My husband and I didnt have a lot of money for ourselves for Christmas so he said I can get a gift of my choice with tax money, so now of course I am looking at sewing machines. What is the best (in your opinion of course ;)) machine for sewing and machine quilting. The machine I have now is a brother 99 dollar cheapy from Walmart. I am looking to upgrade now! Any ideas or suggestions would be wonderful. I would like the cheapest but best option. (definitely not over 1500) The more money I have left the more fabric I can buy ;)!!

Pfaff has their Expression 2.0 on sale for $999.00 right now. That is $600 off. You could buy some extra feet and be set! It has the wider throat for quilting too.

Wonderful! I will go check that out right now! Thanks for the option! I have only ever used cheap or broken down machines LOL and it was as much a headache as ever. I still love quilting though so I figure it is time to invest! :D

I love my little $89 cheapie Brother from Walmart! It does everything I ask, and never complains.

Now if I could only get my husband to do that...

HAHAHA :D

cathyvv, I'm with you on both counts!!

For bang for buck I love my Brother NX450Q. It has lots of features like thread cutter, stop/start button, needle up/down. It also has a bigger throat than a lot of the machines (7.5 in). Not sure how much you're wanting to spend but mine was $799 a year ago and I've heard they are going for cheaper now. For a little more money lots of people like the Janome 6500/6600 as well. Good luck and have fun shopping!

I have a Brother XL2600 cheapie from Walmart and my only complaint is throat space. For that reason I'm looking at a Brother PQ1500. It has the largest throat space (9 inches)I've found in the price range.

I think the decision comes down to what is important to you in a machine. Some people like throat space. Some people need super fancy stitches. Some need embroidery. Picking your MUST HAVE feature is the hardest thing!!

I have two Vikings and wouldn't trade either. Try them out and see what you like. We are all different.

Also check out Sears Kenmore machines, which are made by Janome.

Well said. Think about features like a knee lift lever, a needle threader, an automatic cutter, auto tension. Those are the things you should be thinking about when you're looking for a new machine.

I hear that doing free motion quilting on a machine that has a front loading bobbin vs. a drop in bobbin works best and I can say that my Bernina (front bobbin) does an excellent job of FMQ, where as my Janome (drop in bobbin) doesn't.

Figure out what features you really NEED, and which ones you really LIKE. Don't rule out a good used machine as you might be able to get more of those need/like features than you would have if you limited yourself to a new machine.

I love both my machines for different reasons.

Steady Freddy the Viking is tride and true and never misses a step. He's somewhat limited though in ability especially with regard to FMQ and I've had a problem with my local dealers keeping or even getting stock of different feet.

Fancy Nancy the Janome is lovely but she's a finicky *&%^$!! She demands only the best thread in the right weight and will get an upset stomach if I don't use the same thread top and bottom. She's got some really cool FMQ features though that my Viking doesn't have.

You can buy a Janome 6500P for that amount of money and it is a real work horse. Has a 9 inch throat. Sometimes see used ones on ebay for around $600!

Check with Kevin at www.kenssewingcenter.com. He can often work out a great deal.

i have a kenmore from sears
here's a link to it
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...2&blockType=G2
i havent had it long, only since november, but i love it! something did get shifted as it was shipped but after messing with it for about 10 minutes it has sew perfeclty since! So many different stiches. it also came with 9 different feet. its almost 400 after taxes and everything but my grandmother dose really like it almost as much as her viking sewing machine.

I love VINTAGE machines!! I got mine for $50 bucks. Can't beat that with a stick. ;) ha ha

Does anyone have reviews for the Brother PC 420?

There might be some at http://www.patternreview.com

As a quilter, I would go for the best machine that has a large throat. From there, list the features that are must haves. Then whittle down by brand and GO TEST DRIVE!!!!! Some of the machines sound so wonderful on paper and when I test drove, I knew that we were not meant for each other.

Also, this is like buying a car. Don't be afraid to negotiate.

I have a 420 and I love it .

Thanks for replying!! I'm just starting to look and from reviews and info on this machine it sounds good. Good to know you are pleased with yours. How long have you had it?

Thanks for replying! Not real sure where to go to "test drive"! Any suggestions??

Checked here. Not many reviews.

Did you check Amazon reviews? Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-PC-420...dp/B000XE3FGO/

overstock.com sometimes has machines and reviews too.

I have a Viking...wouldn't think about another machine.

I have a Bernina but want to buy a back-up machine. I'm not going to buy another Bernina because I want some features that would put me in a TOL Bernina and I am not paying the TOL price for a back-up.

Janome came out with a new machine -the 6300- that has everything I want. No embroidery, a larger throat, bobbin warning, knee lift, thread cutter, needle up/down, etc. Check it out - it might suit your needs too.

Good luck with the search.

I have a Viking Sapphire 830 with an 11" throat, had her for 4 years now. Just bought a BabyLock Quest 2. Both have their pluses, Both are excellent machines. I sew daily and FMQ a lot and need machines that can handle the constant use. I am not much for the embroidery...