LegallyPhysics

Thank you everyone for all the responses. Between what has been said here and what has been said to me in private messages, I think I am going to arrange for the major sewing store in town to arrange a showing for my wife so she can pick what she wants. I may have not given her enough credit in my initial post... she has been sewing and quilting (I thought this was her first quilt... I misunderstood [you know how we husbands can be with our listening skills]... it is her first jean quilt) since she was 12, she just hasn't really had time to do either for the last few years since our kids were born 13 months apart and she home schools the kids. Our kids are now getting to the age that she can give them an assignment and not have to watch over them like a hawk to ensure they actually do the work, so she has started to get back into her favorite past-times.

If anyone has any other suggestions on machines, though, please keep them coming. The more I can learn about this stuff, the better. Unfortunately, when I am home, which isn't often (don't you just love lawyers?), my wife and I prefer to spend our time enjoying each others company and talking about innocuous things, so I don't want to make her feel like she has to give me a lesson in sewing/quilting and the like.

blueheavenfla

I agree...let her pick it out. I personally would go for an all metal (gears and all) but preferably not aluminum body. Why? You or she can probably (maybe with the help of some of these board members) do all of the work on it...cleaning, oiling etc. You can oil those newer nylon/plastic things but you need to take them to the local repair guy once a year for proper cleaning. I own about 8 machines and the newest is a 25 year old Bernina that requires the local repair guy for cleaning yearly and can handle anything but then so can all the rest that I have and I can maintain them. Saves money for more fabric. Oops, I forgot...I do have a combo sewing/embroidery machine that is newer.

Trish88

I think you should let your wife choose the machine.....for several reasons.....first a sewing machine is something you need to test drive...just like if you were buying a car you would want to test drive it.....so why dont you give her a card and in it say this is a gift for you but I think it would be better if you choose what you like and I bet she would would be so happy...there are so many sewing machines out there.....and its really a decision that only the user can make...just my opinion.......you are so sweet to care about your wife's hobby and craft......good luck and may god bless......Trish

jeanharville

Ditto this. You're a very thoughtful husband.

Gerbie

What a wonderful gift!!! Go fabric shopping with her and get to to look at some of the machines, see which one she likes, and get her to sign up for some quilting classes at a couple of the Quilt shops, and she can see what others are using. Then surprise her with a beautiful card with a IOU coupon in it for a new machine. She needs to test drive some of the machines, like you would if you were buying a new car. But I suggest that you let her buy her own machine, or at least find out which one she really wants then surprise her with it. Check on ebay, if you want to purchase a less expensive one at first the up grade later. Good luck, keep us informed. This is very exciting and I know she will be thrilled.

Maggiemay

Check out dealers in your area. It is very important with a new machine to be able to get service, advice & classes from where you bought it. I have a Pfaff & a Janome & love them both for their different features. If your wife is interested in quilting her own quilts make sure you look into the extra bed space available on many machines. I agree that she needs to test drive her machine before buying, but how thoughtful of you to want her to have a new machine!

Silver Needle

I can recommend the vintage Singer 15-91 for quilting. It has a very nice stitch and is easy to maintain. It only has straight stitch forward and reverse. See how much other sewing she is still doing and keep the extra $ for a different machine to meet those needs as has been suggested. We only paid $35.00 for ours table and all.

sewplease

I suggest going to more than one store so she can try out several brands. When you say major sewing store - are you referring to Hancocks or Joanns? Sometimes they don't carry the brands recommended here.

Kris P

I love my Janome 6600 which I purchased used at my local dealer for $1100.

PlanoDebbie

My husband surprised me with a Kenmore Sensor-Sew 30 years ago when I passed the CPA exam. It was the worst sewing machine ever! I gave up sewing for many years, simply because I didn't have the heart to tell him what an awful machine it was. Had it serviced numerous times to fix the tension, but it never worked properly. Since I desperately needed a working sewing machine, I purchased a cheapo one for about $250 about 20 years ago. 15 years ago I got back into quilting, but the cheap machine would not sew through denim or more than 3 layers of fabric. The motor would also slow down and need to be shut off to cool down quite often. I read lots of machine reviews and finally ordered a Brother embroidery and quilting machine about 12 years ago. It wasn't cheap, but it still works like a champ!

Ask your wife to decide which machine she would like to have, and then you can order it for her. To me, a sewing machine for an avid quilter or seamstress is a very personal item and needs to fit her needs. I absolutely love my Brother sewing machine. Found one on Amazon for my daughter for about $600 that can handle up to a 5" embroidery hoop. My daughter loves that machine as well.