I purchaed a Brother from Costco, great machine very light only paid 145.00

I have a Bernina which I use for my main sewing machine and just love it! Recently, I purchased a Janome Gem for classes and have been very happy with it.

If all you need for your class machine is a straight stitch without any bells and whistles, I recommend that you get a Singer 221 Featherweight. Singer began manufacturing these in the 1930s and stopped making them in the 1960s. There are many of us on this Board who have at least one, if not more, and I have not heard a negative comment about them. They are light at 11 lbs., are easy to maintain and parts and accessories are easy to find.

my reccommendation (I am not affiliated with company nor do I get commission) a Janome 3128. Hancock Fabric puts them on sale several times a year for less then $100.00 regular price $120-140. i have one. easy to use & lightweight

I love my Janome Hello Kitty 18750, which I purchased especially for carrying along when we are travelling. It has a variety of specialty stitches but is still light enough for my RA hands and shoulders to carry.

Since you already have and like a Janome machine, I'd stick with that brand and just get one of the 3/4 size machines. I bought a Jem because the dealer told me how easily she can take it on plane trips (carry it in a cloth bag and stick it under the seat in front of you).

The featherweights sound nice if all you need is a straight stitch, but I wouldn't want a machine for class that didn't have zigzag capabilities (needed that for a basket-making class recently) or needle up/down.

I don't know the differences between the Jems and the other small Janomes, but I'd want to be sure whichever model I picked had the specific features I want/need. Also, I don't think that feet and accessories are always interchangeable among all the models. I know when I've looked on Janome's website for accessories <http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/Machines/Accessories> that some things have notes specifying which machines they fit.

Have fun trying out and choosing a machine,
Margaret

I got a Janome Jem especially because the feet can be interchanged with my Janome 4900. It is a wonderful little machine with all the specialty features of the bigger machines, just not as many stitch options. I love that it has multiple speed options and up/down needle option. But I was pretty sure I wanted a Janome so did not spend a lot of time checking out the other brands.

Keep your eye out for the singer featherweight, they can be purchased for a reasonable price sometimes.

I bought a pfaff passport last spring when they first came out. Weigh about 13 pounds. Has a built-in walking foot which I love. Love the machine!

My travel machine is the Singer featherweight 221. I have 5 of them ( I restore the old cruddy looking ones )