Sorry, Lucia, the 20th here. Just remember the groveling for a Janome was my idea. So I get first dibbs. :lol:

I've owned a few over the years. My first machine was a Singer costco special - it ran until it died and the repairman couldn't fix it. My next was a Brother - no frills, basic machine. It ran until it died. About 2 years ago I was blessed with the deal of the century on a Pfaff 2144. I adore it! There is so much more to working with a higher end machine! It can be fussy, but is quite the workhorse! I've sewn every fabric imaginable and it doesn't get out of alignment - I LOVE the IDT. Should this machine be busy embroidering, I also use my mother's Viking - about 10 years old, again, a no frills machine but a work horse!

If I had to make the decision about whether or not to buy a Pfaff again, I would really have to think about it. The Pfaff repair guys in my area are nice enough, but they DON'T sew! Imagine that! To get technical help or techniques I have to inquire online! My neighbor just bought a Husquvarna from a local JoAnn's store and she loves it - she can walk in anytime and get any sort of special support she needs from those ladies. They've also been helpful to me on occasion.

I've had terrible luck with Singers - I can't remember the model numbers but they couldn't stay repaired - the same with a Brother. Now I have a Pfaff and adore it. I've also become familiar with a basic Viking that is quite the workhorse that I use when my machine is embroidering.

If I had to to it again, I would take a closer look at the Janome, Bernina, and Viking/ Husqvarna models equivalent to the Pfaff 2144.

I have an old Singer - 50 or more years old, and still working great. I bought a White about a year ago and love that too. Then three months ago my son and daughters gave me a Huskystar C20. Love it, love it, it has just about every thing 30 stitches, memory, and other stuff I have not played with yet. It comes with 4 lessons and I have had only one so far, three more pending.

I have an early 50's Necchi Supernova Julia (my mom's), a 1946 black Featherweight, an early 50's Singer 301, and my new Juki, which I LOVE! A girl can't have too many machines. :wink: :P

Hi Barb:
I have a Brother XR65t that is WONDERFUL! I bought it to drag along to quilt classes and to our quilt meetings and have never been disappointed in the service I've gotten from this machine and I LOVE the extra wide/long sewing table that attaches to the left of the needle (or right of the needle if left handed). I also have a Memory Craft 8000 with all the bells, whistles, embroidery, monograming stuff and I LOVE IT TOO! Then I have a Featherweight and a small Singer...love all of them.

Feathers

P.S. I forgot to mention the other sewing machine I have is my grandmother's old White that use to be a treadle and was converted to electric sometime soon after Franklin flew the kite in a storm. It's over 100 years old and in pristeen condition. My grandmother was a seamstress in a drygoods store in the early 1900s and this is the machine she used to earn her living. When she gave it to me 50 years ago she said it was old when she had it converted to electricity and it cost her alot to have it converted (I think she told me it cost $5.00 to convert it) but she never regretted doing it. The store where she worked had an electrical plug in but she didn't have it in their home until many years later so she was able to get another treadle machine for sewing work at home. The treadle machine cost her $ 1.50 used. Wish I had that machine, too. I have the converted machine set up in a corner as a part of my home decor in our family room. It has the rounded oak lid and the table part is also oak. I wish it still had the treadle gears but it doesn't. Darn!
Feathers

I have three Janome machines, the 10001, 9000, and the 3500. I use all three constantly. The 3500 is smaller and goes to quilt guild and classes with me. I do a lot of embroidery with the newest one cause I can get the patterns off the internet. A lot of fun. Marge

I have a Bernina 1080 that's about 12 years old and a cheapo from Target that I got Christmas before last. The Bernina is still going but want an embroidery machine. The Euro I think, I wore it out. So I set it aside for now. I bought it because of all the decorative stitches and would have had to pay lots more for any thing else that did all that. One of these days I will get it in the shop and see if it can be adjusted. When you try to sew fast as in long straight seams, the bobbin will pop out of place--so aggravating! My b-day is today so if anyone wants to step up to plate and give me a new I'll be at work till 5:00 :!: :lol: :lol: :lol: