I so want a new sewing machine! Juki, Brother, Babylock?
 

Just when I thought I had decided on a Juki 2010, my dealer shows me the Babylock Jane and then this morning I was reading about the Brother PQ1500this morning - what should a girl do? This machine will be for piecing and FMQ with thoughts of a quilting frame in the future - perhaps. Any ideas fellow quilters.

so try them out doing the fmg and piecing see which one you like best. that is what I would do

I'm not familiar with those machines, but if your long range goal is to use it on a frame for machine quilting, get the largest throat possible. (And needle -down, but they probably all have that.)

I really love my Brothers Laura Ashley and would really recommend that one.

I'd really have a look at the Juki. It's stronger and more powerful than the others in my opinion. Even the feet and walking foot are heavier and more solid. Good luck figuring all of this out.

I agree. I have the Babylock Jane, Juki TL98QE, and my Daughter has the Brother. All are very similar. I FMQ on the Juki and use the Babylock Jane for piecing. My Daughter uses her Brother all the time, she nainly does straight line quilting.

I have a brother PQ1500 and I adore it ! I use it for piecing and free motion, and I find it VERY simple to switch from one mode to another. Once I played with the tension on some practice FMQ sandwiches when I first got it I have not had to touch the tension know at all since. It stitches perfect piecing and FMQ , the only things I change when switching is the pressure foot pressure know and drop my feed dogs to the PIN feed setting , minus the pin in the feed dogs ( I find I get better control with my FMQ using the PIN feed setting rather then dropping them all the way down. I got a great deal on mine online and have never regretted it ! It says that it can be used on a frame as well should I ever move to a place with enough room to have one I plan on getting one !

I bought the Juki TL2010 in March and love it. It's got metal parts inside, not plastic. I asked my repair guy about it in comparison to the similar Brother model and he said for quality and reliability, he recommended the Juki. He also said that sometimes when parts in the Brother go, it's hard to get replacement parts and sometimes not worth fixing. I decided to put that money towards the Juki instead.

Go to each dealer's stores and try them out. Ask questions, see who has the best training or "guide" classes. If you plan on buying a frame at a later date consider which machine has the largest "throat" space for long arm style quilting. Also, a stitch regulator is really a great thing to have. Find out which one comes with a stitch regulator or if it's an extra, how much does it cost. Do your homework and you will make the best decision for you.

I have the Juki 98Q and I LOVE it....it is the best buy I ever made. You might try joining some of the yahoo groups. I joined the Juki group and read and read and read before I bought mine without ever trying it. I have only regretted not buying one sooner...