Janome 6600 is a great choice, I also LOVE my Janome Horizon which you should be able to get very reasonably since they just came out with the newer and better...I love my Horizon....and believe me, I have had Pfaff, Viking, etc. The reason I bought the Horizon is becuase I stupidly sold my 6600 and missed it so much....if you want a workhorse, you cannot go wrong with either of these.

I have a Janome 8077 and absolutely love it! Bought it through Amazon.com and got it on sale for $200 off. It has some stitches built in but not an embroidery machine in any way. Nice size throat and works very very well even on very thick situations.

I've used Pfaff for the last 20 years and I love them. I do everything, including king size quilts on them. I machine quilt all my own quilts and I've learned to fmq on them. My favorite for quilting is the Pfaff Expression 2.0, which I got a good buy on 2 years ago when the 4.0 first came out. I dearly love my QE2.

Whatever you decide on, stay away from a light weight machine for fmq. I tried to fmq on my little Brother backup, but it is just too light and I push it all around with the quilt.

I have a Bernina 440 QE. It's been a deeeelight to sew on, but alllllllllllllll computerized machines are wayyy costly to fix if they have a problem with their "brain".

If you love you other machine (and want to keep it for a back up) I'd suggest starting to WATCH thrift stores, and even dealers. BUY a second used machine just for parts.

My back up machine is a 1977 Kenmore that I bought new in that year. It's been reliable beyond words through thick and thin. It sews muliple layers of Denim without a wobble. Ive made horse blankets with it, and I'd never do that to my Bernina.

Also, amazingly enough OVERSTOCK.COM has a lot of refurbished brandname machines. A friend of mine got a VERY NICE Janome for $100 off of Overstock last year. She has sewn purses with it and it's met every challenge. That was a heck of a deal!
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I'm an Elna girl all the way. My 11 year old Elna 6003 Quilter's Dream would do anything I asked of it. This year I got an Elna eXcellence, and am totally in love! Elna and Janome are the same company now, and judging by everyone's love of their Janomes, it sounds like they are great machines too. Real work horses, they can take what you throw their way.

I also have a Bernina Activa 240. I originally purchased it because it handles applique so well. I also have a Janome, on which I intended to continue doing patchwork. Well, I discovered that I am able to sew more accurately on my Bernina Activa, so I use it most of the time now :-). The Activa machines are small (I also take it to classes), and for that reason are not the best ones for doing quilting.

Why not also find another used machine like the one you already own and buy it to have a supply of repair parts? With 2 machines you could probably keep your favorite going for decades.

I have the Sapphire 875Q. Just finished my quilt top on it (just bought it a month ago) and I love it. Bought it because I had a Viking previously and it is a great machine, but I wanted the bigger throat that the 875Q has. But now I am in love with the automatic thread cutter, the knot tying, the automatic tension, etc. LOL

I love my Bernina 440 QE. It does everything I need and it is excellent quality.

I have the Bernina 430 too and LOVE it .I do fmq on small quilts but I make large ones with it. I too sew every day.

Thanks everyone for your input. I too am looking for a newer machine, just needed to know how to begin the search. Thank you for asking the questions and thanks for the feed back.

I'm a Bernina girl. I have some old (antique?...probably not really)730's and 830's that are absolutely fantastic. They are really heavy duty and hardworking. I also have a 440 QE which is like putting on your fancy shoes - the ones that make you feel pretty. It works very smoothly, has plenty of room under the throat (I regularly quilt up to king size on it), and can hook up to you computer for embroidery if you want (I've never done it, but have the place to hook up...) You should give this one a try!

I love my Janome Memory Craft 6600. It is totally awesome and does way more than I need it to for my purposes. Heavy duty and is a work horse for me.

Best Advice I can give you is.....Decide how much $$ you want to spend, and then write down all the "must haves" that you really want on a new machine. Such as Thread cutter, larger throat area, knee lift, etc. Then Go and actually try out the machines. I have a Janome 6500 and love it! Price was right, had the extras I wanted without extra bells and whistles I really wouldn't us to often. Good Luck! I am sure you will find the right one for you!

I am super-happy with the Baby Lock Espire (now being marketed as the Symphonie). The only thing I wish she had was a built-in walking foot, but I have an add-on foot and it works well too.

I love the large throat, good light, one-push threader, built-in scissors, needle position, separate bobbin winder, speed control, drop-in bobbin, great stitch quality, not fussy with threads, doesn't pull fabric down the feed dogs and and and - I'm sure I haven't used half of what she has to offer.

I have a Babylock Quest+ and have loved it for the past 5 years! Only had to have it serviced once, and I use it EVERY day. It does great FM, and I love the needle-up/needle down, knee lift, and free-arm.

I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your sewing machine, right before Christmas. It made my heart skip a beat, and I went running to my sewing room...only to discover that I have a Future II 920. I hope you can have yours repaired. My repair man told me that it is the best sewing machine Singer ever made. It has served me well over these many years and I still use it! However I also have a Bernina 830 and I really like it.

Hi Teri,
I bought a new Bernina 2 years ago, the 730, and I also have a Pfaff 7510, which is 16 years old. (I don't know why I thought I needed a new machine.) At any rate, I keep going back to my old Pfaff. It has an automatic walking foot that I honestly cannot live without. I love the Bernina, don't get me wrong. The stitches are beautiful. I love the automatic thread cutter and auto start, etc. etc. However, that walking foot just can't be beat.

I am sure there are wonderful features about every machine out there. Do your homework and good luck on your decision!

Bernina 730 does it all. Embroidery, sewing beautifully and fmq. Had mine for 5 years and works beautifully. The 830 has a much bigger opening and is faster but pricier too. Enjoy.

I love my Bernina 830. I know it is expensive, but the value is in its performance and like all Bernina machines, an annual cleaning and checkup is about all they need. I also own the Bernina Artista 130 E, Auroro 440E, and Artista 640.

I had a Janome 6600 and upgraded to a Janome Horizon -- mostly because it had a larger throat area and the dealer gave me full price for the 6600 to upgrade. I love my Janome's

It might not be too late to put in an order with santa. (just an idea.) lol.

I have the Janome 7700. The knee lift, built in walking foot, and throat space are priceless.

There are plenty of Bernina's on ebay, both new and old. Check it out.

. I sew everyday. If I don't sew, I crochet, or work Soduko. lol Good luck finding a machine. Look at all of them. If you go on Ebay, you won't find any Bernina's for sale. You may find the little berninette or what ever it is.[/QUOTE]

I have this machine,,,it does not embroider,or have zig zag,only a center needle position,it does have a thread cutter,.If you just want a workhorse with no bells and whistles,this is a good option. It has a large throatplate.Its very easy to maintain,and I love mine.I have done a LOT of quilting on it and its great.
http://www.sewingshop.com/brotherpq1...rquilting.aspx

Thanks to someone here (I've forgotten her id, if I can I'll come back and edit it in :), I'm going to look at two Pfaffs - one an Expressions 4.0, the other an Expressions 2.0 today. As it turns out, the person selling them is a co-worker of my husband and we used to go to the same church :)

Thanks to Dianna1234 :), I'm going to look at two Pfaffs - one an Expressions 4.0, the other an Expressions 2.0 today. As it turns out, the person selling them is a co-worker of my husband and we used to go to the same church :)

I have a Bernina 750. It is very reliable, sews well, embroiders and quilts. My sister, who died with Lupus 3 yrs. ago, had 2 Bernina 750's. She embroidered with one and sewed with the other one while the embroidery was going!

Kathy

I really love my Viking Diamond Delux, It does everything, It was a gift from my hubby....still learning to use it...

I too love my Janome 6600p I have a 45 year old kenmore I just love It still works like an old plug horse. Janome is just as sturdy and wonderful embroidery stitches I make Christmas cards with the snow flake pattern People raved over my cards. Enjoy!

I have a Viking 875 Quilt and I love it. It has a fairly large throat for fmq. I love how the pressure foot goes down when I touch the foot pedal. I'm not sure if many other machines do that. Then when you stop sewing it raises up a little so you can pivot. The thread cutter I use all the time. Needle down, lots of stitches, buttonholes, several alphabets, etc. I'd say make a list of the features you must have, want to have or would be nice to have. Bring some test fabric with you to sew on, including a quilt sandwich. Use the type of fabric you usually sew on. I find that many of the shops do their test sewing on fabric that's been starched heavily, and it behaves differently than just fabric. If you check out the features online before you go to test drive some machines, you might be able to narrow down your choices, that you do test. Have fun testing.

I live in tucson and noticed this on craigslist. I have bernina machines and find they are well made and last for years. Since they were recommended in this thread I did CL search.....

http://tucson.craigslist.org/ele/4165791560.html

Here is another one......

http://tucson.craigslist.org/art/4211745944.html


Good luck in your search.

Pfaff machines have a larger throat than most but on measuring the new jukes are about 10 inches. I think.
I have a juki but it it forwards or backwards only and I free motion on a frame with it. Love it. Piecing I do on a bernina janome or brother and takea light weight viking to classes.

I love each one for a different reason . You must test drive before buying.

That is a great plan to really see what works for you. That is how I came to own my Bernina. Be sure to have a list of questions to ask each dealership. Also be sure that their is a dealership near you to have the machine serviced. Keep in mind that dealers open the boxes of the models and those machine you can wheel and deal a better price than the sticker price since the box was opened. Both of my Bernina were bought that way. Good luck and have fun !!