machine recommendations?
 

I bought a Janome 7700 with an 11" throat space. This was going to be my last piecing/quilting machine. Ha! 11" really isn't enough. It is frustrating for quilting something as small as a baby quilt. I ended up buying a Janome 9400 and selling the Janome 7700. Even thought I knew the new machine wasn't any larger to quilt on, I simply liked the new features on the upgraded machine. I ended up purchasing a sit down Janome Artistic longarm machine. The true beauty of having a quilting machine and a sewing machine is that you can continue to sew on other projects as your quilting projects will be done on a separate machine. It was very frustrating for me to realize I couldn't really sew on another project until the quilting was done on the original project. It is possible to remove quilting components and set it back up for regular sewing, I just found it frustrating to have to do that. You might be really OK with your sewing machines and just need to buy a longarm. I see that these are about $3000 on the SewingMachinesPlus website. I might add that I really enjoy completing a quilt from start to finish and that even though the quilting might not be perfect - it is handmade and I'm getting better all the time!

I bought a Juki 2200 QVP in March. It's a straight stitch only machine. So far I really like it. I've used it to FMQ a lap size quilt and am now piecing a larger one using the Juki. It seems to be a quality machine. The feet are solid and sturdy and even the bobbin casing snaps nicely into place. I've been very impressed with it and having more throat space than my other machines offer is very nice.

Oh, yes, I bought it at the local dealer and only paid about $1000 for it.

On my Juki with a 9" throat I have made about a queen size with no problem at all.

Another satisfied owner of a fabulous Juki TL2200QVP Mini here! I'm currently quilting a queen and have more than adequate throat space. The Juki is a straight stitch only piecing and quilting workhorse. I recently bought a gently used Janome 8900 for it's decorative/utility stitches and it has a larger throat space (11") but for some reason I prefer quilting on my Juki. This combo works well for me and cost less than $2,000 for both machines. I did test-drive the Janome 9400 and enjoyed some of the add'l features (over the 8900) but it wasn't worth the add'l cost to me.

I also second previous comments made about how nice it is to have one machine for quilting and another available if you're working on other projects simultaneously.

I'm sure you'll receive many different opinions - in the end, it's up to what works best for you within your budget :) Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

Christine

I couldn't agree more. I have several machines and when I was doing the Dogs in Sweaters quilt I had the 301 set up with the seam guide for piecing and the Featherweight for doing the HST. It worked great! During this time I also hemmed some jeans for my husband on the Bernina and didn't have to change thread or reset a thing!

Check out the Janome 8200. I have it and love it. It’s is less costly than the 8900 but it still has the 11” throat which was my main reason for upgrading from a smaller Janome like yours. It does FMQ like a dream. Auto thread cutter has spoiled me! More stitches than I’ll ever need. Easy to program snd very quiet. I paid $1400 on a “re-boxed” one, practically brand new. Not a day goes by I don’t smile about this nifty gif-tie

If you have a Janome dealer in your area, maybe check them out. They are currently having an "Employee Pricing Event" where all machines are available for employee pricing. This is supposed to last until July 31. I have no idea what the employee price might be, but if other people are buying/trading in their machines, you may find a really nice 11" throat machine for a bargain 4 price like Zozee. Even if you don't find a trade in, Janome has several machines with an 11" throat and I agree with Stillsewing, Janome makes a really fine machines and for $3000 you can get a really good one with lots of great features. Here is a link where you can do some comparisons before you go. Janome also lists their MSRP for each machine. http://www.janome.com/

With your budget you should be able to get a nice machine.I have a Juki TL2010Q that is great for FMQ.It's all mechanical. I love it. It has speed control, needle up-down, automatic threader all for less than 900.00. It also pieces beautifully.

I have the Brother 1500. It is straight stitch, all mechanical, pin feed, needle up down, auto thread cutter, knee lift and comes with ext table and walking foot. I saw a brand new one at Brother dealer for under $700. You could have this and a nice machine with decorative stitches or embroidery too.

With your budget, you may be able to find a used mid arm. Then you could quilt to your heart's content and keep your other machine for piecing.

Watson

Thanks for the suggestions! Juki, Janome, and Brother are high on my list of potentials for a new machine. I will keep researching, but I'm starting to think my purchase might have to wait until the kids are back in school and I have time to visit the local shops to try out different machines. No matter what I end up with, I'll be keeping one of my other machines for piecing and general quilting - I might even keep both, and use the smaller one as my portable class/travel machine.

The new Janome 6700 is pure heaven! Affordable, complete & awesome. Love love love this machine. Call your local dealer

I vote for getting a sit down machine. Keep you current machine for piecing and have ample space for quilting on a sit down mid arm machine.

I have three Janome machines and wouldn't trade them for anything. I put the 1600P straight stitch only on a Grace Sr-2 frame, so I use it to mid-arm quilt. My MC6500P is my piecing machine....has more stitches than I will ever use. and I have my old stand by a Janome Harmony that was made for Sears many many years ago. If I were to get yet another machine I'd go with Janome again. Price was right, easy to maintain, sews wonderfully.

I bought a Janome 9400 about 9 months ago. A bit pricey, but within your budget range if you find a dealer with a good sale going on. I love this machine. Can't say enough good things about it. Have used it mostly for quilting, but it sews well on other items, also. Get a good demo on this; you won't regret it.

Babylock Jazz...has one of the largest throats for a standard machine...1800.00...you might get it cheaper on sale

After dithering and waffling and making a choice and changing my mind about it, I finally settled on a Janome 8200. It's on order, and should be here Friday. It might be a little more machine than I need, but if it works as well and as long as my original Janome (13 years and still going strong), I think it will be a good investment. (I also got a Brother serger that I've been thinking about for a while; it came yesterday, and I'm trying to work up the nerve to give it a try.)

i stopped in at a Janome dealer and asked her about the “employee pricing”. I have known her a long time and trust her. She rolled her eyes and said the promo was no big deal and to wait until the new Juki with the 12 “ that comes out at Convention this summer. I say a sneak peak video on the Juki website. Gorgeous!

She is a huge fan of Babylock and sells them too. She will test out the Juki when gets it in and then we will talk about her input comparing it to the other brands she carries. I am considering a longer throat to quilt my own quilts .