Maybe try a vintage machine like singer 201.

I had a Singer and a Pfaff. I had issues with both. I traded in the Pfaff for a Janome MC6500. I'll never have any other machine. I will always buy Janome.

Go to a Janome authorized dealer and try out all the Janomes before you buy/decide.

Good Luck!

Ive always been on a tight budget when it has come to my machines. I used my moms kenmore for years til it needed service which my dad does but we were living in another state. So I bought a 150 brother from Walmart which I used for all my quilting and sewing til last month so 10 years. Nothing is wrong with it I just wanted a few more stitches that my current machine didn't have. My hubby bought me another brother for 200 last month its a 6000i I believe but it's great. It is picky about thread I have to FMQ with 100% cotton otherwise I have tension issues. The bobbins are a different size then my previous brother. I originally only looked at another Brother because I didn't want to buy new attachments. My new machine came with bonus feet which was a good thing because the old brother feet are not compatible. I'm happy with both my brother machines. my daughter sews on my old machine. My best friend has the same brother 5232XL i believe and she's had hers for 12 years and still no issues! If I had the budget I might look into other machines but I don't so I get the most for my money and I have been very happy!!

If your machine gets bird's nests and the technician says nothing is wrong, the problem is with the technician not the machine!!!! Go to a different technician with an example IN THE MACHINE of the fabric and the bird's nests. When you pick it up, sew for about 30 minutes in the shop before you leave to "test drive" the repair." Good luck.

Maybe if you contact Bernina directly they can help you find someone who will trouble shoot your machine.
If you still have problems with the two machines, head on down to Kennesaw, my fave dealer/serviceman is there. Not sure I am supposed to mention names of the shop on this site but if you will PM me, I'll be glad to give you their name. You will most likely be able to "search" Pfaff, Brother, and Janome and find them in store locater. Believe me you won't be sorry to purchase any one of these brands, where they are also serviced. They even helped me out with some features I couldn't figure out how to use, 9 years after the purchase.

Maybe try a bobbin genie in your Singer? I have the Singer 9940 and haven't had any problems with it although I don't sew as much as you do. Good luck on your search.

Suzy

For the Singer, there are 15J bobbins and 15 bobbins and they look almost identical but they are slightly different and that could be the problem. I took a permanent marker and marked a dot on the 15J bobbins so that I didn't use the 15 in those 2 machines. They are really easy to mix up.

I think trying out a machine to see if it works for you is a must. Janome is a good machine. I have viking, bernina , and janome. Right now like to play on feither weight when ahoulder gets better.

I bought a Brother SE400 in December. It is a combination sewing/embroidery machine and cost about $370. I say about because I don't remember the exact amount. I ordered it from Amazon. I love the machine. It's the first time I haven't had a Singer but I'm happy I switched.

The Brother CS6000i is a nice little machine - won't handle a steady diet of heavy sewing tasks for long, but it will piece and sew average weight and light weight fabric very well - with a pretty assortment of decorative & utility stitches and several types of built-in buttonholes.

If you're up to to the research involved and possibly learning to do some of your own maintenance, I would look around at garage sales & craigslist, etc and try to find a Kenmore from the 70's in a nice big heavy cabinet.

I have an 1802 and an 1803 from the early 70's and there are probably a couple of dozen machines that are related to these.

They're *heavy* machines and so versatile - most of them come with a huge assortment of attachments and accesories including 20-25 feet, a chainstitch set-up, a monogrammer, buttonholer, stitch disks, etc.

My 1803 has about a dozen different stitches built in and disks for 30 more. It's one of my best FMQ machines, except that the throat is smallish. (Not smallish like the modern machines, just not big like the Singer 15) I LOVE this machine - it will do everything. I didn't pay a huge amount for it, as I recall, but I did spend $125 to have the two internal belts replaced, the electrical checked and the normal COA done. I spent a couple of days cleaning it inside and out and she's been a fabulous machine ever since. She plows through anything I give her. :)

Good luck and have fun!