Looking for a quilting machine
 

Hello everyone, I would like to purchase a sit down sewing and quilting machine for my wife .She has started back making quilts again. What is everyone using and what would be a good unit to start out with?Thanks for your help

Yikes! First off, what is your price range? Sewing machines suitable for quilting range in price from about $300 to $8,000 or more. Second, would you really want your wife to buy you a new truck without your input? One that cannot be returned? (Many sewing machine dealerships do not allow returns for any reason; they only allow exchange once you pick up the machine.)

My recommendation would be to dig deep and decide how much she could spend on a machine, write a check for that amount made out to her, and bury it deep in a series of nested fancy-wrapped boxes placed under the tree.

In my opinion, it is really really really not a good idea to buy a sewing machine for someone else. Let her do the research, try out different machines at local dealerships, and make the decision herself. A sewing machine is a very personal tool and many of us "bond" with our machines. It's hard to bond with a machine you don't like even if someone else loves it. Sort of like children. :eek:

Now I on the other hand would love a machine someone picked out for me. But I hate shopping. Brother has some nice ones with a range of prices. Features to look for are drop on bobbin. Thread cutters and needle down. Those are my favorites. All those fancy stitches do nothing for me. But others love them. Good luck I hope you find what she likes

Oh I agree with Prism. It is like buying a new dress. Gotta like it or it hangs in the closet. The machine needs to be sewed on in the store and a lot of them need to be tried. For fit, for what she feels good on. and all kinds of stuff. That bunch of boxes that Prism says sounds so good to me. Good luck! She'll love you!

Prism99 has some good points. Your wife would probably love any matching you get for her, but some features are deal makers or breakers. My DH wouldn't know where to start to pick up a machine. He did go with me to get my first Janome machine and paid a lot more that I would have. lol My second machine I picked out myself and I think it will be my last machine. It does everything I want it to do except wash the dishes. Maybe you should get her some notions and fabric to make you a beautiful quilt.
Sue

The question is do you feel you know what your wife wants in a machine enough to pick one out for her. I have a brother vseries that I adore and the only other one I would look at my self would be a Janome 9400 both very different machines with different features. There are so many that have different features that make each one sew a little differently. This gives people a lot of options which in turn makes it hard to choose for a person, especially one who has never sewn before to choose without knowing what's important. I think the gift box idea is a lovely idea if you don't know the specific model your wife dreams about. Almost everyone has a dream machine

You could go to a sewing machine dealer and pick up brochures for your wife. Wrap them and give them to her for Christmas and then take her to the store to chose her own machine after Christmas. You may even get a better price deal on one. She would have had some time to read thru them and decided what features she wants in a machine. The thought is beautiful but a sewing machine is a personal thing and I would want some input as to which one I got.

Sounds like you are in the same place that we were about a year ago. My wife hates to do the research. I love to do the research and figure out how things work. I applaud you for taking an interest in your wife's hobby. Some people don't think that husbands are allowed to talk about quilting or know anything about what goes on with the girl's only hobby. I will tell you that my wife and I have been having a blast together with her renewed interest in quilting and I hope that you and your wife do too.

There are a lot of good tips in the previous posts. Pick a budget to start with, but don't be shocked if the target is a moving one once you figure out what you need plus what features you want in a new machine. Everyone else heard you say sewing machine. Maybe because we just bought a quilting only machine, when you said "sit down quilting machine", were you talking about a midarm? A machine that is used just to put the top, batting and back together?

There is a whole bunch of new terms, that many on this site will help you with. Pick a starting point, it's definitely smart to get your wife's wish list and then start the research. When you have specific question, this is a great site to post them.

The truth is there are many machines that will get you were you want to go. It is also helpful if you can tell us what she is using now and what prompted the new interest in a change. For instance. She has a 20 year old machine that doesn't have an auto threader and she realizes that will make her job much easier. Most new machines have an auto threader, but talk to her about which features are important, as in must haves.

I don't want to make this reply too long. But enjoy the journey and remember, it isn't a race. The machine will last many years, don't be in too big of a hurry to spend your money.

I'm completely in the "let her buy her own machine" camp. I like to test machines before I buy. Every machine has a different and feel and different things that its excellent at. Everyone has their own like and dislikes. My husband has bought me machines but only vintages ones that I had already said I wanted. Even then he's had mixed results. I would give her a fancy gift certificate made on the computer or a check wrapped up and specified that it's for a new sewing machine. I wouldn't want my husband to have picked out my Bernina for me, but then I don't let him buy my cars for me either. I pick them out and know exactly what I want when I hit the dealership.

I wouldn't pick out a guitar for my husband, I took him to the guitar store and he picked out the 12 string guitar he wanted. He has me pick out my sewing machines, even if they are a gift. If you like you can do the research and suggest price range options for your wife but absolutely let her pick it out. It is a very rare quilter who would want a non quilter (or someone else) picking out their sewing machine.