For straight piecing, I still prefer a Singer Featherweight. However, I own a Bernina 440 QE for piecing / quilting, and I have another Bernina (forget which model) which is a sewing/embroidery combo. I like having two machines, that way, I can embroider something and still be piecing, and I can leave the embroidery machine set up rather than having to change from sewing to embroidery and back. I don't think I've ever seen a machine that will do everything I want as well as these three machines do them individually.

Nope! None has the presser foot lifter on the front or end!

I used to do everything on my brother combo SE400. But I eventually got a separate brother PC420PRW machine for sewing/quilting. I got tired of switching thread, needles, etc. Neither one are fancy/expensive models but they do what I need and I am very pleased with both. Why both brother? I have just had really, really good luck out of all the brother machines I've owned. The only thing the embroidery machine has that the sewing doesn't that I really wish it had was the feature that tells me when my bobbin thread is low. That is a REALLY handy feature!

Separate machines for all the reasons listed above...especially that embroidery takes TIME and you are locked out of working on anything else. I also have a swivel, rolling chair to switch between machines..

my 1630 has a knee presser foot lifter (BERNINA) hands free !!!!!

If you wind two bobbins and use one on top and one in the bobbin you always can see at a glance how much thread is remaining !!!! One of my favorite things about my 301A is winding the bobbin for the next project as I am sewing the current project....that is just plain fun!

My 401 does embroidery. Just have to stay with it. Well I do. Love me 401.

Baby Lock and Brother have an equivalent model that does it all (piecing, embroidery, quilting) but you pay dearly for it.

I thought I wanted an embroidery unit once but decided against it. When the embroidery module is doing its thing, I would need a different machine to piece or quilt. There is no room for all that hardware.

My favorite of my machines is my 401A Singer. It is 58 years old, does a beautiful satin stitch as well as dozens of others and has cams to increase its repertory. It has been in hospital only once for a minor adjustment.

like so many others my 401A is my favorite most used machine. I do embroidery on mine but as tessagin says you do have to stay with it. My DH gave me the Brother embroidery machine Christmas before last and I love it. I don't do much machine embroidery so it is just right for me.