New to quilting (excited but overwhelmed!)
 

Hi! I'm brand new, chicagoland area. I'm a couple months in and realizing that I'm really liking quilting. I've been trying to do some research over the past couple weeks on how I can set myself up to be more efficient with better tools/machine but it's pretty overwhelming and there's so many opinions that I can't tell what's what.

I recently bought a second hand Singer from the 80s and while it's been fun so far, it struggles to sew through multiple layers. I'm trying to create a list of solid machines that would be great to purchase second hand if they become available, but there's just too many models/makes out there to come up with a list of 20-30 that seem to be recommended across the board. I'm emotionally invested in this hobby, but not quite ready to drop $1500+ on a machine just yet.

I'd also appreciate any tips/suggestions on tools to make prepping more efficient too. I have a rotary cutter, cutting mat and a Fiskars ruler so far.

Welcome aboard to the boards and the hobby. I just moved to Peoria a couple of years but so far I've successfully avoided Chicago.

First off, what are your goals for quilting/what type of work do you want/expect to do?

There are a lot of machines out there for well under $1500 -- but it depends on what you want. How many stitches, how deep a bed/throat, and so forth. Lots of special feature options out there, I like having an auto thread cutter and a knee lift for the presser foot to go up and down. Some people want to be able to just press buttons and not use a foot pedal. If you want to also do garment construction, a free arm is really nice but pretty well unneeded for quilting...

Here's another weird consideration -- where will you be sewing be done and where will your machine be kept? Trust me, some of those big expensive machines are heavy and awkward to move and set up/take down.

When you say your current machine has trouble sewing through multiple layers -- how many layers? Is that of quilt fabric? Jeans? Do you want to do your own machine quilting?

For a sturdy, able to go through multiple layers, vintage machines with just straight/zigzag/buttonhole, I love the "badged" machines like in the thread below. They are easy to learn to work on and do your own maintenance and last forever... and they are pretty easy to find in garage sales/thrift stores etc. for about $20-60 for a fully functioning machine, depending on what accessories have stayed with it. My own is a Remington. I love Morse, they tend to be a bit more MCM (mid century modern) styling with chrome and the equivalent of fins on cars.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...s-t207877.html

Recently I bought a new primary machine after my last top model died (Bernina). I did like a lot of the modern bells and whistles, but what I wanted was a threading assist, a top loading bobbin, and a straight stitch, so I bought a semi-industrial home Juki for under $1k. It is straight stitch only, but I'm a quilter and that's what I use 99% of the time. I do have a portable class machine with a few stitches, and my vintage Remington with a nice zigzag.

There was a recent thread here with a machine I was pretty impressed with for closer to $500 or so price (but who knows what the last couple of months have done or what sales there are). I'd have to look for that model again. The Juki would still be my primary machine but it had a lot of nice features including a serpentine stitch (wavy lined useful for sturdy but fancy looking grids), and it was a more portable weight, reasonably suitable to upgrade my portable/class machine.

Here we go, this is the thread/machine that interested me...
https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...e-t326698.html

That was the Juki HZT 710, which was changing models. It can still be found for about $550. The current model is about $100 more. It might be lighter weight than what you are looking for.
https://www.amazon.com/Juki-HZL-HT74.../dp/B0DWHK7KQW

I did a little looking but didn't see any Black Friday deals that excited me :)

Thank you for the thoughtful reply!

so far I’ve only quilted small pieces that are just squares (or squares and rectangles) like a small blanket to act as a chair covers for pets and a table runner. It’s entirely possible that I grabbed the wrong batting for these types of pieces 😅.

in addition to quitting I do want to be able to do basic tailoring to clothing (hemming sleeves, shortening dress pants & ideally something strong enough to jeans too)

Welcome to the Board and welcome to the world of quilting!!

Iceblossom has given you some excellent advice so I will just add some of my personal thoughts. All the brands make good machines. You will need to sort out which bells and whistles that different machines offer suit you. Imo, any decent machine designed now a days will handle basic alteration skills if it has a free arm.

Many of the high end machines have so many bells and whistles that most quilters only utilize a small portion of the machine capabilities. My first recommendation would be setting a budget. Then spend o couple of days stopping in to several Sewing machine stores and get demos from them. This gives you a feel for many different machines, how they sound, how they sew. You will also glean a lot of general info from the sales person. Also , please remember, all their demos (including their choice of fabric to use in the demo) is designed to sell their machine. Then make a list of which options are a must have, and which would be nice. Once you have that sorted out you will be all set.

I have found most of my machines through Craigslist. My list of must haves for quilting is Needle up\down, Presser foot up\down be able to reposition the needle left\right, a larger harp (the space between the needle and body of the machine), a built in "even feed" system and a nice array of utility stitches. That requirement for an even feed (similar to a walking foot) put me in Pfaff territory - they were the first I think to have this on almost all of their machines.

Purchasing an older mechanical machine ... upsides - Less cost and repairs are usually straight forward; downsides - limited fancy options.

Purchasing an older computerized machine...upsides - Lots of bells and whistles for less $$; downsides - computerized machines have motherboards and at some point in time that become nonexistent and generally you have to go to a dealer for repairs.

While I have purchased mine used and found them online, there is one upside to purchasing from a dealer (whether used or new, pricey or not) - that would be classes, general help when needed and usually some sort of warranty that you are not purchasing a lemon

One question about your older Singer - you said it struggles going trough layers - Is it having issues moving the fabric under the presser foot or actually putting the needle through the fabric?

I am sure I have missed something lol - good luck in your search and welcome again!!

Welcome to the board. I ordered online from Costco a Brother machine just to stitch my bindings onto the quilt so you're talking up to 5 layers of fabric/batting and I paid less than $300 for it. It came with numerous feet, a table that attaches to the machine plus a hard plastic cover to go over it. I've been very please with it so far but again I'm only stitching down my binding when I'm using it but for the money, I got a great deal. The model number should be below my name below. You can also order online from Walmart. I'm not a fan of ordering machines online but so far I've been very happy with my orders.

Welcome to the rest of your life! You have fallen down the quilting crevasse! For my first quilt, I literally stitched squares together til I had a quilt!
The trouble stitching through several layers might be solved with a walking foot! There are some inexpensive ones on amazon, but make sure to find the one compatible with your machine. BTW, I still sew on the same Bernina that I bought in 1978! I recommend investing in a sewing cabinet. Also used since '78.

Waving hello from Maryland! Glad you've been bitten by the quilting bug and we learn a lot of each other.

Hello and Welcome!

People made beautiful ( and not so beautiful) quilts way back when with only fabric, scissors, needle, and thread. And probably a pattern and marking tool.

i think that the space you have available - and funds - will be determing factors for what you get.

Some of us have become addicts of sorts - buying too much fabric, collecting many sewing machines,, buying every new gadget and tool that we hear of, buying patterns and books we never get around to using -

But this is coming from an 84 year old person that just moved three years ago and was down-sized a lot.

All my sewing machines are from 1960 to about 1985. The only thing I really wish I had - that I don't- is the applique/buttonhole stitch.

Using a suitable needle makes a big difference.

I’m not sure what your Fiskars ruler looks like, but my most used rulers are a 6.5” x 12.5” and a couple of square rulers - 6.5” and 8.5”. I prefer rulers that are non-slip. I also love my Darlene ZImmerman Dresden Plate ruler but I would buy special rulers as I need them. Have fun learning!