Which Machine to take to Class?
 

I will be taking my first ever quilting class in September and am really excited.

I also have decided to purchase (after much thinking and asking on this board) the Janome DC 1050 . It will be quite the upgrade from my trusty, portable mechanical Kenmore. The Janome weighs a little less than my Kenmore, but it's not a huge difference.

I will primarily be using the Janome at home. Should I use it at class, too, or is the risk of carrying it back and forth too great?

For those of you with multiple machines, who attend classes, what machine do YOU take and why?

I would take what you will be using at home. There are rolling cases that make it a lot easier to lug our machines around, now. And, some retreats have men there to help carry our heavy items for us!! :)

I would probably take my old Pfaff 1471 -because it's the one I know how to use the best and it weighs the least.

I usually carry an older machine to classes, unless they involve FMQ, and then I carry my Bernina so I can use the BSR. There's some risk in carrying a machine around, and in my case the older machines weigh less.

I have purchased a cheap light weight viking to take to classes due to the weight of the bernina and janome. I also don't think it is a good idea to keep unplugging and wrapping leads etc. I remember the olden days with computers and because we had to pack up each evening after school the wires and plug areas caused a great deal of breakdowns .also the constant movement caused many problems with the computers.
For now take the janome as this will be a learning curve and other owners will give hints etc. make sure it will not roll or move when travelling

My husband makes fun of me when I take my Bernina to classes, I set it in the back seat of my van in its travel case and use the seat belt.

I take my simple old straight stitch singer to most classes/workshops- as long as i'm just piecing, do not need any special stitches, applications. nothing to go wrong, no costly repairs, easy to take worry free. it's not any heavier than my computerized machines, I don't have to worry about it being knocked around, it sews beautifully. I also don't have to take a bunch of extra stuff with it. if I need more options from a machine for a class/workshop I take my 3/4 Janome- it has the extras needed, is smaller/lighter than my big, extreme Viking- is easy to carry and does the job- but I 99% of the time take the singer- it's my travel-work horse. :)

When I go to class I take my smaller Janome. I took 6600 once and what a pain. It is extremely heavy--to me :-) and the risk is too great that something might get jossled out of place--it is a computer too or a car accident and I would lose my machine. I worried the whole time so much so that the next class I had my little travel buddy. :-)

i have taken my Juki in a rolling case with protective padding around it. i didn't like the feeling of taking it out of my house. so now, i just take my inexpensive Brother.

i bought the little janome that weighs about 12 pounds to take to classes. i also do not like to take my
big machines out.

I take my Bernina sport 801 or my singer 221 depending on the class, perfect!

Janome Gen is lightweight and easy to use. There are several models of it and this one is mine.

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewi...9-001b2166c62d

Janone Gem Gold is the machine I take. Several people in my guild have recently purchased the DC1050 to take to classes and love them. Also a few others with Janome Gem. They are lightweight and reliable therefore perfect for carrying to class. Everyone has some type of rolling case to move from car to class but the best part is the ease in lifting from case to table. The acrylic extension is nice to have also.

I have a Janome Gold I bought for toting around to sew days. It it lightweight and sews great. The con of the older model is no handle on the machine! I keep wanting to pick it up by the spool pin. There are many great portable machines to choose with all the convenient features on the market now.

I usually take my Singer 221 Featherweight for class/retreat/workshop if I don't need any bells or whistles. For straight stitching, it's the best. To have some zigzag/decorative stitches I had a Bernette for class/retreat/workshops. Then I won a Bernina 240, so if I need more than just a straight stitch, the 240 is my class machine. If I go on retreat, I usually take both the 221 and 240, just in case. My home machine is a Bernina 440, which I don't take out of the house.

Snap. I have the Little Janome Gem that weighs 12lbs. It's easy to set up and has plenty of stitches to play with. It depends what type of work shop you are doing with the machine as well.

I take my pfaff hobby it a little work horse and not too heavy.....

I think you will like the features of the Janome much better. Also, I notice nobody mentioned that whatever machine you start a project on you should complete it on because they don't all give the same 1/4". It isn't a huge difference, but can matter in the size of your finished blocks and matching up intersections.

I agree I would take the older machine. I was at a class and during a "break" one of the sewers machine was taken! It was not a happy afternoon!

Oh my! I never heard of a machine being stolen from a class before! How horrible. Can you imagine another quilter doing this? It had to be someone who knew about sewing machines.

I take my featherweight. It's lightweight, dependable and sews like butter. I just bought an elna grasshopper, hoping to take that one too.

It depends... For just piecing, I would probably take the older machine. But, I will be honest, I got a new Viking Ruby last Dec and I still take it to classes instead of my old Lily. The newness/novelty of the Ruby hasn't worn off yet!

I have a small Singer I take to classes. It has no electronics involved so I am not really concerned with the bumps along the way.

I haven't been to any classes in a while, but when I go I take my 40-something vintage Kenmore 3/4 size. It's the machine I learned on, it sews a perfect straight stitch and has an adorable convenient little carrying case. It's still heavy for it's size, but the lightest of my machines. If the class was going to involve quilting, I'd probably have to take a bigger machine.

I have a Janome 760 that I take to class. I bought it because I could no longer lug my Brother mechanical to class, it was just too darn heavy.

My primary machine is a Kenmore Elite, it stays home, although in an emergency, I have taken it to class.

I see absolutely no problem with you taking your Janome back and forth. These are sturdy machines, the computerized parts are encased in metal so they are not going to be jostling about with movement. If I didn't have the Elite, I'd be using the 760 at home in and class as well.

I take my Bernina 185 to classes and sew in and workshops. I take and my Featherweigt to camp quilts when I remember.

I purchased a Janome Jem specifically for classes. It's only 12 pounds and Joann's sells a scrapbooking case on wheels that is perfect for portability. One of the women purchased a 6 pound machine, but it travels and isn't steady. This one seems like a good weight.

I take the machine I'm most apt to use for the technique taught in the class. I strap it in securely so it cannot slide around or fall over.

I see other ladies with small "go to class" machines, and hear lots of fussing when they do not have the features on those machines that they will have to go home and learn on their own.

I have an embroidery brother combo it's big and heavy and I just got this one http://www.brother-usa.com/homesewin...e#.UiCKiU3D-M8 to take to my first workshop it came with a carrier it doesn't have much but what I sewed with it has a good feed when sewing. if you go to the link scroll down

Amazon has a great little Brother , I believe it is CSi 6000 which I purchased for $154.00 and I see it is cheaper now. It is only 14 pounds and sews like a dream. It is much better to haul it around than my big heavy Pfaff. Also it is an computer machine with a number of stitches. When my Pfaff broke down I finished an applique project with it and you cannot tell the difference. I have friends who have had this little machine as their primary machine for 5 years and all love it.

Featherweights are nice for classes, small and lightweight. Mine doesn't have a case so I bought a small insulated cooler that works really well with pockets on the sides and a storage area on the top from Walmart.

I always take my top of the line Viking- I'm always afraid if I take one of my other ones, I'll need a feature or foot that only my TOL has. I pack it safely in it's carrying case and don't worry. Then it's all threaded and ready to finish the project when I get home, too!

One thing to remember. Try a 1/4" seam on both machines to make sure they are the same. I bought a little Kenmore to take to class and did a lot of piecing using its 1/4" foot. Then I went home and started finishing the piecing on my trusty old Bernina 140. The pieces didn't match at all when I compared a row from each machine. I ended up ripping out everything I had done on the Kenmore and redoing it on the Bernina. I ended up giving the machine to my niece and buying another small Bernina for class. They match perfectly.

A number of years ago I bought a Singer Feather Weight II. It is the machine that goes to class and travels with us in the rv. Reasonable weight for carrying around. Practical stitches; nothing decorative but the product looks as good as my high end machines. Only one problem. I have to remember that the II needs me to do different things than some of the other machines: hold the threads when you start to sew; start to sew on fabric or there will be a mess in the bobbin case. That sort of stuff. It is one of the plastic machines. The innards are generally not metal and the outside is absolutely not metal.

I am glad to have it even if it is not my Bernina or my older Elna. It does a good job at what I ask of it.

Hope I have helped,

Pat

I take my featherweight to all my out of home trips. Light and dependable.

I bought a Janome 3160 for class. It only weighs about 11 lbs and has the auto thread cutter. Since most class sewing is piecing, I couldn't do without my thread cutter. I leave my 6600 and 8900 Janomes at home. You would love the 3160.

I also do this to whatever machine I take. I run the seatbelt through the carrying handle also. This was the instruction I received when I bought my machines. Once in a while I'll put one on the floor of the back seat but I feel that's risky if you have to stop or turn a corner too fast. I have a Featherweight that I usually take to class over my computer machines if I can.

I had no choice when I needed a machine out of the house but to take my big janome until I won a small one. I was visiting family in Calif. Went to a quilt show and won this cute little machine. Getting it on the plane home was a concern. It sews great and I am very happy.

My travelling machine is the Janome Jem. She's been to workshops and has been with me when I go to stay in my uncle's house to dog sit for him. Have to do something there - no internet, and no tv!! Lovely machine and doesn't mind travelling whereas my Pfaff with all the bells and whistles had a hissy fit when I put it back in the table after a day workshop. She would not sew properly for a few days. I don't know what happened but she did get back to normal. I haven't moved her since!

I bought my Janome DC 1050 specifically for class. It only weighs 11 lbs. and it seems to be a very good machine. I haul it all over the country visiting friends and on vacations. I love sewing with it. In the world of sewing machines, 11 lbs. seems light. As you can tell, I would not hesitate to take it to class. I like that you can control the speed and sew without the "accelerator" if you want too. My grandkids love to sew on it for the same reasons.