Originally Posted by
DogHouseMom
I understand your pain.
With regard to the dealer that insists the problem is you ... have these people actually shown you themselves that FMQ can be done on YOUR machine, or are they just telling you that it can be? With regard to you ... have you been able to FMQ successfully on a different machine?
I honestly don't understand your dealers statement that you might not be able to have much time on the machine, that's pretty weird and counteproductive to selling a machine. So what I would do is take all the time you can on the machine, even it's in multiple sessions, then if you decide you like it - order it from the other dealer (who I'm sure will be happy to stock it if he knows he has a sale!!). Again, don't discount used machines either.
But before I laid out money I would be sure that the machine is what I needed. So you need an experienced quilter to try your machine, and you need to try others. Perhaps there is a guild or an LQS that hosts sew-ins and you can try other machines.
Good luck.
Thanks. Yes, I've done successful FMQ on other machines - in fact one time when I did, I started to cry, because I'd been so sure I was hopeless at it. And yes, the dealer did manage to produce a bit of reasonable FMQ on my machine, which is one reason I've persevered. But he was using a fine thread, which always works better, and it was only a small sample. And when I took the machine to an FMQ class last year, the teacher struggled.
Unbelievable, isn't it, that he'd expect me to hand over 1000 pounds after only a short session on the machine. Like buying a car without driving it or having it checked. I gather that his concern is that people try them out at length in the shop, then go and buy online. Though as UK prices appear to be totally fixed, wherever you buy from, I can't see why that's a problem.
You're right - I need to try some other machines. I don't know many quilters in this area, and those I do know are lucky enough to have Berninas, which are right out of my price range.