What Brand Sewing Machine Do You Prefer
 

I have a Pfaff Expressions 2.0 and I am considering replacing it after reading a post from one of our members stating that she purchased a bernina and there was a drastic change in the consistency and accuracy of her 1/4" seam. I try very hard to cut my material as accurately as possible and I have a built in walking foot, but I find my seams are constantly not matching up and it is very disappointing to say the least. I use pins to keep my fabrics from moving and I have grippies on my rulers to prevent them from sliding. So, my question is, are there machines that can help improve my accuracy and which ones can help me with this issue?

i've used a Juki, Brother, and Kenmore, all of varying ages. i can get an accurate seam on each

I have a janome. It took some trial and error some green painters tape and a very snippy warning to never touch my tape ever again to get a better 1/4 seam.

I have a Bernina 1230, which is now a vintage machine (15+ years old).

The 1/4" seam for me is totally dependent on how I set up the machine. I ***must*** have a physical barrier for the right edge of my fabric. Trying to eye it against a line on the machine bed or against a foot simply does not work well for me; the only way I can get consistent seams is by creating a physical barrier. I used to use moleskin, but now I really like this Dritz product:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085L2Y2I/
except it may have been discontinued. I like it because it is a little taller and firmer than moleskin. Dritz sells these adhesive strips in combination with a red ruler. Do ***not*** use the ruler to create your 1/4"! I measured it and it is a true 1/4" instead of a scant, so your resulting seam will be too big.

Because of the way my Bernina is constructed, I need to move the needle one position to the right so that I am not trying to put adhesive on top of the feeddogs. Here's what I do next:

I place my favorite ruler with thin lines (or you can use graph paper with 4 squares to the inch) under the presser foot of my machine. I lower the needle so it is just a little to the right of the 1/4" line. Then I lower the presser foot to hold the ruler in place. I check to make sure the ruler is running straight from front-to-back. Then I take a strip of moleskin (or the Dritz adhesive strip), remove the paper backing, and place it against the ruler's edge.

That creates a barrier of a scant 1/4" from my needle.

The other thing I do is use a fine thread in needle and bobbin. In my case that's usually Aurifil 50-wt 2-ply top and bobbin; sometimes I will use 60wt polyester in the bobbin. Many people do not realize that the size of their thread influences how their 1/4" seams turn out. This is because turn-of-the-cloth when you iron takes up some of the seam allowance. Using a finer thread allows a flatter seam with less fabric taken up in the turn-of-the-cloth.

I have done this so many times I no longer need to check it, but before sewing a quilt you should check the seam allowance. Standard method is to sew 3 2.5" strips together and iron. The measurement across these strips should be exactly 6.5" after pressing. If the measurement is less, your seam allowance is too big and you need to move the adhesive barrier closer to your needle (or move your needle more to the right if you have a machine with lots of needle positions). If the measurement is more than 6.5", your barrier is too close to the needle.

This is the ***only*** method that gives me consistently accurate 1/4" seams. If you haven't done it this way, I would suggest trying it before investing in a new machine.

I've had a Brother (XL-3010), a Kenmore (16231), and a Bernina (430). Hands down, the Bernina out-performs the others. But it isn't really a fair comparison, the Bernina cost 10 times more than the Kenmore and probably 20 times more than the Brother. I haven't had a higher end machine in other brands so I don't know what I'd truly prefer. When I tested a similarly priced Brother (Laura Ashley model) it seemed nice but didn't do embroidery and I just overall like the Bernina better for FMQing. I also LOVED the Janome (7700) I tested, though it was another thousand more than the Bernina, so out of my price range and didn't do embroidery.

So the best I can say is I am TOTALLY thrilled with Bernina, but I'd bet any major brand produces a great machine if you hit this price range.

I love my Pfaff!! I also have a small piece of painter's tape to help me along.

I have 2 Janomes and love them both.

I also have a Bernina 1230...bought it over 20 years ago. Love it and will sew with it until it no longer works. I also have a Brother PQ1500 machine that I both machines quilt on and will use when I am doing strip piecing...sews really fast!
ATTYH

I agree with this statement. What I read into it is that it may not be the brand of machine, but understanding how to achieve the correct seam. My accuracy didn't improve until I understood that that dang 1/4" seam needed to be tested and checked, and could be different from one project to another. I have to change the setting if I use a different weight thread or fabric (flannel for instance)
It can also vary a bit between individual machines. I have 2 Vikings, both the same model, one at home & one at the cottage. I only have one 1/4" foot, which I carry with me, so I'm using the same foot on both machines. One machine, I need to move the needle 5 clicks over, the other one 4, same fabric & thread.

I use the following technique to figure out where I need to put my seam:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...ce-t89997.html

The one thing I will say is that I don't like piecing with my walking foot. Can you try piecing with the dual feed turned off?

I love my older Pfaff, bought in 1986 and sew on it everyday I sew. I have a Brother 1500D and it is a good machine also and has more features but I still go back to my Pfaff.