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Sewing machine question
Hello,
I have been quilting off and on for years - but not very seriously. I do alot of hand sewing/quilting and borrow my sister's sewing maching when I need one. I recently started a project thinking it would be one quilt and now I think it has grown into 4 quilts... so I am seriously considering breaking down and buying my own sewing machine... but I don't know much about them Does anyone have any suggestions for a good sewing maching would be? Not too cheap and not too expensive, but a good machine as well. (I am on a budget so please keep that in mind) I was looking at Amazon and I am considering purchasing the Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine with 130 Built-in Stitches, 9 Presser Feet, Sewing Font, Wide Table, and Instructional DVD But I don't know exactly what everything means.....Are these types of sewing machine truly capable of quilting? Would I still have to hand quilt - - since it is not a long arm Please let me know your thoughts Thanks Teresa |
Go to your local dealer and test drive them.
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I suggest a Janome. I have a friend that new nothing about sewing when we got her addicted at the Houston show. She ordered a Jem and it has been a good machine for her, easy to use, and reliable. Gina
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For quilting you need a straight stitch and sometimes a zigzag is nice. The other decorative stitches will likely not be used.
In looking at a picture of the machine, the throat space looks tiny so stuffing a quilt through it to machine quilt would likely be frustrating. The measurement that counts is distance on the right from needle to machine - not the distance that the table affords you to the left of the needle. I agree - if you can test drive multiple machines, you will likely find something that works for you. Cheers, K |
Well I understand that test driving would be good, but here in the sticks there is not a "local dealer". Maybe I can google and see where the nearest dealer is so I can try one out
I will look up the Janome machine and see how that looks Thanks |
If you can't go to several dealers to test out machines, buy a machine online that has a guarantee return if you don't like it. Check the return policy before ordering. Some want the machine to be shipped back in the original packaging.
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I have used a Bernina for twenty years without any problems at all. Mine is a Bernina 1000 and is pretty basic but she is a work horse. It will sew through four layers of denim and keep on going. If I were going to buy on a budget, I would look on-line for a used Bernina. New ones are very expensive but used ones are quite affordable.
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A little over 2 1/2 years ago Jim got me a Brother SQ9000 at Walmart. This machine has a lot of features for the price. Nice variety of stitches, light weight, needle threader. It was $199 before tax. I love this machine.
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The Pfaff I bought when I was just starting to quilt is called a "Quilt Expression" machine. I can definitely piece a queen or king sized quilt on it but when it came to machine quilting, I had a bear of a time trying to wrestle the quilt through. I did a few large ones in it, but it was just too much of a challenge for me. If you are considering machine quilting look into machines with a large -9" or larger- throat space. I still love my Pfaff for piecing & sewing but I now do all of my machine quilting on my Janome 1600p.
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What type of machine does your sister have? Are you happy sewing on it? If so you might see if you can find one like it.
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