My old reliable singer sewing machine broke and was thinking about getting a new one. It is out at a shop right now sitting in line to be looked at to get fixed. If it can be fixed. I was thinking about getting a new one and wanted to hear some opinions on what to get. I am a beginner to quilting and have no place in my home to stash my machine and quilt supplies other than a hall closet. ( I am a Closet Quilter) hehehe. :mrgreen: The lady at the shop suggested a janome machine and i tried it and it seemed to work much better than my singer ever did. I was just wanting to get some suggestions on what was a good sewing machine to get for a beginner. I have two small children under 3 years old so I have to be careful of price and ease of use and being able to put it away all the time. I want to stay under 250 for a new machine and don't need all the fancy bells and whistles just yet. I just need one that does a bunch of different simple stitches, and can take heavy duty fabric. I also do strange projects for my mom and church. like sewing with leather and vynel. getting ready to make some bean bag chairs for my mom out of corduroy for a nursery at church. HELP PLEASE!!!!

I got my Janome 11543 from Overstock.com for 60 dollars. And free shipping to boot.

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewi...8/product.html

It says its out of stock, but they have some really good deals on other machines.

I would check out Craig's List in your area. There have been some awesome deals on machines there, probably people trying to buy groceries in this economy.

Sahm- Where are you? I would try Craigslist as well. Thrift stores sometimes, but not as reliably. Also, don't rule out eBay- If you buy from eBay- buy from a DEALER. Check the feedback and look at shipping costs.

Janome, Janome Janome. check with a dealer, sometimes they have trade-ins for sale.A reliable machine. Good Luck

I have had good luck with Janome machines. I also like Brother. My first one was a cheapie from Walmart and sewed great.

I have two Janomes and love them. Janome makes Kenmore machines, so you might want to check out Sears. Both my Janomes can handle heavy fabric. There are lots of threads here on the QB about getting a new machine. Use the search feature at the top of the site to search for this info, it will be really helpful to you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Since you are limited with your budget, check out the Kenmore machines. They are made by Janome but more than half the price:)

I have the Kenmore and waited for them to go on sale. It has the things that are most important to me. Speed (slow-fast), needle down and needle threader. It's a tough little baby, easy to take to retreats and has never broken down in 4 years. Doesn't have a million bells and whistles - but certainly enough for my needs. This model (second from the bottom cheapest) was suggested by a well known guest speaker and she does beautiful work. Now at retreats, it is the most used machine!!

my first machine was a brother from wall mart ,you cant beat the price it does lots of different stitches .and it held up real good
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