Sewing machine overload
 

I know you must get alot of "What to Buy" here, but I am new to forum. I went out ot look at machines and the dealers wanted to sell me either the Janome 7700, Brother Ashley nx-2000, or baby lock symphony. I started quilting last year and wanted a machine that has a blanket stitch and possibly a larger throat so I can teach myself how to free motion quilt. I was shocked at the price all three were the same price here and on the high end of prices I find on internet. Do I need one of these, or is there other options? Thanks

No, you do not NEED one of these!
I, for example, have been quilting for 30 years, have taught, designed, published, done commissions, and owned a large quilt shop, yet have never owned such a high end machine. I quilt on an 18 year old mechanical Bernina 1031 and adore it. I also own two vintage Berninas, an 830 and an 807.

"Wanting", now, that's a totally different story.....and completely depends on your ability to pay, your willingness to pay, your motivation for buying, and what you plan to do to make the purchase worthwhile in the future.....besides bragging rights, of course!:)

Jan in VA

Buy what you like and can afford and don't fret over wondering if you made the right purchase. There will always be newer machines. It usually takes three or four machine purchases over time before you find the one that is the one.

The extra stitches can be nice but you need to decide what you want to do. You mentioned blanket stitch for appliqué. Don't take the dealers word for it ask for or take a background, a sample shape and stabalizer. Try all the levels of machines in each brand that have the features you want most. Try some fmq on them. Who cares what it looks like, just try to get a feel for the machine. You may find the higher end machine does not produce as nice a stitch as a lower model, or maybe you find one or the other easier to use. I did not buy a top of the line Bernina and am very happy with the model I chose. I love it for binding and clothing construction but I like to piece with vintage machines. Just make sure what you chose fits you at this point in time and what you might like to try in the near future. No one can predict what kind of sewing they will want to do 15 or 20 years out.

Other than the larger throat, quilting doesn't need fancy stitches. Straight stitch for piecing. Free motion capability (drop feed dogs) for quilting. You already know you want a few fancy stitches - that's still not a high end machine, and I don't think one is necessary. My old Kenmore, which I bought for about $300 does a blanket stitch.

The throat size - after quilting for 7 years I would definitely pay for a decent throat. I have about 7-8" on my machine, and it is a pain in the neck to do anything much bigger than a baby quilt. I have done it however - all the way up to king size. If you can get a larger throat without breaking your budget, I say go for it. But don't let them push you into fancy embroidery stitches and what-not. And it's possible to do a lot with a smaller throat, with a little bit of creativity and perseverance, if you can't afford the big throat now. After 7 years, I'm splurging on a long-arm machine (which arrives tomorrow)

Do you have a trusted quilter friend who can go shopping with you? I recently did this with a couple of new quilters and it helps a lot in keeping focused on the real shopping and not the hype from the sales person.

Do not be "over " sold .. can what you can really use... and leave alot of that "nice to have , but I won't use it much" stuff aside.
It is soooo easy to get "up" sold on all the amazing things machines can do... It easier when you are trying to learn .. not to have to learn so much about the machine.
My Mom receintly bought a very high end machine, and mind you she has been sewing along time.... its way more machine than she can really handle... and when I visit she is using the older machine with much simpler controls. She says the new machine takes too many steps to do the same thing.

I have eight machines - use two on a regular basis - both Janomes. One is a 2010 and the other is a 6600. I would not own the 6600 if I had to buy it (I won it on a shop hop a few years back). I straight stitch on it and not much else - what a waste! I have two Featherweights and I know everyone swears by them but I don't prefer them to the smaller Janome which travels very well. I have not been able to get the presser feet on either Featherweight to hold the fabric down well enough - it feels like I am doing FMQ with them ...

Lots of good advice here from people who have been around longer than I. I was machine shopping earlier in the year, primarily because I wanted a larger throat space (I have a Janome MC4800 - which is about 8 years old - still works just fine). I gave myself headaches (and was about half nauseous) by the time I looked at all the machines, researched the machines, asked questions about various machines. I kept thinking - so much money!!!

I didn't rush out to buy one that was touted as an excellent deal (and it probably was a pretty good deal). Instead, my research led me to think about what was really important to me. I already have a machine with a lot of extra stitches. Ask me how many I had used up to that point?! Maybe 2. What I really needed was straight stitch and a larger throat. Simple. And was leaning toward a straight stitch only machine (Brother 1500). And then I found a vintage machine. Didn't even know I was looking for it! Mechanical, straight stitch only - LOVE, LOVE this machine! I especially love how it feels to FMQ on this machine. While the throat isn't as big as the Brother would have been, it is bigger than my Janome, plus feels bigger than it is because the "column" is more upright (I quilted a king sized quilt on it).

All that to say - ditto to what the others have said - and don't let yourself feel rushed! Evaluate what you really need. Consider what you want and can afford. And try out all levels of machines - not just the high end ones they are pushing.

Good luck in your search! :-)

Thank you. The comments have been helpful. It is easy to get caught up in the moment with all the fancy machines.