Sewing Machines
Hello all,
I am new to this message board and would love it if anyone could help me decide what computerized sewing machine I should buy. I was looking at a Janome 3050 and 2012. I would like to learn free motion quilting. I am not a new sewer- have many decades of experience- but my sewing machine is a dinosaur. Also, sometime in the next few years my daughter wants me to make her wedding dress- so I need a machine that will handle that. I really wanted one with the large bed, but they are close to $1000 and that is more than I want to spend. Any suggestions for me? Thanks in advance, Kim |
Welcome to the forum! Maybe if you let us know what area you are from, other members could chime in with info about their machine purchasing experience.
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I live in Northeast Ohio and have been to several stores looking at machines and am just baffled
So many options, but they all basically do the same thing. I am not really interested in embroidering on my machine, but a few decorative stitches would be nice. I used to make all my children's clothes when they were young, but went back to school and n ow work full time. I really just want a new machine for fun ( and that wedding dress at some point) ;-) |
Welcome! I have a Viking Platinum...about 10-12 yrs. old now. I paid about $1200 new. It is a relatively computerized machine; has numerable decorative stitches. It has needle up/down feature; imbedded 1/4" setting. Also has auto tension and foot pressure which I love. Have never needed to adjust tension or foot pressure. I don't do FMQ but have done limited machine quilting...have never needed a walking foot with this machine. I would think you could get this machine used in a reputable shop for a very reasonable price at this point. Or possibly craigslist. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Viking. I also do home dec and limited garment sewing on this machine. Just love it.
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Janomes are usually really good machines. You could even buy a used one with the larger bed if you were interested in doing the larger bed. Craigslist sometimes has them.
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I bought a used Janome Jem Platinum 720 on Craigslist for $350.00 about 3 months ago. It's a smaller machine and is easy to travel with. So far I have made 3 quilts and am very happy with it. I do wish it had the auto scissors though.
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How important do you all think the larger bed is? I probably won't be quilting king or queen size blankets- will a regular machine work for the other sizes?
Bizzibee, I saw the ones with the auto scissors- does it really make a big difference? Since I've never had that before, I didn't know if it was a gimmick or really useful. |
I have the Janome 6600 and it is an excellent machine. I like the scissors, it makes piecing go quickly.
Another feature I like is the needle up/down. A lot of women have traded up from the 6600 to the 7,000 and 8,000 series so you might find a gently used one at a reasonable price. |
Kim, If you want a larger bed for free motion quilting, want to spend less than $1k and already have a machine to do fancy stitches, you might want to look in to a Brother 1500 or a Juki 2000/2010/98. I have the Juki and use it for quilting with a walking foot (I have a big sit down machine for free motion but have used my Juki for it as well and it stitches beautifully) Janome also has one - the 1600 I believe but they might have changed their number since then. All three of them are straight stitch only and have a 9" throat. If you check Craigslist you might be able to score one used. People get them for a frame and then decide that 9" isn't deep enough and sell them when they upgrade to something bigger...
I love my Juki and it's one of the best purchases I have ever made for my sewing room. You can get the Brother or the Juki at Ken's and they offer free shipping :) http://www.kenssewingcenter.com/quil...c-161_170.html They're really nice to work with and have great prices. I'm sure there are lots of other places that offer great deals too - but shop around before you buy. :) Happy machine hunting! |
I have a Brother 1500 which does streight stitchs only and is really a workhorse machihe both for piecing and FMQ. I also have a Singer machine that will do fancy stitches if I want to. I sometimes use it attaching binding using a fancy stitch. That said since it does not manually adjust the presser foot tension so I will get puckering. The brothers has a manually presser foot adjustment. Ladies on this board love their machine and each has a special preference. Choose a machine that is in your price range and go for it! I test drove mine at LQS and the bought it from Amazon.
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