Sewing machine question
 

I have been quilting for several years and am currently using a Brother Project Runway machine. I am thinking about upgrading and want to learn free motion quilting. What are your favorite domestic sewing machine for general piecing and free motion? I am not interested in a long arm machine.

Thanks so much for any suggestions.

You will get raves for every brand! You need to decide what features are important to you and what you are willing to spend. Try out various machines at local shops and find the one that fits you the best. Personally I have the Bernina 830 which has a big harp and does embroidery. It is not a machine for everyone though.

Do you like your Brother? If so there are many Brother owners here that I'm sure will have excellent recommendations for you. I have a Babylock Unity which I absolutely love, it does embroidery as well as piecing and free motion. My smaller machine is a Babylock Elizabeth which is great for piecing and free motion quilting. Love, love, love my Babies!

Love my Juki TL2010q, only does straight stitching but is a very reliable, powerful workhorse!

I think most new machines have some common features such as feed dogs down, and needle down functions. For free motion quilting I'd be looking for features such as how much room is in the throat of the machine. How big is the sewing platform. How good is the lighting. Can the presser foot be raised or lowered by using the foot pedal. Does it have a special foot for free motion.

You might try free motion quilting on the machine you now have. Decide what you like/dislike about sewing on that machine and what features you wish it had.

My mother always told me that you should buy from your local dealer. I have a BabyLock Espire, which is now known as Symphony. But if you have a Bernina dealer, or Janome, Elna or any of the other major brands in your area check with them. You want to have someone who is knowledgeable and close by. Don't know about you, but I would not want to travel too far to get to my dealer. Besides, we (my mother and I) have dealt with these people for nearly 40 years. You don't have to pay megabucks to get a good machine, but there are a lot of variables that you much consider. Talk with certified sewing machine shop and they will definitely help you out.

Bernina machines will take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. You can quilt for a loooooong time and not burn it up. It delivers a beautiful stitch. Save up for a used one if a new machine isn't in the budget.

I guess what helped me make up my mind was the Bernina Stitch Regulator. Really helped with my free motion quilting. I love my Bernina!!!

I love my old Bernina 1530 too. You just really need to go to a quilt show that will have many local dealers with a large selections of DSM. You just need to test drive them all to see what works for you. Take notes on which machine has what option and price. Just like test driving a new or used car. Have Fun !!

I love my Bernina 820. It is thousands of dollars cheaper than the 830, because it does not have the embroidery capability. It was fine for me, as I had another one for that. I use it on my frame, but really like to free motion without the frame, also.