I am wanting to get a machine to take to classess and can't find anything small or lightweight in my area so am considering ordering one. My friends say get a featherwieght or a Janome MC3000 - depends on who you ask! ... so ... I thought I would ask you! :thumbup:

Help! ... any other suggestions or is one of these a good choice??

F*E*A*T*H*E*R*W*E*I*G*H*T

You'd be very limited for classes with a featherweight as they're not made for FMQ and don't have applique stitches. I'd get a Janome Jem or something along those lines.

I use a Janome Gem. It is very easy to handle and does well enough. If I'm going to need to do something complicated I take my Pfaff, but that isn't very often.

I have the Jem Gold for classes. I have the 6500 at home and I love that the feet are interchangable. Both are workhorses!

Janome Gem
I do own three Feather Weights but you can do anything and everything with a Janome Gem it is just a 3/4 machine. With the feather weight you do straight stitch.

I won a Janome 3160 and it's wonderful!! But several of the ladies I sew with have Janome Gems or Magnolias and love them too.
Featherwieghts are great if you can find one for a good price but they aren't always available.

You won it! Lucky you.

I bought a Brother HS 2000 for my kids, but I think it would make a fine machine for taking to classes. You can get one for around $200. I've heard only good things about Janomes.

Can't go wrong with a Janome and I love the 760. Has most of the features of a 6500 without the thread cutter.

I agree. Most classes use straight stitching, at least the ones I've gone to.

One thing to consider ... I know I can not switch machines when working on the same project.

I also have a Jem Gold and use it all the time for classes - even take it when I travel. I have an Elna at home and all the feet work on both of them...I work on projects on both my Janome and my Elna and have had no problem.

I have a pink 3/4 Kenmore, which is equivallent to the Janome Miss Kitty sewing machine.

I also have a Singer Genie from the 70's which is a little heavier (19lbs) but is very compact because the foot and cord are stored in the top of the case.

Can any of you Gem owners tell me if it has a needle-down feature?

I have a Janome 760 Gem I take to classes every week. Lightweight enough for me. I also have a cart I put it in. Hubby usually puts it in the car for me. Otherwise I carry them out separately myself then put the machine into the cart to pull into my LQS for classes.

I have a Janome Gem--must have had it about 12 years now. Very lightweight for classes but mine is very basic.
No needle up/down feature, but I am sure some of the models all these years later probably would have it.

I have done some FMQ with it, some quilt in the ditch, some mending, etc. It does real good for a small machine.

Chris

I have a Brother which is lightweight and a good machine. Bought it at WM for less than $50.00. I also have a FW and I think the Brother is lighter.

I have a Janome Gem for classes and love it.

You might also consider the Baby Lock Audrey... Comparable to the Janome Gem, but a little bit less expensive

I have to go with the majority... Janome Gem....I have the platinum and it does everything you need it to do!

I heard from our Bernina dealer that the newest Bernette is really having issues, so stay clear of that...

yes, needle down, feed dogs drop, a few decorative stitches, and only 12 pounds....I have the gold.

also drop in bobbin and all Kenmore feet fit it! So the quilting kit at Sears is the thing to add on to it, if you want to free motion and have the 1/4" foot at a price you can afford!
OH, and it takes the signature prewound bobbins!

And mine has the needle threader....so with my not so good vision anymore, that is definitely a lifesaver.

I take my Singer 301a, a little heavier than the Featherweight, has a carrying handle, and doesn't vibrate or jump around on the table, sews alot better than most of the newer machines. I have a Featherweight, but am not really crazy about.

I have a Janome platinum 720 for classes. It's the same as the 760 but less stitches and less expensive. I also have a Janome 6500 and the attachments fit both machines so that's helpful.

I love my Brother HS2000 that I got from AllBrands.com!! I'm doing everything with it & it's a little trooper! I have a 20 lb lifting limit as I have a real bad back & this can be lifted with one hand! Can't say enough good things about it! I got it last June & it's been sewing almost non-stop without a problem even with the walking foot & the FMQ foot.

I would love a small Janome or a FW. There is a tiny one atWalmart, that is SUPER cute, for 79.99. I have a diffrent Brother that works nice.

When I go to classes or a retreat, I take my Bernina Activa 230. It's a 3/4 machine and not too heavy and does everything.

I had the Janome 760 which is a great machine but I sold it and bought a 3160 because I want the scissors. I LOVE this one alot.

Since my mom won't give up her featherweight DH bought me a Janome Jem for my birthday last year. What I love about it...is it's weight, my quarter inch foot from my big janome fits the little one and it has a table that fits around it for a bigger surface.

Word of caution... *I did this and ended up in trouble because the 1/4" was not the same on both machines. Lots of frustration.

I would highly recommend that IF you begin a project at class that you continue it on the machine on which you started to avoid problems.

You can always change the needle position. My 6500 Janome has so many needle positions I can line it up to the 720.

I have Janome 3160QDC that I take to classes, light weight, thread cutter, needle down, extension table everything a full size machine has. I Love mine

I love my Janome Gem and it has needle down. I really like that you also don't need a pedal because it has a button to start and stop as well as a foot pedal and variable speeds.

I have the janome Jem and love it!

I'm lucky in that my main machine is a Pfaff and I found a second hand (pre-loved) one from an ad in the local paper, so I take the older one to classes (and it's excellent).

The Brother CS6000i gets great reviews, from me too, and it's an amazingly lightweight machine that always does what it should. It's available from Amazon for a good price usually. If you search for it on this site or pattern review, you'll see how popular it is :)

I just bought this machine from Newegg.com. I gotva great price....bettervthan Amazon. My "good" machine is a brother also. Very easy to use

I have an Elna 6300 dream quilter machine, light enough to take to classes.Have used it for many years still going strong.