I was really disappointed in craigs lists ads. I really like the guy over at the machine shop. His repairs seem to be way too much after you've had the machine a few years. The cost to purchase a machine isn't too bad.

I really appreciate everyone's comments. I'm compiling a list of things I need vs. would be nice.

I really like everything I can find on the Brother PQ1500-S, but just not the price! I get off work at 2 on Thursday and don't have to pick the youngest until 3:30 and the others at 4:30. If I run over at a dealer, I can have someone pick up the youngest with no problems. I'm mapping out my afternoon to hit as shops as I can that sell ones that have been upgraded. Can you think of anything I should add to this list that I'm probably forgetting?

Here is my MUST have list...albeit a small one.

1. Must have throat capacity to fit a rolled, bed size quilt.
2. Must either come with or find availability for quilting accessory feet. MUST have all of the following:
a. 1/4" foot
b. Walking foot
c. darning or FMQ foot.
3. Must be easy to thread the machine.
4. Must have needle threader
5. Would really like it to be easy to remove lint from.


Here is the would be nice list:

Needle down option to pivot is nice, but not necessary.
Owners manual needs to be relatively easy to understand.

DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT:
Don't want to have to use Cone thread
Don't want it to be so complicated I can't figure out how to use it without excessive classes.

So the machine I absolutely fell in love with is the Brother 1500S. I need the 9 x 6 throat plate. The cheapest I could find it was 599. Can't find any used ones around here and each dealer is much more interested in showing me a machine that's over 1000.00 and not under.

Was getting rather discouraged. I had just decided to save as much as I could until I could get closer to hubby's version of a budget. He gave me an amount so small I couldn't even buy the machine I have now for that little. So..seriously was going to just save and save and save....until I saw her.....

I'm thinking about buying an older machine. I saw her in a shop. The only requirement that I have that she doesn't is that she doesn't have a needle threader. I have kids that can see, perhaps they can thread it for me. Her throat area is 9 x 6 inches as well, same as the brother!

I'm still talking to the shop about prices including the quilting accessories I want, parts and service guarantee, and classes.

I think you can buy a needle threading tool from Clotilde. The Brother you wanted is super, can't imagine a better price than $599 new. What's the used model you are looking at. Patternreview.com has reviews. Sewitsforsale is a yahoo group for buying/selling sewing items. Good luck!

I have the Brother PQ-1500S. It's a great table top quilting machine. It's easy to do all the maint on it yourself too. The housing is easy to take off and you can clean inside. Just be sure and keep it oiled. It loves oil. My bobbin winder quit working so I took the top off and found the problem and fixed it myself. All mechanical and very solid made. Only one con, the manual is fluff. It doesn't go into much detail at all.

while I still think that 600 is an awesome price for the new brother, it is still outside the budget I was given. I'm going to be getting an antique singer, but it works great and that's really all that matters to me. It doesn't have the additional decorative stuff or computer stuff that I didn't want anyway. Here are some pictures of the model. When I get it, I can take pictures of her specifically.

The throat size is 9 x 6. I can get a walking foot, 1/4" foot and darning foot too. It fits all my basic requirements and if my budget ever becomes more (which may be a while on one income for a family of 5), I can always go out and buy the Brother. Since it's new, it's not going anywhere.

[IMG]http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...1303511243.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...1303511256.jpg[/IMG]

Did you talk to your Janome dealer about trading in your little Janome on a larger gently used Janome? Some dealers not too far from me have several brands of machines. If you could find one near you, you could really get a feel for what is out there, and perhaps strike up a trade in deal. Also, overstock.com sometimes has great deal on refurbished machines with full warranties. That is where I got my little Brother CE4000 and it is a great little machine.

Edited to add: Opps :oops: , sorry, didn't see you had already decided on the Singer. It looks like a nice sturdy machine and it does have nice throat space. Have a great time with it!

It's ok. I actually went to my Janome dealer first. I wouldn't dream of trading in my little machine. I love her and she is my go to machine for piecing and just about everything else. I just noticed she's too small to quilt anything larger than 60 inches on.

I still do most of my quilting by hand...but sometimes you need to get a project quilted faster...like for a sick friend or a child.

I think she's going to be great. Her throat size is the same size as the brother I was looking at. I'm fine that she doesn't have all the bells and whistles cause I didn't really want any in the first place. I'm really only an intermediate piecer now...someday when I can do some really difficult stuff, I'll get a larger machine with all the bells and whistles. I just don't need them now. The bonus is that she looks just like mom's featherweight. It's like I'll have a matching set, one bigger and one smaller!