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!

I bought my Janome 6600p about five years ago and let me tell you......it hasn't skipped a beat!! Just a few months ago in February, my hubster bought me the Janome 350e which is an embroidery only machine. I like the fact that I can be sewing away on the 6600p while the embroidery machine is doing its thing! You won't be sorry if you purchase either one of these machines. Have fun shopping!!

Mine is a Brother and I love it. It is an embroidery only machine. But my other two sewing machines are also Brother. Check out www.allbrands.com for their machines. They have great prices, super fast delivery and FREE shipping. All of my Brother machines came from them.

I also agree with Btiny. I have a janome 11000 and a 6600, the bigger one just sits there waiting for something to do. I have several machines and in hindsight I wish I had bought the the 350E for embroidering. I would have saved a lot of money. I also heard that Brother has an embroidery only machine with 4x4 and 5x7 hoops and I know from owning them that Brother machines are great workhorses. Take your time and look around, and try to get one that comes with dealer support and lessons. Good luck.

Me too and the Baby Locks have a LOT of feet included so you don't have to be purchasing them later. I good dealership will include all the classes she will need to get her feet wet. What she is sewing now is NOT what she will be sewing next year! With a new machine, new horizions will open for her. Best of luck!!

Me too and the Baby Locks have a LOT of feet included so you don't have to be purchasing them later. I good dealership will include all the classes she will need to get her feet wet. What she is sewing now is NOT what she will be sewing next year! With a new machine, new horizions will open for her. Best of luck!!http://www.quiltingboard.com/images/icons/icon11.png

Mine is a Pfaff Creative Vision and I have enjoyed using it. No problems except when I forget something simple. Luckily my dealer is very close and available.

You need to start with a price range, as that will narrow down the choices a lot. Personally, I think it's better to purchase separate sewing and embroidery machines as then you can be sewing while the embroidery machine is working; however, that may be out of the current price range.

If her budget is really tight, I would look at the machines at Walmart. One good thing about Walmart is that if you try out the machine and don't like it, they will take it back. Dealerships typically will not take a machine back, but will allow you to "trade up" into a more expensive machine.

Depends on her price range. Best bang for the buck is the Brother SE400 (or LB6800PRW) - it's a $400-ish sewing & embroidery combo (4" hoop). Very nice sewing & light embroidery machine. I had this machine and loved it, but it did not do quilting very well - even with a walking foot. So I traded it and got a Pfaff sewing machine (for the built in IDT - great for quilting) and am currently saving up to get an embroidery only machine (the Brother PE770 which has a 5x7" hoop). That way I can sew/quilt AND embroider at the same time! My sewing room will be a buzzing....

Me too!! Love my Ellegante, but can't wait until I can walk into the dealer and hand over lotsa $$$$ for the Ellisimo. By that time hopefully the price has gone way down.

I also chose to buy a Janome 6600 and 350e, and have been very happy with both machines. I love being able to sew on the 6600 while the 350e is busy doing embroidery.

There are so many choices it can be confussing. And when we get into the showroom and don't know what we want, we can fall for the sales pitch. So first, define exactly what she wants. And what features she wants. Then look them up on the internet to see which models will fill those "wants".

I'm in the market for a machine and definitely want the button hole stitch. Finally had to ask the dealer for the specifics between 2 models, that made the difference.

So first define her needs. Then decide the priority of those needs and how much each is worth: $25 or $250 or $2500 to get a specific function.

A competent local rep is very important. I'm talking training, trouble shooting and service, not salesman persuasive.

I teach classes at a local Bernina dealer. I don't pretend to be able to trouble shoot (my function is to teach quilting). The store has employees who step in whenever someone is having trouble with their machine. The student gets hands on help with their individual machine (even non-Bernina if they can) and is more equiped to trouble shoot for themselves.

Besides a Bernina, I also have a Brother se1500 I bought in Sacramento,that has been great for about 15 yrs. Years went by with several dealers opening and closing. Took it in for service and got a promise of 1 wk, which he denied saying he never promises (that's a hint of his reliability). Two months later it came back with an advertising 4x4" sticker on the back-how pretensious. No way was I advertising for that store. Had to really work to get that sticker off. That dealer folded-wonder why? Anyway, check out the dealer.

Ask local quilters what they have and why. This takes time, not like buying a pair of pants. You get 1 machine but you buy several pants each year. Even going on a retreat with local quilters and check out their machines, it's very enlightening.

Good luck and have fun.

I just did a demo on the Janome 9900, nice mid range machine that does both. I ended up buying the 8200 as a replacement for my 6600. My friend traded her 11000 and her 6600 for a 12000. Not that she regrets having the dream machine 12000 but she can only do one thing at a time.

If I did embroidery, which I do not, I personally would buy two separate machines.

First figure out her budget, then take her to see every brand and sew on them. Every machine is different and each person likes different features. I always start with my "favorite" brand but then try the others. Then I know my
$ is being well spent.

Brother is the most user friendly love mine, my first was a TOL but easy to use outside the box

I think it is essential to NOT get one that only has a 4" hoop. I also think I would forego getting a machine altogether unless I could get larger hoops. Will be frustrating in no time. I have the Elissimo Plus. I originally bought thevEllure Plus and quickly upgraded.

I have a Janome and I just love it.

I love the Brother ones. I have three of them

Brothers is my brand. I have the Quattro and love it! Wouldn't trade it got anything. I work it hard and never have a problem. I do everything on it. So easy to use. You can't go wrong with a Brothers.

I have a Excellence 740 Elna, made by Janome for sewingf and quilting and I have a Designer Diamond for my embroidery, it sews too but only use it for embroidery. It was a high end machine and also the Janome 11000 or 12000 is a great combo machine. I would also make sure to buy it from a local shop that gives free lessons. Both of mine has free hands on lession for the life of my machines.

My viking diamond excels at everything she does! I love this machine!

I have a friend who has an embroidery-only machine, so when she goes to a class that requires piecing as well as embroidery, she has to haul 2 machines.
I have the combo...the Janome 12000 and I adore it! I considered getting the Bernina 830, but found in my research that it is a lot heavier than this Janome, and hauling it would have been difficult for me. They are both excellent machines. It all depends on what you intend to use them for. I wanted a larger throat to do machine quilting with the built-in feather stitches and other quilting patterns other than FMQ, and both Bernina and Janome have that 11.5 or 12 inch throat. I also have the Bernina 730 and like it a lot, too. The Janome is easier to use for machine embroidery. I use my Singer Featherweight to take to quilting groups where we are only doing patchwork. It's a jewel of a working hoss!
Spend your money....but decide what you want first. Do you have a friend close by who has one of these machines? Ask if you can play with it before you purchase. Most LQS owners will let you stay and play in their shops to decide what you like best. Make sure they offer classes for all the wonderful features of their products.
Above all, have fun!

There are many wonderful embroidery machines on the market. In my view the brother and babylock are the most user friendly right out of the box. I have had a brother for nearly 10 years and from the day it came home I was able to do wonderful embroidery.

Totally agree with someone who suggested a separate embroidery machine and sewing machine. Often the embroidery designs take a LONG time to stitch out - 60 minutes or more - so you can be sewing while you are doing the embroidery if you have separate machines.

I also chose to buy individual machines...Janome 6500 and 300E, and have not regretted it! I love my Janomes!

Since 95% of the sewing or more is done with straight stitching, buy a vintage straight stitch - it will cost less than a service fee for the electronic one time and it will sew straight stitches just fine. Then get the best embroidery machine and have some fun.

[QUOTE=btiny36;6053715]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.[/QUOTE
both
I have the Janome8900 and the 350E and love them both. the 8900 has of lot of embrodery stitches, but the 350E is easy. All you have to do is finde the pattern you want, put the fabric in the hoop, put the first thread on and push go. It does it all. all you have to do is change thread when a new color is needed. I love both machines and they both do different things so it will depend on what you want to do.

If money isn't an object, I highly recommend (and own) the Bernina 830. It's Bernina's T-O-L machine and it's wonderful. Nothing sews like a Bernina -- nothing (their motto).

Just make sure you get one with a large throat just in case you want to do your own quilting.

I have the Viking Topaze and It's wonderful. I was already spoiled with a Viking Rose from years gone by.

I agree about two separate machines. Some designs can take over 2 hours which means no piecing or quilting for that time. I have a Janome 10000 which is a combo but I only use it for embroidery as I'm lucky enough to have two other machines to sew on while the embroidery machine does its thing.

DH purchased a Brother SE400 on Amazon as my Christmas gift - $323. A good buy and it sews well. Haven't tried embroidery yet, though.