I'm looking for a heavy duty sewing machine that can do straight stitches and zig zag stitches, has the ability to FMQ (drop-able feed dogs), and has an 8" or larger harp. I don't need any other bells and whistles or fancy stitches. I just need a real workhorse that'll hold up over time.
I'm thinking that maybe an older, non-computerized machine might be a good bet, but I'm not really all that familiar with older machines. (I do have a Singer 15-91, but I think it's straight-stitch only. It's in storage right now and I can't check).
My last two machines have been mid-priced Brothers ($450-ish range), and for average/home sewing, they're fine, but for heavy use, they're just not holding up like I think they should. That's a shame, too, because I really like Brother's machines.
Any suggestions?
