I have a Ianome memorycraft 6600 P and it's the best, especially with the 9" throat for quilting. I had a Bernina before, but I like Janome better.

I just bought a Singer Futura 250 for $799....that is the price with most dealers right now. This machaine was $1099. I purchased mine at Allbrands.com, free delivery to your door and no sales tax. Features are great....you can down load any design from the internet..it takes them all, no boxes and converter hardware to deal with...just need a computer. Right now until the end of December, you get over $600 worth of free software that my friend had to pay for! The free embriodery software includes Hyper Font, Photo Stitch and Auto Cross Stitch. There is also a rebate form to send in for free 3900 Design CD, which is normally $299.
Large(4 1/2” X 6 3/4”) and small (3 1/8” X 4 3/4”) hoop. I also bought a Singer giant hoop that is 7 1/2" x 23" and Alphasew cap hoop. Oh, I forgot, if you sign up for allbrands newsletter, there is a coupon code at the top where you can get $10 to $50 off of your order depending on total.

Depending on your budget, and size of embriodery area and items you want to embriodery...this is a great machine at a great price. (I am not a salesperson...just a sewer/quilter who likes bargains when shopping.
Best regards and happy sewing!

HI tom, I have sewn on a Singer, Bernina, Brother, Kenmore and Janome for the last umpty years. I found all very good machines for piecing. However when it came to quilting, the machine with the largest throat ( the distance from the needle to the machine body ) was a deciding factor. I now quilt on my Janome which has a 9" throat. More space for the quilt. I really like the automatic thread cutter.

Do Not buy a baby lock under any circumstances without checking the warranty. It used to be it was only under warranty through the store so if the store closes you were out of luck. It happened to me. I bought a beautiful machine with decorative stitches for $500.00 and it quit working almost right away and the store had closed and Baby Lock wouldn't fix or send money back. I was a sewing machine dealer and got no where with them. I spent another $150.00 getting it fixed and it still didn't work right. I wouldn't buy one or take a free one.

The Singer 401 came out in the late 1950"s (oops! telling my age here), but I never had a minutes trouble with that one. That was during the time everyone took pride in their workmanship and things were built to last. I could clean it myself and there were no extra parts to worry about.

You say, "...steer clear of the Singers." You must have really had a lemon. My experience with the 401 was wonderful and no radical computer parts to worry about.

So far I am just as pleased with my Elna, but I worry what the tropical climate will do to it.

Have a good day and use whatever you have to the good of sewing in general.

I forgot to mention that I loved my 401 so well, that I bought my 2 daughters one each. A great "fixer" had refurbished several he had found and sold them to me for $35 each. You cannot beat that.

Granted they have their Berninas and their other fancy ones, but when they want to do down and dirty sewing, they go for the old Singer.

GramMER

Hi Tom,

I bought my machine at Sears and it is a Kenmore. I got it probably 10 years ago and have purchased several different presser feet, the 1/4" foot, a walking foot, and an embroidery foot (which I use for meandering).

I have been very pleased with the service this machine has given me and I believe I paid approximately $129 for it back then.

Good luck, and happy quilting to your wife. :)

I just bought a Janome 11000 - love it. Top quality but very expensive. I would trust anything they built though so I feel that a Kenmore would be a good choice and much more reasonable in price.

Hi, Thomas!

You're most likely overwhelmed with all the input, but here's my two cents, as well.

I've used Singers (not for quilting - I learned to sew on them), Kenmore, New Home (now Janome), and my current Machine is a Pfaff Expression 2038. I love it because it's quiet, sews easily over the 3 quilt layers, has a couple of quilting stitches in addition to almost any number of decorative/fancy stitches a sewer/quilter could want, and the best part of it is the IDT foot (integrated dual feed). You can call it a 'built-in walking foot' - that's how it was described to me -- and it feeds the layers evenly through as you are sewing - no puckers! At least I haven't had any!

My machine was $1,600, but I do know Pfaff has many machines and I'm sure you would find one somewhere in you price range. the best thing to do is take your wife for a 'test drive' and see what she likes....

Comments on my other machines? I loved them all, especially my New Home Memory Craft 6000, but I used it well for over 20 years, and the computer started going out, and the nearest Janmome dealer is over an Hour away. My Pfaff dealer is only a 25 minute drive, and great service.

Good luck on your shopping expedition!

My response on the Futura 250 was for the comment on looking at buying an embriodery mcahine.

Quilting Machine Search: I think we all need to remember Tom's need for a price range of $350 or so...The Janome 6600 is the greatest quilt machine I have seen ..with the dual feed built in (so no need for walking foot) at $1100...that is still $500 less than pfaff.....however for the $350, the Janome Magnolia is still the best buy ....just need to purchase the walking foot.

Janome has been consistent in responses....we know there are some great machines by other makers out there, but not with the features , quality and the low price....

We hope all of these posted notes help you in your quest.
Happy sewing!

I think the best sewing machine in the world is the Janome Memory Craft 6500. It has an extra sewing space for bigger quilts. It has never given me a bit of trouble and is now 5 years old. The cost is probably around $1300 but it will give you years of sewing. I use mine every day as I am an avid quilter.

I do not know where you live but if you are new Toronto Ontario Canada there is a place called The Sewing Machine Factory outlet on Lawrence, east of Warden on the south side of the street.

They sell Janomi and Bernina machines. But of these machines are excellent sewing machines. I also think you need to look at an embordery machine that works as a sewing machine as well. They also have rebuilt machines that are very good.

If you do not live in Canada go on line and type in quilting and ask them for there advice on where to go.

Jo-Ann Lander

Please pardon my ignorance :oops: but, what do you mean by "quilting stitches."?

I'm juming ahead of a response to you....but the machine manufacturers are promoting three different types of quilting stitiches these days.
1.Feather stitch----for crazy patch.
2.Quilt Stitch--Looks like hand stitched...there is a very tiny space between stitches called a hesitation stitch---------
3.Stipple Stitch- A few machines have a stipple stitich, but not many,and the quality is not as good as a little practice by the quilter just doing free motion.
Hope this helps....

I've yet to meet a sewing machine I can't kill! I'm hopeless with them and can destroy them/severly injure them in under an hour. My sisters and my Mom wouldn't let me near theirs. I failed Home Ec because of the damage I inflicted on the school's sewing machines. Yes, I have tried, but even I can't bear to make another one suffer! My Mom left me her Baby Bernina when she passed away and I gave it to my grandaughter when she expressed an interest. They're very happy together, while I do all my piecing and quilting by hand. I do enjoy curling up on my sofa and quilting in the evenings, something I'd feel awkward doing with a machine in my lap. I like being able to get 8-10 stitches per inch by hand, something I don't think I'd've been able to accomplish if I had relied on a machine. I do envy the speed of machine quilting and piecing, but I think of each stitch as part of my dreams and hopes going into my quilts.
I'm mechanically challenged, and happy anyway!

Don't wprry about being a man ina quilt shop ,a good many men are now quilting and many men are in the business as teachers and makers of quilt frames and other quilting notions Enjoy most quilt shop are friendly places we always enjoyed the men coming in and always had a specila evening at Xmas for husband shopping only., we even wrapped the parcels :)

I'm a Pfaff girl myself. I have the Embrodary machine which I use mainly to do peace work. My friend said I would be sorry if I didn't buy the big boy and I hardly never take advantage of all the stuff it does.
I also have a Inspria quilting / long arm system that came with a Pfaff work horse. I am not crazy about the outfit but love the sewing machine.
THe path for quilting is only around 8-10 inches but it does do King size. I am working on a King size all hand peaced Grandmothers flower garden now. Will be glad when it's finished being quilted. It's taken me three years to finish as I have little time for hand work.
I think sewing machines are like cars what ever you like is great for you.
Been reading your posts for a few years now and finally decided to join in.

Hi, I bought a Pfaff years ago and LOVED it. I don't remember the model number, but it was the last of the brown colored models. I gave it to a daughter who started quilting and I bought the Pfaff Performance 2054. I wouldn't have any other machine. The only machine it compares to is a Bernina. My beloved Pfaff does everything and never needs repairs. It has all the bells and whistles. I make tradional quilts, contemporary, and art quilts. I make for charity and have I have sold some some of my quilts. I also do some teaching. I tried many machines, but made the decision to get a Pfaff and am glad I did. Happy quilting!!

I didn't want to sound too braggie but I Love my Pfaff too. I think what ever machine you get use to you love. I own a business, have a large property to maintain, take care of my mother who lives on the property. and still do alot of quilting for charity and firends. It is my tharapy! I have been doing some knitting for Christmas too.
I was lucky to have a client/friend who was a 20yr quilter and she taught me what she knew. We got together twice a month and worked on projects. I live in the Seattle area and each year the whole west coast of Washington has a quilt shop hop which starts at the Orgon end of the state and ends 1 mile from Canada. There has been as many as 64 shopes and it is a five day thing. Each shop gives you a block and some or the fab. of the year them you add to it and make a quilt with how many blocks you got. I learned on those blocks. Great fun. My firend and I head out the day before and don't come home till it's over!

Glad to meet you Birdie. I'm from Pinellas Park, FL which is between St. Petersburg and Clearwater..........all a matter of blocks apart. My life has been full of many challenges (as I call them) and my quilting is my therapy as it is yours. I'm grateful for such a fulfilling hobby. Most of my quilts go to my 4 kids and my brothers kids. But I also do a lot of charity projects.

I learned on an old Kenmore(Janome) and then bought a high end Janome, quilting machine. The features that I love are the walking foot, the Scissors, and the extra height that I can get with the lever. The other major feature with the Janome is the "sure motor" sound. It is made with steel worm gears, that generate a really "Straight" stitch.

The little feather weight machine by Janome is great just to get some quick sewing done. And to take to classes. Have fun and when looking talk with the sales person about who can tune it up, tension, oil, cleaning when it needs it.

In response to the question of what machine I use, I have a Janome 6600. As far as what I like about it is the automatic thread cutter, and needle threader; the large harp area so I can quilt my queen size quilts with little or no problem because of size. I love the lever that lets me lift the presser foot with my knee, more lights and the varity of stitches available. It sews any and all threads I have used with ease. It has the dual feed like the Pfaffs which I use all the time. Compared to the price of Berninas and Pfaffs that I looked at it by far beat their prices and sewed as well if not better imho. I also have a Janome 3500 that I use for travel and it sews as well as the 6600.

I have three machines...an older Elna, which I seldom use; a Viking which I sometimes use, because it seems to lack power; a Pfaff, which is the light of my sewing room..has plenty of power, adjustable needle position, built in walking foot, and a wonderful dealer with a great, fast service department. THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME. The Viking has to be sent to the midwest for service, sometimes taking as long as two weeks. Hope this informaton is helpful. Incidently none of these machines cost over $600 (two were bought during a sale and one was a demonstrator model). I have always purchased a medium priced machine, one that will sew forward an backward, has a couple of decorative stitches, zigzag. These machines will handle alll the quilting I do. I have been at it for 25 years. The less fancy it is the less there is to go wrong with it.

Thank you all so much for your input, experience and expert advice. It has been fascinating to read all of your responses. It gave me a real sense of the love that quilters seem to have for their machines. I suppose they are almost a part of the family in some ways. Wonderful to hear of the 1951 Singers and the older machines that were truly built to last. Let's hope that present day machines can do as well.

For those who don't know, we ended up buying a kenmore that was on sale. So far my wife is very happy with it and is "bonding" as she learns the skills needed. What she has done so far is beautiful and I can only guess what it will look like once it is all together.

Thank you all so much for your help with this. The quilting community here seems to be a friendly and loving place. Many thanks and blessings to all of you who are passing on your stories to others through your quilting.

Tom

Hi, I have two Janomes and I love them both for piecing. I have a Juki TL-98Q that i use for quilting that i also love . It has a nice throat space for quilting up to a throw sized quilt. I have not tried anything larger. Good Luck!! Nadeen

It's awesome when men quilt, but it's awesome too, when men support their quilting wives. Thanks! :D

I am sewing on a Viking #1 which is about 15-16n yearsw old and has done everything I have wanted it to do. My problem will be when it dies, I will be a very sad quilter.

I purchased a Janome 6500 about 3 yrs. ago...when I got serious about quilting. I like it a lot because it is dependable and has some nice features to it..Like the self threader,separate bobbin winder,. and especially the up/down needle button. I do my own free hand quilting so I like the speed control level and thread cutter button...It has a lot of decorative stitches that are very easy to incorporate in my quilts or purses that I make Janome is a very dependable well built machine...Good luck! Kathy

I use either my Necchi Omega or my Singer 7470 to quilt, they are both great for sewing through many layers of fabric. I also have a brother sewing machine but only use that for light sewing.

Sondra

Thanks. I am aware of the feather stitch and the stipple stitch, but not the quilt stitch. My machine makes the feather stitch.

I sew on a Janome Memory Craft 3500 that I've had for around 9 years. It has been an good machine and more than capable with any task I've thrown at it. I've been thinking about buying a new machine and while I was in the store I saw a really cute new Janome machine called The Threadbanger. It seems like a great machine for anyone starting out and is geared towards the home crafter as opposed to a garment maker. It retailed at the store for 699.00 but I thought it was overpriced so I'll bet you can find one elsewhere for a lot less. Good Luck and bless you for supporting your lucky wife in her new hobby!

ThomasR,

My wonderful husband purchased a machine as a surprise for me also. I was not quite ready to give up my old Kenmore but it was in for servicing and I was without machine over my birthday a couple years ago. It was a very sweet idea and I probably never would have spent the money on it for myself. That being said, I wish that I had more info about the machine and classes to learn how to use it. Now that some time has passed, I am able to use more of the functions but not all I'm sure.

I imagine the budget was about the same as yours for your wife. Please make sure that you purchase a walking foot if she's interested in machine quilting & not just piecing. I hand quilt and machine piece so I'm ok without one but for smaller projects wish I had one. Also, it should have a quarter inch foot which also didn't come with mine. He was told it was a "quilters machine" but it's a standard machine by "Kenmore" who no longer makes their own machines. I had an old Janome embroidery machine and think my "Kenmore" is actually a Janome also. Several pieces from my old Janome are interchangeable with this one.

I would make quite sure that it is exactly what she wants or let her pick it out. And Kudos to you for being such a great guy trying to make such a thoughtful purchase & encouraging your wife's talents.

Just read that you purchased the Kenmore for her. How fantastic for her. It will take a while, don't fret in learning the machine. I have a slightly older model and am not sure if they're made by Janome this year (I heard that Kenmore purchases from several companies). Assuming yours came with a video, be sure that you hang on to it....I just watched it again and picked up SO much I missed when I first bought it. Best of luck with the machine. Happy Sewing!!

Well, welcome Birdie. How could you keep silent for so long? I thought that I would do the same, but sometimes I just can't help getting in on the action. I have learned so much already.

OK, can anyone tell me why my posts always have the box "Edit" next to the "quote" box? I don't notice that on anyone else's posts. I'm such a duck when it comes to the 'puter.

I have 2 Elnas - Quilter's Dream and Pro Quilter's Dream - LOVE both of them. They are very friendly user - very little maintenance and can be serviced easily. Not overpriced for the product you are getting. They were endorsed by Eleanor Burns who now endorses Baby Locke who is owned by the same co. WHAT an endorsement. Need any other advice or questions contact me [email protected] MY next machine will also be an Elna - I'm just waiting now for a larger throat area.

Hello Mr. Tom. Greetings from England. Since my hands no longer can do my quilting, I invested earlier this year in a Janome QC (quilters companion) and it does everything except the washing up. I got a very good deal from my supplier who gave me extra feet including the 1/4inch and walking foot. I did a lot of research before I settled on this one, and I paid £289 for it. Sorry I can't convert in dollars. Hope this is useful, put together with all the other advice you are getting. Sylvia

For sewing blocks,I love my White brand machine. It was bought in 1992.
The sales person told my husband that it was a true basic model that would run and run like a timex. I did not know that these things needed service and in 2005 I had it cleaned and checked. NO PROBLEMS.
I sew every day for a few hours. Trying to sew a straight Line :wink:
It helps my mind to be busy.
This is not a fancy machine with all the bells and whistles ,just a machine that keeps running no matter what I have tried to sew. I am self taught and that can be hard on a machine too.
Good Luck,Find one that makes you feel comfortable,and most sales places offer some help on how it works.
chrissy b

JANOME! Currently have 5 machines and if I could have only one in your price range I would select a Janome. BUT, go to an authorized dealer for purchase. The deal will almost always be better than anywhere else, they can explain all machine options, you can test drive machine, many offer free to very inexpensive classes, and and repair service is always available.

Although I now have a Husqvarna Viking which I love, for the price range you want--I do recommend Sears Kenmore machines. My husband bought me one when our daughter was 6 months old and I still have it & it works just fine. My grandaughter is now learning on it. It is sturdy, easy to use and does both piecing and quilting wonderfully. Just make sure to get the quilting needles to do the quilting and use the regular ones for piecing.