Machine recommendations
 

I have a friend that wants a sewing machine. She wants a very simple portable machine. I told her to buy the Janome Jem, since I have another friend that has one and loves it.
Does anyone else have another recommendation? She has looked at the machines at Wal-Mart, but I am trying to talk her out of that since I believe they are not made very well and might break on her or be difficult to sew on for a beginner.
Thanks for any suggestions, Gina

Is there a dealer - any brand - near to you/her that she might go look at their used machines? Usually a much better deal than a new cheapie machine. Or perhaps a vintage Singer from CL?

I suggest she visit a Bernina dealer and look at their lower end machines. Often they have trade ins that make them much more affordable. I have a 230 that cost less than $1000. Since there is a lot more plastic in it the weight is much less than my Artista 185. The only drawback to the smaller machines is that the harp space is also smaller which makes it hard to machine quilt anything larger than crib size. As a handquilter that isn't a problem for me. I do machine quilt at least 10 Linus size quilts a month and it would work for that. Purchasing a sewing machine from a dealer usually means that they also service and stand behind their machines.

The machines at WalMart are made by the manufacturer as those sold in the other stores. All depends on how you take care/maintain. They all have warranties. I've been out all morning and stopped at a pawn shop. Had a Singer 1507 for $30. But had no power cord or other accessories.:(

Brothers from Walmart seem to be very popular on this board with relatively few complaints. I have three different ones and they are easy to use and not fussy about thread

Walmart near me has a Brother for $49, that might be a good start. It looked pretty good though I just glanced at it on an endcap because I am not in the market for a machine.

I have a plain little Kenmore that sews well & there are lots of accessories & feet available for it. Sears probably has them on sale right now.

A cheaper machine would be my choice until she learns and figures out if she wants to sew or not. She can always upgrade later.

I have one of my machine picture's and details at a LQS listed 'for sale.' Of course, this store doesn't sell machines. One of my machines did sell this way.

A friend sold hers by word of mouth through one of my quilting groups.

Craig's List is another option.

Unless she can thoroughly check out & sew on a craigs list machine she might end up having to pay more to have it professionally cleaned & adjusted than an inexpensive new machine costs, especially if it has been sitting a long time.

I purchased a Brother from Walmart in 2010 and it is a very nice machine. It was purchased after my Pfaff of 35 years broke and needed something in a hurry as I was in the middle of a quilt. Didn't have the extra money to purchase a really nice machine and it fit the bill. My granddaughter now has my Walmart machine and loves it. It works like a charm and isn't heavy so she can carry it around.

I believe Janome still makes Kenmores & this is similar to what I have for $99. I take mine to classes when I don't want to lug my 6600P.

http://www.sears.com/singer-basic-21...1&blockType=G1

I love my walmart brother. Mine was built just fine, have had it 3 years no problems. why people hate them I still don't know, mine stitches beautifully, have used it for quilts, a dress, a bag, never misses a beat. I still use mine quite regular even though I have my TOL same brand

I have purchased two Brothers from Costco for my daughters. If you by from Costco you are also purchasing their wonderful return "no questions asked" policy. I bought an air bed from there this fall, used it once, went to use it again and it leaked. I took it back two months later, without a receipt, and they credited my card, no problem.

I have two Berninas and love them both but they are so heavy to take along to our quilting group. I JUST YESTERDAY got a Janome Gem and think I am going to be really happy with it. Joann's had them on sale for $199 a couple of weeks ago...with free shipping.

I was coerced into quilting just over a year ago by a wonderful friend of mine - she took me to a fabric shop (that counts as coercion, doesn't it) - and I got a Singer Confidence Quilter at Joanne's. It does everything I, as a beginning quilter, want it to do. I can sew straight stitches, fun stitches, and I can FMQ on it. I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on it because I wasn't sure I would stick with it. Turns out, I'm hooked! We just bought a house, so when things sort of stabilize for us I plan in upgrading to a more high-end machine.

Does your friend sew already? If she's just trying it out, I'd definitely steer her toward Walmart of Joanne's. Just have her make sure the machine will do what she wants it to do. For instance, on one of the low-end Berninas (a Bernette?) you couldn't drop the feed dogs, which, depending in your FMQ style, makes FMQ difficult.

Whatever she chooses, wish her happy sewing!

I really agree!

I bought my brothers SE from Walmart; and it is holding up pretty well; its been a year. They have 1 yr warranty; and she can purchase a addtl warranty if needed. Walmart does not make the machine; they only sell various brands of machines just as Joanns, Target, or any authorized dealer. She should consider what she will be doing with the machine; sewing, quilting, embroidering, etc. this is all important to consider when shopping for a machine; hope this helps

Thank you so much for all the replies! I had told her not to buy a machine at WM because my mother in law (about 20 yrs ago) bought me a Brother from there and that machine never did work right. She could get it to sew a little and that was about it. So for the longest time I thought Brother machines were all junk. I learned differently when I started quilting on a regular basis ( a friend had a higher end Brother). I sew on a Singer that I bought at Sears and it does the job for me. I will tell her what I have learned here about WM machines. I think that I personally would still rather have a Janome Gem, and if I can find her one, I'll direct her there. But now feel that if she decides to get one at WM she wont have wasted her money.
Thanks again, Merry Christmas!!

I bought a brother machine almost 20 yrs ago from walmart and it was a piece of junk too. I wonder if there were a few bad batches back then. My daughter has had a singer from miejer for about 10 yrs now and although she doesn't sew a lot, she's still using it from time to time.

I also have one small machine from wallmart and its working very well....most of my machines are brother and like you just said, it depends a lot on the care you take of your machine.....they don,t like to be maltreated......

I love my Janome Gem Gold, perfect size for classes. I have also had a White Crafter's Friend which was about the same size and weight but less expensive and sewed beautifully. Definitely look at Craigslist, there are a lot of inexpensive machines on there. You might also look at Freecycle - believe it or not there are people that give away machines rather than hassle with selling them for little money. Just post an ISO and see what happens. I was picking up some garden supplies off a Freecycle listing when I saw a great machine being carried out the door, I just missed it!!