Lt. Weight machine to "take along"
 

I am trying to find a light weight inexpensive machine that I can take to quilting bee's. I really don't care how many stitches are on the machine as I only want to use it to do simple piecing, etc. Anyone have a suggestion? Year ago I would have looked for a Singer but they are sort of out of existence. And from what I hear the inexpensive machine from Wal-Mart are not dependable.

I like my Janome 720. Feather weights are commonly used also.

A vintage Singer 301 would do a good job for you. Lighter weight and you should be able to get one for less than $150.

Mechanical Brothers from WalMart have gotten good opinions from lots of our members. Me included. I have three different ones - one at each of my kids and one at home.

Good morning, there has been numerous postings on the forum asking this question, but sometimes they're hard to search out. I have a little Featherweight that travels with me to camping. I'll see if I can find a few more of the posts.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...s-t237021.html

Janome Gem 760 does it for me. It's about 12 lbs. Hope you find what you need.

For just piecing, I really do like my little Featherweight. It isn't in pristine cosmetic condition so it was very reasonably priced. It was also one of the newer ones (1950s) which gives it marked seam lines on the bobbin cover but also costs less than an older one. The problem is that I like it so much that my poor Bernina 440 has been pretty much relegated to garment sewing and home dec work <grin>.

I'd consider a basic Janome Jem: http://www.amazon.com/Janome-Jem-Gol...dp/B000FLH2VE/ . There are Janome Jem's with more stitches than this one, but they cost more. All are lightweight.

A 301 is only a few pounds heavier than the Featherweight...

I second this one! Love my cheapie mechanical Brother machine from Walmart. They've never seen a service man and just keep plugging along.

My Janome Jem 720 is only 12 pounds. I keep it in its original packing box. When I go to Hawaii every year, I just pack in in my suitcase in its original packing box and check my luggage. It travels safely, and I don't have to wrestle with it in the airplane cabin. When I want to take it to a local class, I just put it in my carry-on. It's a great little machine.

My walmart machine is very dependable and stitches a great straight stitch. Never had any problems from my walmart baby

I recently bought a brother from Costco, very light weight nice machine.

Also think about getting yourself a good bag with wheels on it to carry your small sewing machine around. It makes a world of difference in terms of not having to carry it. I can't carry even a featherweight any more, but that case makes it possible to take my machine to quilting classes without strain. Love it! Plus it has pockets to carry all of the notions I need to take.

I've purchased 4 of the inexpensive machines from Walmart, all Brothers. I love them, and they are reliable.

My first one cost me $89 and lasted 6 years. Alas, it fell to it's death while DH and I were traveling. I thought about getting it fixed, but figured that would cost me more than the machine cost originally.

My granddaughter has been sewing pot holders on my 'cheapest' one, which is a basic mechanical. She puts the pedal to the metal, as the saying goes, but the machine is doing fine. That machine has 17 stitches, and we're using it to quilt the sandwich for the potholders - no walking foot involved - and it's doing a nice job of that, much to my surprise.

It cost less than $100 and is lightweight enough to cart around. Plus, if you drop it and break it, you aren't out a lot of money.

My latest Brother is the sewing and quilting model and has a larger throat. I use it to piece and to quilt doll quilts. I've found that having the larger throat is also visually helpful, as it's easier to see what's happening at the needle. It has crossed my mind that I'm imagining that, though.

Walmart also carries a few Singers, but I can't tell you anything about them.

Happy hunting!

I have a Project Runway Brother that I bought at Walmart a couple of years back. It was on sale for less than $100. I love it, I have had no issues with it and I use it more than I use my FW or any of the other machines I own.

Jusr last week Joann's had a Joname Gem Gold on sale for $199 and FREE SHIPPING as well. I think it is going to be perfect! I belong to a quilt club and my other machine is so heavy
that I often didn't take it for that reason. I would spend the time either helping someone who wanted help or cutting scraps into squares/strips. This will fit into one of the sturdy bags I have and will be so handy!!!

Okay, I have to put in my vote for a Singer 221, aka featherweight. My oldest one is 1947...66 years old and still stitching like a new machine. An all metal machine will never wear out. The newer ones with plastic gears, etc. will go if you sew a lot. And the other thing is that I consider my FWs an investment. If I ever decide that I don't want to sew anymore (like that's ever going to happen), I can get my money back.... maybe more than what I paid for them. It's a win-win for me.

Love my Featherweight, and its the one I'll take when we take our new pop up trailer out on weekends. Its a little workhorse, and a beautiful design. I always feel a bit like 'Mama' on the 'Waltons' when I sew on it. The Goodwill site is a good one to locate one of these beauties...I paid $200, and got all the attachments, the case, and manual. I looked up the popular names used in 1937 (the year of my machine) and promptly named her "Rose".... : )

Husqvarna Viking has a new one, only weighs 15 lbs.

..me too! Bought a brother runway from Walmart three yrs ago for "bees, classes" and it has been great.....when not in use it sits in its wheeled carrier...from JoAnn Fab---another great sale item.....just waiting for next outing. Stitches and tension are always consistent and it also has a good variety of deco stitches..........at home I have a babylock and Viking...both of which weigh a ton....and really if I ever need to replace either of them. I would not hesitant to go for a higher end brother........

I have a small Babylock and several featherweights that are good for travel.

Ditto,good luck.

I have a Brother 770 that I bought from Amazon a couple years ago. Came with the slide on table and attachments for $159. It weighs less than 10# and I've taken it all over. Works great. Got a roller bag on Craigslist and can tote the machine and everything else in one bag. Hope this helps you. :-)

I bought a Brother SQ9000 from Walmart and I've been very happy with it. That model has been replaced by a 9500 or something. Give them a try. You might just be surprised. The best thing about buying from Walmart is the ease of returns if you are not happy with the item.

I have a Brother and am quite satisfied. Telling someone to get a Featherweight is like telling them to find a needle in a haystack. They're hard to find for one thing and quite expensive most of the time. I know, I know some of the ladies on the QB have more than one and find them quite easily. But for others, it's not so easy to find a FW.

That's why a 301 is a great option. It's cheaper, easy to find and drops the feed dogs with a larger throat space. I have 4 ofd them!

Yes, misseva, you are right about the availability and price of FWs at this time. Everyone who is selling one knows ALL about QIILTERS AND THEIR FAVORITE SEWING MACHINES.....can you tell that I am in the market to buy another FW???
So I went and bought a Janome Sewist ($350, which included several extra expensive feet if I would buy it that day); it is light enough for me to tote around and sews quietly like a dream. I LOVE IT, and I didn't need any kind of new machine the day I bought it. I had birthday money to spend, and decided I wanted a NEW machine and went to a dealer and bought it just for the feel of buying new, not CL, or internet, or whatever.....so, if you are going to heed our advice here, good luck in your choice and search. Happy New Year to all of you.....

I got a new brothers XR1355 it does letters and everything really light cost at Cosco's 135

I have a Janome 124 from Hancock's - cost me $49 on sale and I can lift it with 2 fingers!

I have a 12# Janome Gem for classes. There is a machine that is only 6#, but is so light that it moves on the table.

I'd suggest finding a Singer 301A. Weighs 16 lbs. and has a carrying handle on top. They are a mechanical machine, and you can service them yourself. :) Happy hunting!

Quilters are really the greatest! Thank you all for your suggestions. Now I just have to do some shopping. But it was so great to get all of your input. You are the ones who know the ones who recognize what I need and am looking or. Thank to all. Betsy Boo

I second that. You could not do better than a Singer 301.

I bought a Janine gem for sew-ins, ect and I love it. It's lightweight, easy to use and reasonably priced.

Definitely a featherweight--I finally got one a year ago and it is the best machine there is for piecing. I got lucky and only paid $15.00 at a yard sale, but would have gladly paid more. Check out ebay---they have all prices.

i love my little brother machine for traveling cost less than $200.00