Need some "oh sew wonderful" help!!!!
#22
Thats a bummer, make sure you take a notebook so you can jot down what you like and don't like in the machines you try out. Everything as pros and cons, and everyone has different brands and models they love. If you have a good budget the babylock crescendo/ brother dreamweaver really are amazing machines. and I recommend demo at least one, they are essentially the same but brother has the my custome stitch feature. They are quite pricey but well worth the extra money IMHO. The straight stitch brother and jukis are also very popular as is the juki F-600 if I didn't have my baby I would have eventually looked into one of these for FMQ as well but dreamy won me over hands down
#23
But can you buy a FMG/darning foot first? Just to give it a try before you spend the big bucks? Make sure you even like to do FMQ??
I've had my New Home sewing machine for almost 25 years, it still sews good but doesn't have a free motion foot attachment...while talking to my husband about my problem, he asks me which machine I would need to be able to do this...WHAT??? Yeehaw, a wonderful Christmas present, but I have no idea where to start...I know I want to be able to FMQ and a bigger throat area than my current machine...Which machine do youns love for quilting and sewing???
#25
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 77
Sorry...don't do machine quilting. But, my basic advice is always make up a spreadsheet of your 'needs'/'wants'. See what machines fit into those parameters and go from there. Obviously $$ is a concern but just make that a line item in your spreadsheet. Then go test driving. And take your own samples. Don't rely on the store samples. Take piecing samples as well as quilting samples. Only you can decide what works for you/your budget. Personally I'm a Viking girl and love mine. But that's just me.
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Western NY
Posts: 2,005
While browsing, found this site for sewing machine reviews. Always remember this is for suggestions only and is someone's personal opinion. The best experience as others have pointed out is to test drive as many as possible in your area.
http://www.erinsayssew.com/
http://www.erinsayssew.com/
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: N. Nevada
Posts: 953
I love my Brother in-novis Quilt Club. It has automatic tension control and does fmq beautifully. Also has a wide throat. A big plus is it has all the fancy stitches too, which I find I do use. Some other bells and whistles too. I've even been able to design my own stitch and store it in the memory. Can also mix stitches together.
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,198
If you want a sit down FMQ machine, check out www.sunshine16.com. The machine is just for FMQ and has a 16" throat. You can get the portable machine (which can be placed on any sturdy surface and used) or with it's own table. It is comparable to the HQ Sweet 16, the Baby Lock and several other machines in quality, but is much more affordable. Since I already had my Berninas and can't stand for long periods of time to use a long arm, this was the best option for me.
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