nq900 overkill for beginner?
 

Hi, I'm a beginner who has made around 5 bags so far. only 3 of them were decent. one being pretty and the other two honestly being kinda... eh... I've been overcome so bad with decision paralysis. Most of my friends seemed to think it's insane to send this much on a sewing machine.

I might eventually sell them as a Hussle thing to make up the cost, but that's a long way away and god knows if it'll actually happen.

I got a brother CS7000x and I got disappointed at how toy like it is, it's also very small and has a tiny throat space too.
my other issue (maybe my own fault?) is the fabric feeding isn't that great. it can struggle with certain fabric.

is the nq900 overkill for a beginner? is it worth it? the sale (Might be a forever) sale ends at the end of this month. I also have to return the cs if I want another one soon.

how much better is that going to be in terms of power and just overall use? I make bags so a lot of my patterns have 8 layers of fabric, to be honest the cs7000x never struggled whatsoever with pushing the needle down, only with feeding and moving the fabric. I'm impressed that this thing can go through 8 layers of denim with the right needle.

the nq900 is already 200CAD over my budget. I was originally going for the nq575 but then I realized by the time I add the stupidly overpriced extension table and the walking feed, I'm only saving 100CAD and I might as well just get the nq900.
crazy how a 350CAD machine comes with all these included and the 800CAD machine doesn't.

if I stick to this and accept it, I can put the money towards my savings and future.

thanks! Sorry for the rambling.

welcome. What country are you in?

To choose a machine, decide what type sewing you plan to do.

I'm from Canada.

i mostly make bags. I wanna try making garment eventually too but mainly make bags (messenger and totes and maybe one day a lightweight backpack)

I also wanna try making stuff like pen cases etc but you can do that on any machine easily.

i also like quilting obviously. I haven’t made anything but basic block ones, eventually if I have the mental capacity o wanna make cooler quilts for my bags

get the most powerful and feature-loaded machine you can afford. because it will handle whatever you want to do in the future, you will grow into it.

otherwise you'll keep experiencing the deflating frustration you feel now.

take test samples with you to the dealer. whatever you choose needs to not only feed several layers of fabric, it should be able to sew smoothly over bulky seams. don't trust brochures. test it yourself. there are a lot of very expensive models available that do all sorts of nifty things, but jam up at bulky seams.

If you were predominantly a quilter, I might have some slightly different advice. For what you are doing, I think I will second PatriceJ's advice and get a lot of machine with a lot of features and when you do, learn to use the features! You've already identified some of the things you need and want. Doing bags you do need the ability for those bulky seams and heavy duty materials and some space to turn things around.

I'm lucky that quilting has been a life-long hobby for me. Way back in the late 70s/early 80s my first "adult" purchase was a fairly expensive sewing machine. At the time, it cost about the same as I think 3 months rent and other people were amazed that I would spend that much. They are other people and I don't really care what they think. For me it was a very good use of my funds and I used that machine for many hours and years.

We need the right tools for the right jobs, and we deserve good machines suited for our purposes and shouldn't have defend our purchases, especially those that pertain to a creative outlet.

I don’t have a machine recommendation but for those bulky seams take a hammer to them. Seriously, I use my hammer often to slightly flatten bulky seams so they will travel through the machine better. I have also found slightly slowing the machine a those junctions makes a smoother seam. Best of luck in your bag making endeavors!

I can't find any features on this machine that make it better than the Brother Innovs PS500 I bought 2 years ago. It is my travel machine and I love it.
Adding to the above, buy a machine you can grow into. I'm also a huge fan of good financial stewardship, I've saved and paid cash for everything I bought except my first car.
General sewing machine advice? slow down. Use the right needle. read your manual. Take off the plate and clean out the bobbin area every 3-4 bobbins. get the surround for a flatter surface or a table you can set the machine into, huge difference in sewing comfort and accuracy.
Take some of your own samples to the shop and run them through the machine. they use stiffened cheesecloth which anything can sew through and make beautiful stitches :)
You should be able to get something that lasts many years in the $700 dollar range. There are features I love on my $6000 Viking, but running fabric through? my 700.00 machine does the exact same thing. and ask if they take trade ins! saves you some cash if you don't like the machine you have.

Lots of bag makes love their mechanical Juki, check them too. No fancy stitches but you can do your own service work.

Not exactly relevant - but I have an old Necchi - the only thing it still does is straight stitch forwards and backwards. The zigzag and other stitches have become disabled. I was going to toss it, but am slightly reconsidering keeping it.
BUT - it will chomp through three layers of jean seams! Slowly with a thicker needle - but it will sew through that thickness.

Depending on your sewing style - sometimes fewer features are better.

I have several (I liked the machines! - and i got them reasonably several years ago) Singer 237 fashionmate machines that only do straight stitch and zigzag. They will waltz through six layers of cotton fabrics and two layers of polypropylene webbing without fussing. As KalamaQuilts says - one does need a sturdier (larger needle) and to slow down.

Down side - they are flatbed machines. And they are heavy.

Upside - fairly simple and hard to mess up.

I am behind the times - my newest machines were probably built in the mid 1980s.

The only thing none of my machines have is the buttonhole/applique stitch.

As a relative beginner, it is hard to know what one might be doing next. I hate when the salesperson asks "what do you want to do with it?" (As in looking at a computer - or a sewing machine.)

The reasons I have not upgraded:

Don't want to spend the money
Not motivated enough to learn how to operate a highly computerized machine
I am old(er)
And, except for the applique stitch, can't think of anything I can't live without.

I have made some bags. I know nothing about the machines you are looking at.

Good luck.

how does it compare to a 350CAD machine like the cs7000x?

I think the machine you're talking about is the US version of the nq575. which was the machine I was considering and would buy if it wasn't for the wide table and walking foot costing as much as the higher end model anyways.

All the bag makers I know that make bags to sell have an industrial machine or at least a semi industrial one. Straight stitch only.