Test Driving a sewing machine
 

I'm thinking about test-driving a DreamWeaver sewing/quilting machine this weekend. Anyone own one &/or have any comments for/against?

That is, a Brother DreamWeaver - neglected to include the maker. :p

I have one, the sew/Quilt combo. I truly love it. The laser is the bomb for getting accurate 1/4 inch seams. Probably do not need this much machine - only using it to piece quilts, but would not hesitate to buy again.

I sewed one at a Brother dealer. It was so nice! It may be my next new machine.

I went to look at one today. Brother has a promotion, i thi k with this machine you get a $ 500 embroidery machine, until sept 30. The dealer only had the dreamaker with the embroidery. I am curious if they allowed you to try the machine. I was told no, demo only. I,d love to hear what you think of it.

My sister bought one at the Sewing Expo. I was visiting with her for the express purpose of going to the Expo. I got to teach her how to use it that evening. It is a fabulous machine. It is well built, quiet, and intuitive to learn. I had no trouble teaching her not only how to use the machine but, also how to do machine embroidery since she had never embroidered. I'm not sure if she will ever use all the features of the machine but I do know that ,short of trading it in for a six needle embroidery machine, she will never need to buy another machine.

The Muv-it foot was fun to use. I made hash marks with a marker on 2 pieces of stretch fabric and ran them through the machine. All the hash marks matched up, no shifting or pulling. The laser for piecing is fantastic. I really have lusted for this machine since it was introduced. I'm very happy she could get herself such a wonderful machine. The fact that I now hate her ;) is of no importance.

Bring some fabric and stuff that causes you grief on your machine. Maybe a certain technique that puzzles you. A good demo person should be able to answer all of your questions.
Get questions answered, you will enjoy your machine more.

Have the combo. I highly recommend it. It is a true dream machine for many reasons. I absolutely love everything about it. Gonna demo mine for my aunt next weekend, she is in the market for a brother EM, will probably get mine once demoed

Mitch's Mom - hilarious!! Just doesn't seem right, huh?! :D Josie - I'm really looking forward to tomorrow - I know I can't buy it this weekend (way too many irons in the fire for the next month or so) but the Houston Quilt Festival is coming up the end of October and I'm hoping they'll have a nice sale price on them. :)

I played on a Brother Dream Weaver......it was really nice. I looked at several different machines but then found the Babylock Esante! Love that machine. :)

If you don't mind saying, what price range are we talking about for the Dreamweaver? I'd really like something that will give me more accurate 1/4 inch seams.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I just bought one. I have not taken my free classes. Did your come with the dual feed walking foot and the free carrying cases?
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My sister's came with the 3pc. luggage, Muv-It foot, and laser pen. I can't comment publicly on the price she paid under threat of death. I do know she paid 1500.00 less than MSRP.

I was quoted $ 3800 on the model for sewing and $ 5200 for the combo sewing embroidery. I read about the promotion on the brother site. Make sure you look at that before you buy. The dealer was vague about what was included.....on purpose. I wasnt allowed to touch the machine, demos only, not a lesson I was told! So I am going to look at the baby lock crescendo. Almost the same unit. Not sure about pricing yet.

Well, I don't actually get to test drive this weekend as hoped...grandbaby came a little early, :) so will have to do it later..thanks everyne for the responses - hope to hear more about others' experiences/comments.

That's a dream machine to me! I've only seen it at a quilt show. And I can't afford that much for a machine, but you go girl! Let us know what you think & if you get it...please post pictures.

I don't have that model but do have other Brother machines, from low end Big Box store to Dealer TOL, love them all. quiet, user friendly. Just curious was the the store owner or a salesperson who wouldn't let you touch the machine? If that dealer is convenient to you I would try again, tell him/her you are very interested but need to see how it feels to you. If they say no then go to another dealer & let them know why you wouldn't buy from them. I would even report it to the Brother company. Every Brother dealer I've known (except for the big box stores) lets a customer sit & sew on the demo machine.

Babylock and Brother are made by the same company. Both are high quality machines. I just lucked in to a Bernina in a Koala cabinet but I have a Brother Innovis 1250D sewing/embroidery machine and I love it. The Bernina is wonderful, too, but they are very expensive. My plan was to set up the Innovis for embroidery and use the Bernina for piecing but the Brother is, well, it's just quieter, smoother and needs less pressure on the foot pedal to sew. I guess I'll just have to choose between two very high-quality machines. Poor me! You can't go wrong with a Brother or Babylock.

Well, I finally go to go into town yesterday to the Brother dealer and had the DreamWeaver Sewing/Quilting machine demo'd for me...they didn't have any more in stock. I ended up buying the floor model for a huge discount... :thumbup: I'm super excited! I don't mind getting this floor model for one the great price, and 2, it worked beautifully so I know it's not a lemon!! I consider this a win win!! Doing my happy dance this morning!! Time to get acquainted!

That is great news (and apparently execellent timing on your part)!!!

Doing a happy dance for you! Post a picture of your new toy!