NJ Quilter

I agree with checking out your local dealer for a used machine. Lots of folks do trade-ins for newer models so there are some nice machines out there very reasonably priced. Most dealers will also offer some kind of limited warranty on a used machine purchased from them (at least mine does). I have a Husqvarna Viking (Platinum) which does have the needle up/down feature (that you can turn on/off at will). No low bobbin indicator but as GarageDragon says, it makes a different sound when the bobbin is running low and is a decent indicator as long as I pay attention.

kellyer21

Update: Thanks for all the advice. My sister has a Brother 3129, Simplicity series that she loves. So I did some research and Consumer Digest, I think it was, ranks it as one of the best computerized machines. I'm thinking that this machine has what I want, at $450-ish it does have a needle up/down which I really want. I'm not as concerned with the low bobbin indicator, my current machine has a clear window, I guess I need to pay attention to that more. I do have another question. I'm a little leery about the cost if anything were to go wrong on a computerized machine, seems it might be expensive to repair. Or do they not have computer related issues much? Does anyone have the Brother/Simplicity 3129? Or another of the Brother/Simplicity series models? How do you like it?
Kelly~

kellyer21

When you say straight stitch only does that mean that there would be no zig zag stitch option, or button hole capability?

DonnaC

I also have the Brother Project Runway PC420 that rryder talked about. I bought it from Overstock.com as a backup machine, but it is now my main machine because I love it so much. I have owned several low-end Brother machines (meaning, ones that were not purchased from a dealership) and have had absolutely no problems with any of them. They have not needed maintenance such as the computer motherboard going or anything like that. Of course, I've also had several (modern, not antique) Singers which didn't give me any problems either, and people generally pan those on this Board like crazy. Guess maybe I'm just lucky with machines!

This is the model I have, currently selling on Overstock for $399:

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewi...ml?searchidx=2

I wanted to comment on a couple of other things in your post.

I know lots of people are going to tell you to get yourself to a dealer and try lots of machines, which isn't bad advice; however, some of us either don't have dealers close by, or (in my case) have dealers near us that we do NOT want to deal with (no pun intended). I think if you are experienced enough, and know exactly what you want, you can buy a machine without a dealer.

As far as only being able to quilt straight lines - not true! Even with a relatively small machine like my PR420, you can free-motion quilt the heck out of your stuff if you're willing to experiment! If you don't know Leah Day yet, check her out on YouTube or on her website. She definitely has some wonderful ideas and tips for quilting on a small domestic machine that could help you. Hey, I didn't think it was possible either until I tried it!

kellyer21

I will definitely consider buying from other than a dealer. As far as free motion quilting, I tried it on my Singer, which I like by the way, and had a terrible time trying to keep the fabric from all of a sudden moving a couple of inches, or even half an inch, thereby causing long stitches. I wasn't using the slippery thing under the fabric though. The other hang-up I have is that I can't imagine having a quilt sized piece to free motion and managing all the bulk while still keeping the feeding of the fabric, therefor the stitch length, even. I have watched Leah Day. :-) She makes it look SO easy! Any other advice about free-motion? I really would love to master it...

kellyer21

The earlier poster said it was the Brother PQ1500 that only does a straight stitch. Sorry for the confusion.

kellyer21

Does anybody have any experience with the Janome Magnolia?

kellyer21

I'm reading reviews for the Brother 420 on the Walmart site, people love it! :-)

kellyer21

Another question about the Brother 420, does it have the automatic scissor cut?

cashs_mom

I've never had any of the machines that you mentioned but as far as computerized machines go, I've had 2 Berninas that were computerized. I was doing a ton of sewing and quilting when I got the first one and the first years that I had the second. I never had any problems with the computer. It would be expensive to fix but with normal precautions like a power strip and unplugging it when you are done using it just in case I don't believe that there are an inherent problems with the computers in machines.