looking to upgrade sewing machine and dont know where to start
 

Hi folks! I am somewhat new to quilting. I have taken several classes at my LQS; made a few table runners, two lap quilts and now I am hooked! I currently use a fairly simple Brother machine that was fine to get started, but I am getting frustrated with it. It is great for piecing, but not so much for quilting. This last lap quilt I made I felt was pieced beautifully. I was very proud of it... until I quilted it. The darn walking foot and I just did not get along. I ended up with several tucks where the top was pushed ahead of the backing. Even my instructor was struggling with it when she tried to help me, so I know it is not just operator error. I am so disappointed with my quilt now that I doubt I will even bind it.

Talking to my husband I think my interest in quilting is here to stay so it may be time to invest in a proper machine. I don't even know where to start. I have two shops near me that I can check out machines at, but I don't even know what to "check out".

Price? I would say my budget is 2K or less. Is that going to limit me?

Any suggestions on what a newbie should look for in her first machine?

Thanks in advance!

I love my Janome 6600. Definitely under 2k. Janome now has a 7700 which is a step up. I also suggest that you invest in a good machine quilting book and machine quilting lessons. Its not always the machine but rather learning to tweek it. I took lessons from Harriet Hargrave and her book is priceless. She specializes in teaching beginners. You can probably find her Heirloom Machine Quilting book on Amazon.com. In looking for a machine, needle down is very helpful. A larger throat space. I love the auto thread cutter. 6600 has it all. There is a Janome 6500/6600 yahoo group you may find helpful.

Just remove the quilting and save the top until you get a better machine. Removing the batting and backing is called skinning the quilt. I have had to do this before. It takes some time depending on how much quilting you put in it.
But if the top is worth it and at the cost of fabrics I'd say it is worth the trouble. Best of luck to you.

I just bought a Singer SEQS-6000. It does everything. I paid less than $1K for it from home shopping. I've never bought anything on TV before so I was pretty scared until it came. I know that Singers have had a bad reputation in the past but they have improved vastly over the last few years. I've done just about everything on it and have had no problems AT ALL. I love it. It has a large embroidery field 8 x 10 I think, and comes with a large and a small hoop and lots of additional software for embroidery. HSN has a video on youtube you can check out and I'm sure there are other places to buy it besides HSN.

As to you quilting problems with your Brother machine; I have 2 Brothers and have quilted up to queen sized quilts on them without any trouble. It's all in the basting. If you have basted it closely enough and loosen your top tension just a smidge, you should have no problems.

Karen, I beg to differ with you. I teach sewing and quilting and have talked to my sewing machine repairman about machines, as I have to recommend to my students from time to time. He has said to stay away from all new Singers, as Singer has sold out, and all of their new machines have trouble, and are mostly junk. He recommends a high end Brother or Baby Lock as the best new ones being made now, and the best for the money. Others have said the same thing about new Singers. The older ones made by Singer are great. It is too bad the new company keeps putting Singer name on them when they are really not worth the money.

start with local dealers and try out as many machines you can---put together practice sandwiches for quilting- and as you try them out the questions will come to you-
ask about (free owners classes) many dealers offer them- which are great to take advantage of because they teach you all the great features of your new machine-so you are able to use it to it's full potential.
ask about service plans- (my viking dealer gave me free cleaning/service check ups for the first 2 years)
ask about warrantees, - if you don't know much about the manufacturer=company ask about their history---
get on line and look them up- read comments and reviews-
check with other quilters at your lqs- what are they using?and why?
i think it is always best to buy locally- then if you do have problems-technical issues you can get help-

I would not buy a Singer, Viking, or Pfaff (although I used to be a Pfaff fan and have an older Pfaff). These companies belong to a holding company VSP now and they have the main focus on making a profit with little concern for quality and service. That is my opinion based on personal experience.

My last machine - which I LOVELOVELOVE - is a Baby Lock Espire (now being marketed as the Symphonie) and did I say that I love that machine? lol

What do I love? Needle up/down selection, large harp with large extension table, good light, easy menu selection, nice stitch quality, built-in scissors, drop-in (large) bobbin, speed control, one-push threader (it's the bomb), separate bobbin winder, she sews sideways and at 45 dergree angle (comes in handy for some topstitching), quit motor, start-stop button, knee lift, and she uses Brother feet. The only thing I wish she had was a built-in walking foot, but it is not difficult to attach the external walking foot. She is also not picky with threads and she doesn't pull the starting pieces down the feed dogs.

There are nice videos on the company website to feature the line. I'd suggest go check them out. (This would be at the upper end of your budget). Otherwise, I'd say have a list of "must have" features and go test drive all the brands.

I recently started a thread about that very issue with the walking foot on my Brother. So now I just use the standard presser foot instead of the walking foot for straight line quilting and it works beautifully.

I am so ready to upgrade my machine but unfortunately that is not a budget friendly issue.

i have done this also. sometimes you just gotta take that quilting out for some reason or another after all the work you put into piecing a top.