Is there one sewing machine for everthing you want?
 

So for the last couple of days I have been watching videos on different sewing machines that I would like to have. I know I want a sewing machine that is a sewing/embroidery and quilting machine but I haven't found one really. The embroidery machine I have looking at is Brother 6800 which is $360.82 and Juki TL-2010Q High Performance which is 999.00 I found this one I can make payments on. I really like the Janome 8900QCP but couldn't find a place to make payments online to get it. I need some advice on should I just break down and get two different sewing machines? or keep searching for a place online to get a Janome 8900QCP? the reason I say online is because my closes dealer is 2 hours away. I would really like your thoughts on this?
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Looking is fine but I suggest you get to a larger quilt show where dealers will have all sorts of brands that you can test drive. It is like buying a car, you need to test drive and see what works best for you. Have FUN!

I like the old stuff. I'd recommend a Singer 401A as a great all around machine. It doesn't do embroidery though. It doesn't matter to me, I do mine by hand when it comes up.
Rodney

I personally don't like the combination sewing and embroidery machines. I find the straight stitch is not nearly as secure and true if that machine also does embroidery. I own two embroidery only machines and can set them up to sew out a design and let it run while I am doing straight stich sewing on my other machine. My sewing setup consists of my "regular" sewing machine on one table with the two embroidery machines behind me on another table. I can hoop up a design on each of the embroidery machine, if so desired and let them run while I work on a straight stitch machine. When the embroidery machine needs a change of thread etc. I just whirl around on my typing chair and do what is needed, then resume both my embroidery and regular sewing. My projects get done in half the tme.

they have not yet put a machine on the market that does everything i wish it would.
it's a good thing, too.
i could never afford it. LOL LOL LOL

Have you seen the Facebook group that does machine embroidery using vintage machines? It is beautiful. I tried it and my first attempt looked great. No fancy machine needed at all. I have been embroidering up a storm and it hasn't cost me anything but thread and stabilizer. I use an old metal embroidery hoop. The machine I use is an old Singer 99. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1421958014741838/

I was about to buy a very expensive embroidery machine until I tried it. It's much more fun then watching a machine do the work for me. I feel like I am the creator, not the machine.

Interestingly enough, I just printed out the manual for a Singer 99 today. I was surprised when I got to the section describing embroidering on that machine. There is a special throat plate to cover the feed dogs but that's about it.

I adore my dreamweaver combo. It does everything I want it to. There is no feature that I want that it doesn't have

I really prefer separate machines for separate activities. I frequently have my embroidery machine running while I am sewing something else. You can't do that with a combo machine. For quilting, I finally bought a sit down quilter, a Handiquilter Sweet 16. Yes, great quilters can do wonderful work on DSMs, but I can't :-) There is always a compromise in machines that do multiple things. Sometimes you just have to accept the compromise because of space or money, but I would really recommend at least looking at a separate embroidery machine.

Pam

I also prefer a separate embroidery machine. I have the Brother PE 770 for embroidery. It is the perfect machine for me because I'm a beginner with machine embroidery.

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.

I prefer separate machines for sewing and embroidery. I have them close together so I can watch the embroidery machine while stitching on the sewing machine.

There are some really good deals out there but takes time to look at all of them. Brother has a machine that is not terribly expensive that embroiders only for around $700. I think it is limited to a design no larger than 5" x 7" and that is what about 80% of the designs used. I would suggest not buying one with a limitation of 4" x 4" because those designs are getting hard to find. Also they have a small machine called a Brother Simplicity for sewing that has lots of stitches along with a needle threader and scissors. I think it is around $500. Also you may have to go to a Brother dealer to find these machines. I don't think they are the ones sold anywhere else.

One thing that is sometimes not considered is the software for embroidery machines. It is used for designs that don't come on your machine. You might try to negotiate a software program so you can see your designs on the computer if you purchase from a dealer. Mine doesn't digitize or anything like that.

Let us know what you decide.

A Brother embroidery machine for only $360 seems like it will only handle a 4 x 4 in embroidery frame. I think you will "outgrow" that size very fast and will wish you had spent more money on a machine that can handle the 5 x 7 frame (minimum) and probably even larger frames. If there was any way I could afford a new machine for embroidery, I'd buy the one that could work with the very largest frame. I think the frame sizes for some machines go up to 10 inch or 12 inch.

I don't embroider, so can't really comment on that, but I can comment on the Juki-TL2010. I bought one about a year and a half ago for $999, when I had originally planned to spend half that amount. I'm really glad I shelled out the extra money for the Juki though. If you're going to go with two machines and if one them can be a straight-stitch only machine, then the Juki is a really good investment. There are a lot of threads on here about the 2010, so I won't go into the details of what I like about the machine, but feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Onebyone the work shown on that facebook page is really amazing and inspirational, and all on old straight stitch machines.
Rodney

I am going through the same thing. I am looking at the new Dream weaver or one of the V lines of Brother.

The one machine i want for everything is the one I can't afford....a Pfaff creative sensation PRO. It is top of the line and will do everything anyone could think of. I can dream....

I am another in the camp of a straight stitch only machine for piecing and (dreaming of owning) an embroidery machine strictly for embroidery and any other zigzag I might want to do.

Since I don't plan on doing a lot of embroidery - most likely mainly labels and such - I'm presently considering a very basic machine in the under $500 range.

Whether I decide to upgrade my wants before I actually purchase remains to be seen. Lol! Because it sure would be nice to have one of those that "does everything". However I don't want to make it a commercial venture and that would be the only way I could justify to myself that kind of expenditure.

I have a Bernina 730e which does everything. It also has a knee lift for the presser foot. I also have an old Bernina 930 i sew on when the 730 is doing embroidery. I want to get the Bernina 16 needle embroidery machine. I will one day. I like being able to use the 730 for sewing. When I have several granddaughters here wanting to sew, between the Berninas, my Mom's Janome, my take to class machines and the treadle all of them can sew at the same time. I number the machines and they draw for the one they use. I have 10 granddaughters. Right now only 5 are old enough to sew on their own. When the others get older, I guess I will get a few more machines. ��

The Brother Quattro or Baby Lock Ellissimo come very close.... when they get to a 12" square embroidery field I'll buy a new machine. Currently I have a Brother Duetta that meets my essential needs and a half dozen or so other machines to take to classes, sew on when the Duetta is embroidering or to set up several for different stitches or thread colors if needed.

WOW! That is all I can say about that page. I know I could never get that good but thank you for the site.

No. One machine won't do it all. I got a PFAFF embroidery machine that has a harp almost as large as my 1973 Singer which does all basic sewing and has some decorative stitchers, but is heavy. It also has a large harp so I've quilted king size quilts on it. The PFAFF is also heavy. I recently got a smaller, lighter Janome to take to classes and stuff. I was debating getting a Singer featherweight instead.

Thank you so much, Ya I have already decided I think I will get the Juki because I have heard so many great things about the machine. But I do a few questions about it so I will be PM about them when I get ready to buy it.

I am looking at a Bernina #153 quilting machine for a second machine. I am told it is about 10 years old. Do any of you have any knowledge/references about this model? It is a white machine with red.

I'm still hoping for feedback on the Bernina 153 if anyone has knowledge of it.
Everyone her has such good ideas an experience with dfferent machines an models.
Thanks