sef0181

Thanks again for all the wonderful tips! I hope others will find these suggestions in the future!

I went out to test drive some machines, and my local (within a few miles from home) Janome dealer had a lovely Memory Craft 7700 that was appropriately serviced all it's life that he parted with for $1000, plus free classes and a free tune up in a year. This made both my mom and I happy. So to anyone who is shopping, definitely heed the suggestions of not being afraid to a) test drive machines and b) buy 'certified' used from a dealer you trust!

TheMerkleFamily

Congratulations - happy stitching! And be sure to show us pics of your work

Christine

SewingSenior

I have the 7700 and I love it. It may take a day or two to get to know her but once you do I think you will love yours too. To me the automatic tension is worth about 1/2 of the cost all by itself. When I first started FMQ I soon learned that mine likes it better with her feed dogs up and the stitch length set at 0, and she only likes certain threads, sort of like a two year old picky eater, so you may need to experiment a little to see what works for your new girl. Best of luck and happy quilting.

lots2do

Thanks for the original post and all of the answers. I'm going window shopping tomorrow -armed with a list.