.com/class/Quiltin...qbb&_ctp=51,43

There are sometimes good machines at second hand shops or boots sales. Craig list ebay etc. I have just purchased a hand crank 1920 machine for £10 from ebay. I didn't want electric . It wS purchased incase the electric goes off.

The others have mentioned dealers, please look everywhere. Take your wife with you to make sure she loves the machine and always check they work.

I agree with Tate Elliot - enlist the help of her friend. I'll put money on the fact that her friend did not start out with the machine she's now using. If her friend is a true friend, then she'll encourage her to look - and hopefully help her find - a machine that has some of the features she'd like.

As a fairly new quilter myself, I understand your wife's feelings. Because she's 'mastered' that machine (probably with a lot of help from her friend, lol) she thinks that's the only machine she'll be able to use.

As her confidence grows, and with the proper encouragement, she'll eventually realise that all machine are fundamentally the same - but some have more bells and whistles than others (that's not to say there isn't a difference in the build quality of say, a Mercedes and a Jeep - there is) but that's a whole other can of worms, lol.

Remind her that the machine does not create the quilt - the quilter does. The only thing a quilter truly needs is a machine with a straight stitch, a zig-zag or buttonhole stitch for applique, and maybe a walking foot. Save those thousands of $$$'s for fabric! I'd rather have the fabric than the fancy machine!!

You have been given a lot of advice. I would also see if her machine needs cleaning. I started on my 175.00 Singer machine and loved it, Unfortunately after our last move it needs to be serviced. Maybe your wife's machine is not performing up to par, it might need to be looked at. Plus it is the love of the process not necessarily the love for the machine.

Good morning, I started out with a basic singer sewing machine and ended up with a real nice husqvarna viking embroidery machine. I have found out you do not need a real nice expensive machine to quilt. I have not used my emboidery part of it. (Why I do not know). Any way if you are a beginner all you need for now is a basic. Hope it helps

Great advice from all of the people. But you are to be commended for trying to solve her problem of the machines.
What a kind and thoughtful thing to do for your wife. Good luck on finding a perfect machine and onward fellow quilter.

What type of quilting is she drawn to? If she likes patchwork then I suggest going to www.quiltville.com Bonnie Hunter's site. On you tube Bonnie will have archived sewing sessions just search Bonnie Hunter quilt cam. Your wife can watch a prolific quilter use her vintage machines that she has bought for less than $100 and tell why she likes them. Bonnie also uses recycled men's shirts for some of her quilts. Here is a link to the latest one http://quiltville.blogspot.com/searc...&by-date=false that she has made.

Though, it might not help, point out that most folks don't learn to drive on a Porsche. (That's what my group calls Berninas.) I've been quilting for about 3 years and still have my standard ol' Singer. Yes, I long for a Juki or something with a larger harp. She really needs to quilt a while to know what she wants. If I had purchased when I started I would have ended up with fancy stitches and a small harp. It seems that dealers want to demonstrate those features and they are impressive. I have never made a buttonhole. Many expensive machines have extra features that a quilter just won't use.

I don't know any quilter that would not quilt just because she didn't have a certain machine she wanted. This doesn't sound right to me.

I don't have a top of the line machine. I could afford better but have no need for all the bells and whistles. Many of those features I would never use. The things most important to me are, needle down, a drop in bobbin and a 1/4 inch foot attachment. She may just need her old machine serviced. But the cost of thaat is getting quite expensive. You may be able to find a nice machine at Joann's on sale.

Let's keep her enthused about quilting. It is SO MUCH FUN.

Janome's are great machines, and come in all prices. she could start out with one that is not so expensive and later trade up. You might try looking for a Janome Dealer in your area, and talk to them, they offer great deals on used machines also. I have a Janome and I love it. This time of year you can get good deals also. I bought my Janome 3050DC 2 years ago at christmas. I got an $800.00 machine for $400.00. brand new. I think it's wonderful that you support your wife and encourage her to continue to make quilts. Good luck!

I believe you can get a decent Janome for $300-$500. I have an old Bernina for as my major sewing machine but did purchase a Janome for workshops recently and it has many more features than my Bernina. But, I love my Bernina!

I own a good number of machines but piece on a machine off of Craigslist that does only straight stitch forward and backwards.

I second the Janomes. I several of them from basic to fancy. Most of my friends and my DD sew on a Janome Jem Silver. They bought it with the quilter package. They all bought it to get into quilting and were going to buy a fancy machine later on. All of them liked the Janome Jem so much they never upgraded. The plus point too is that it is portable as it is a 3/4 size machine.

If the quilting package is with it it will have the feet for free motion and a walking foot. I has a wonderful quilting stitch.

I agree with Dolphyngyrl. I'd love to have a Porsche . . . but my little Civic will take me anywhere a Porsche would.

I've been sewing, for over 50 years (started as a young child) and most of my adult life, sewed on a Sears Kenmore. I made my first quilt on that machine, as well as clothing and hundreds of craft items. A few years ago, after my trusty Kenmore developed problems, I finally decided to upgrade to a new Janome (by that time, it was within our budget). I have to admit I love that machine and it's more 'fun' to sew on it . . . BUT it hasn't improved my actual skills. Whether or not I sew a straight line is up to me, not the machine.

My advice is to just have a heart-to-heart talk with your wife. If the machine of her dreams is not in the budget, then encourage her to cut back on something else and start saving for her dream machine. If she doesn't want to quilt until she has that machine, then she doesn't really want to quilt.

Hi there -

I'm confused about what it is that your wife thinks she cannot do on a lesser machine. Is it the piecing or the quilting? If it's piecing, you've gotten a lot of responses from folks who have had great success on inexpensive machines. I wonder if it's the quilting she's talking about. Maybe the friend has a machine with a big opening for quilting large quilts and/or a stitch regulator and feels without these, she'd have to send her quilts out to be quilted by a person with a longarm machine. Many people, with all sorts of machines, do that because they prefer not to do the quilting themselves. If your wife's friend has convinced her that without a high end machine, she'd only be able to do half the job (the piecing of the top), that may be where the discouragement is coming from.

I made my first quilts on a $200 Kenmore and they came out just fine. There are many computerized machines, particularly used ones, that are quite reasonable, too. I moved up to one because I needed some of the automatic features due to arthritis. Probably by now, though, most less expensive models have those same things.

Hugs,
Charlotte

You sure are one wonderful husband. I understand how your wife feels if her friend has a really nice machine, however there are many nice machines out there that do not cost an arm and a leg. She really can get started and do alot of wonderful work on this type of machine. I just purchased a Brother XR1355 at costco for taking to class very inexpenise but quite a nice machine. Good luck to you and I hope your wife makes many beautiful quilts. It is a really fun hobby!!!

My first sewing machine came from Craigs List a Janome and I loved it. Only $150. and still have it to this day... Keep encouraging her.

I just started quilting a couple months ago and I got a Brother CS6000 that I love! You can get one from Amizon for less that $150.00.

It is fortunate she was not introduced to a ten thousand dollar machine......
If you had a child who wanted to be a concert pianist, would you get it a grand piano to learn on?
That might not be appropriate in your situation, however, the desire and decision is hers to make. If she wants to sew badly enough she would sew by hand and be happy. Count yourself lucky. Along with fine machines comes the desire for the most expensive fabric, thread, scissors, not to mention a studio with all the cabinets...and then, there is a long arm machine where you would need a huge climate controlled room and pantographs and many cones of thread in a rainbow of colors. God forbid she should collect old machines also. Be careful what you encourage........................Lots of love.