pocoellie

I'm with you. My only computerized (to a point) and my newest machine is a Elna Quilter's Pro dream, which is at least 8 or 9 years old, that I bought used. I certainly wouldn't buy a machine that would cost more than a used car, which is the only kind of car we would buy.

mjpEncinitas

I just bought a new machine this week. A Janome 6600. It was expensive for me. My old machine has a problem that probably can't be cheaply fixed and I decided to buy one before it was not working. I was going to go with a cheaper machine that had all the same bells and whistles and then I talked to my repair guy. He said if you have the extra money go with the Janome. the insides are better. My hope is it lasts me a long time. I have no great desire to have the latest and greatest. I've been thinking about a new machine for a year or so and I wanted a machine with a proven record.

Research has shown that buying expensive things doesn't give you much bang for your buck as far as happiness goes. However creating things gives you a lot of bang for the buck in the happiness realm. My husband pointed out that the Janome is a tool. For me the Janome is a less frustrating tool than the one I had, to allow me to do something I love and want to get better at. I already am less frustrated when I sew. With the private lesson the shop gave me before I took it home, I was able to plug and play immediately. I can tell I'm really going to enjoy this machine. For me experiences are more important than 'things' and the Janome is helping me to learn new things and enjoy creating, two great experiences.

Can you tell I have a neuroscience degree

Nanny's dollface

I have a janome Horizon 12000 that I only use it for embroidery and decorative stitches. I prefer to piece and sew on my Viking Emerald 118 which is a workhorse.

wesing

This is a very interesting thread. I can "hear" a lot of not-anyone-else's-business in most of the responses, and I totally agree. What my wife and I spend, or don't spend, money on, is our concern. We might get a lot of utility from a very expensive item that other people would never use. The reverse is also true. Just because something wouldn't appeal to me doesn't mean it doesn't fill a need or want for someone else.

I would like to add one thought though. MJP's husband said it. A sewing machine is a tool. Some tools only do one thing. Some do lots of things. Most men know the important thing a about a tool is that it will properly do the job you need it to do. To get the one that does the job right you may have to spend a lot of money. If the job is important you bite the bullet and spend the cash. Some of you have said that your husbands insisted on buying you more machine than you would have bought otherwise. That's because men know the VALUE of a good tool. When I sold Pampered Chef I always encouraged the hosts to have couple parties for that very reason. A good tool saves you work in the long run.

You also have to consider your own skill. My wife and I have a nice antique upright piano. We are both hacks, but we can plink out a tune when the mood strikes us. Our piano is great for us. With our means, a $100,000 Steinway would be a waste, because at our skill levels it would never sound better than our free upright. Our friend Jonathan is a concert-quality pianist. I wish he could afford a fine instrument like a Steinway because he would use it to its potential.

Same thing with sewing machines. We have a few vintage sewing machines and a couple of fairly modern Pfaffs. They do the jobs we need them to do. We will never make heirloom quality quilts, so a $15,000 Babylock Destiny would be under utilized. Some of you do elaborate embroidery or precision sewing that is in a totally different league from us. That same machine could give you the tiniest edge you need to make that important quilt just right, or win a competition. I hope you can buy the Destiny and enjoy it to its fullest.

What it all boils down to is using the best quality tool that you can afford. In the long run, you get more satisfaction out of your work or hobby when you use the right tool for the job.

Neesie

That statement gave me a good chuckle! My dh does know the value of a good tool, so when his drill/driver breaks down, he borrows my (better) drill/driver.

MadQuilter

It's similar to buying a car. Some people have 3-car garages which hold a Beamer, a Mercedes, and the family SUV. Others are brand conscious and only buy Honda or Toyota. Others still are happy with the Ford they've been driving for 15 years. It depends on the budget, the features that are important, and the willingness to make the purchase. My DH asked me once (many years ago) "just how many sewing machines does a woman NEED in her lifetime?" THAT (as he found out) was the wrong thing to ask, as I countered with "How many power tools does a man NEED in his lifetime?"

For me it is simple: I research and test drive. Then I set a competitive price and I deal until I find the price I am willing to pay. My latest acquisition is the Baby Lock Crescendo which has a LASER LIGHT SHOOTING OUT OF THE NEEDLE. I mean, seriously, has the sewing world gone ka-rayzeee? I just HAD to have that machine. (Besides, it has all the other features I consider essential.) It took a while but I found my price and I am happy as a clam.

That said, there is no bill that isn't getting paid because of the expense. There is nobody getting deprived because I splurged. It was not an impulse buy and I plan to use her for a long long time. We do not have children so we get to play. Me in the sewing room and DH with the telescopes. Life is good.

To the person who is looking to get the Sweet 16: You may want to look at the Baby Lock Tiara which is the same model as the Sweet 16 but the table height has been adjusted to be flush with the machine base.

TexasSunshine

I am still sewing on my 1986 Pfaff 1471 and love it because it is a great working machine. I bought a used Brother Innovis 1500D because DH thought I would like to do embroidery also. It is a good machine but I still go back to my Pfaff because I know it so well. We bought a used LA, fantastic price, had a lot of trouble with it, traded it in for a Nolting Fun Quilter, then upgraded from a wooden frame to a metal one and love it. I would eventually like to quilt for the public, just simple edge to edge designs but do not feel pressured to because of the cost of the LA and frame. DH likes to play with the LA and is very mechanically inclined and can fix almost anything so he is a big help when things on the LA don't work right. We are semi-retired, DH drives a school bus, I like to sew and quilt, we do a lot of church work and we don't spend a lot on other stuff, so this is something we enjoy doing. The LA we have is not high end but a lot of fun.

Ariannaquilts

Hi Charlotte I'll be more than happy to elaborate my friend that I was referring to bought the machine because of all the bells and whistles but because she put it on the frame she can't use it for everything she wanted so she uses it to sort of long arm quilt, I say sort of because the harp is not that big so the weight of the quilt makes it difficult to really get what she would have been able to had she bought a actual long arm. As for the paying for itself I am referring to a recent post where people said they didn't want to pay someone else to quilt their tops for them they wanted to do it from start to finish themselves. Personally I think you should be able to buy what you want and not feel the need to justify the cost to anyone. Heck I can't say anything about anything that anyone buys I have 7 machines would love to be able to get a long arm and an embroidery machine unfortunately at this point in my life I am not able but that doesn't mean it won't happen someday. This came about because I was asked how much it would cost for me to get the machine that I would love to have and the response was you are out of your mind there are so many other things you could do with the money, so I decided to ask a few of my friends. I know I could have worded this thread differently but needed to get this type of response to show that it's not just me. So thank you all for the wonderful responses that I knew I would get, I knew a lot of you would get defensive and maybe angry but I knew it would be real! Some people don't understand that at some point in our lives mothers get to say "it's my turn I deserve this and I want it ".

notmorecraft

I'm of the I want it and it's my turn brigade. I just purchased a Juki hzl600 and a husqavarna ruby Royale, yes mega bugs, but I had the cash and it's what I wanted, my last sewing machine purchase was 20 years ago it cost £1000 divide that by the amount of years and it cost £50 a year. Bottom line my money my choice, and my husbands answers was why not as I sew nearly every day and I get lots of enjoyment from my sewing. Btw don't have the space for a long arm.

justflyingin

Great way to put it. For us, our machines are our tools just like an auto mechanic has his.her tools. My husband, who worked in the field for years (repairing heavy equipment) preferred the big name brands of tools Mac, Snap-On, etc. over the tools you'd find at Walmart. There's a reason. When our tools work effortlessly or make the work a pleasure, then the expense is worth it. When your tools are fighting you the whole time, it makes the work unpleasant and more difficult than it needs to be.