Sewing and embroidery machine
 

Please help. My friend wants me to help her choose a sewing and embroidery machine combo. We are supposed to go looking tomorrow. While I enjoy all kinds of sewing quilting and embroidery my machine is about 10 years old. She does sew some but very new to embroidery and quilting. Any suggestions of what brands of machines to start looking for would be very much appreciated. I have a Brother and love it but as I said earlier it is an older machine.

I personally like the Janome brand...They are a stand up brand and it doesn't matter which series. It will depend on what she wants the machine to have for bells and whistles. I myself opted out for a combo as it restricts you to doing either or. So I choose to purchase the 6600p and the 350E and have never regretted it....happy shopping.

I have the janome 12000 and love it, it does everything you could possibly imagine.

Depends on her budget. She can get a "high end" machine like a Bernina or she can get a less expensive machine. Shop around and have her try every one out. Also encourage her to buy a machine that comes with hands on lessons.

She needs to decide what kind of sewing she wants to do - does she want to do her own quilting - she will need a bigger throat. What size embroidery does she want to do. What dealers live close to her to provide service and education. Personally I have the Bernina 830 and love it but that size machine and that expense isn't for everyone. She needs to buy the best SHE can afford.

Embroidery is hard on a machine and takes time. I would get an embroidery only machine and a good regular machine.
My sewing machine is a Viking Sapphire and my embroidery machine is a Brother. I only wanted a cheap embroidery machine strickly for quilting so bought a three hundred dollar one with just a 4 in area for embroidery. It works fine but it would be nice to have one that could quilt blocks but it costs as much as a long arm.

I agree with btiny. I had a combo machine and traded it in for a Janome 6500 and a 350E. I can be piecing a quilt and my embroidery machine can be working away on another project. Both machines have worked perfectly for quite a few years.

I also have the Bernina 830. It is expensive, but has been worth every penny to me. It is so user friendly and can do so much. I had a Brother before, and it wasn't nearly as user friendly, but then it was one of the first Brother embroidery machines. I'm sure they have come a long way.

I have a Viking Ruby and love it. The best machine that I have ever had.

I am a Baby Lock girl. Have an Ellegante - which does both and sews like a dream - then got the Ellisimo for Christmas and am down right giddy. When I went "looking" 9 years ago for my first, I thought about a Berina - as I knew they were good machines. Well, the sales rep and I sat down to try it out and it wouldn't work, she said she had to reboot it. After doing that 3 times she said, "well it will do this, and that, and so on". I left there and went to the other sewing store in town and they are Baby Lock dealers and Janome dealers. Sat at the Ellegante, sewed, embroidered, so easy, comfortable and "classy". Fell in love, and have been on a honeymoon every since!