soblessed

Wanting to upgrade my old machine (Brother Innov-is 1000) which in January, I will have had for 10yrs. Nothing wrong with it at all & I've never had to take it in but I want something newer that has a bigger screen and in color. I needing help / feedback on the two models I have been debating over. I am trying to choose from the Janome Memory Craft 15000 or the Viking Designer Diamond Royal. I am taking in to consideration how much each will be once I have to add the software price and any extra accessories I will need. I will say the Janome has been weighing in a little better because it comes with a lot of accessories already including hoops, extra feet & extension table. I have never used either of these brands before. I liked the fact that my Brother was / is very user friendly and didn't really have a learning curve. I am also open to another Brother just don't which one. My question also is should I just get an embroidery machine and not a 2 in 1 combo? Is there a machine out there that would be just as good in the $3 - $4k range so I don't have to spend $8- $12k. I know this will be a machine that probably will be my last one so I am willing to spend a little more. I don't do anything fancy just basic simple straight stitch even though my machine has tons of stitches. I love the embroidery part but basically only use the monogram fonts for personalized gifts etc. I would however want to use my new machine now for basic quilting which I'm wanting to learn, and utilize the embroidery part to do apliques and other. Your help is greatly appreciated as I would like to make a final decision on this by the end of the month for purchase first week of November

ManiacQuilter2

Sorry, I am still quilting my my Bernina 1530 from the late 90s. It still does everthing that I want my DSM to do. Just go out and test the two machines. Make a must have and a wish list and see whihc comes in the winner. Good Luck.

quiltingcandy

It sounds like you have both dealers close by, so I would recommend you take a large practice quilt piece and try it on both machines in order to make a decision. I do not have either machines, but I have the Janome MC 6600P and the Viking Topaz 20. I do a lot of embroidery so leave the Viking as an embroidery machine all the time, and have not yet tried it for quilting, but plan to with my next quilt. But when I bought my Viking the dealer really pushed how it was built to sew multi layers of fabric, and demoed more than once how may layers of denim it sewed and the beautiful stitches. I would expect both machines will do well, but it would be worth seeing it for yourself.

Snooze2978

I'm quite fond of the Viking as I've had my Designer 1 since 2000 and really haven't had any issues with it in all that time. If you have and use the program Embird you won't need any extra programs to use either machine or at least not for the Viking one. Plus I just found out that all my feet for the Designer 1 can be used on the Designer Diamond machine so if I ever have to replace this old workhorse I'll probably go for the top of the line Designer machine. The Viking seems to lots of extras that some of the other brands are just now coming out with on their machine such as the foot height adjustment, saving special stitches you've made, thread cutters and threading the needle automatically. I'm sure some of the other brands already have these items but my old D1 has had them since 2000. I also have a Babylock combo which I use strictly for embroidery as I love my D1 for piecing and apparel sewing. The Babylock and Brother are basically twins in what their machines have, just different names on them. Best bet is to go stitch on the models you are checking out and see which one feels the best for you and has all the things you're looking for in your last machine ever. Just watched a video on I think a Brother machine that has an open arm for embroidering on those hard to reach places. Very interesting but only an embroidery 1-needle machine and not very large in size either so won't take up much more room than what I have now.

sprice

I also use an old Bernina. It is computerized and the needle up/needle down option is very important to me. Also love the 1/2 stitch option on the floor pedal. I like the knee lever to raise the presser foot also. I rarely use the fancy stitches. Not never, but rarely. Maybe others use the embroidery options but it's not something I have ever wanted to get into. Have done more complicated stuff in the past, but do plain quilting these days. Don't rush into it. Take it slow and try a lot of machines. Let us know what you decide!

NJ Quilter

I can't comment, either, on the specific machines you mention. I have an older Viking Platinum - about a step or 2 lower at the time to the comparable Viking model you are currently considering. I'm extremely happy with my machine. It does have tons of fancy stitches and some embroidery functions which I never use. I'm also normally a hand quilter but have done a couple of just plain diagonal quilting and it performs perfectly. I've sewn everything from sheer curtains to lined, backed, welted needlepoint Christmas stockings (read LOTS of layers on those!) and it never skips a beat.

btiny36

I like my machines not to be a combo, and I love both my sewing and embroidery machines Janome...I see that Janome is now out with their new embroidery machine 500....um thinking either I'm going to purchase this one or go for the multi needle one...not sure yet

Prism99

If I were going to purchase, I would want a separate machine for embroidery so I could keep it set up and working for me while I would be piecing or quilting on another machine. I personally would also consider a separate machine for quilting -- a Juki 2010 with a 9" bed or, if I could afford it, a Sweet Sixteen sitdown (about $5,000 if you can find one used).

For piecing and machine applique I love my Bernina 1230. If I were to replace her, I would be looking to add some additional decorative stitches (especially a curvy feather stitch for machine bindings; my straight feather stitch is not as good because wobbles show up) and possibly a needle threader.

My experience is that a combo unit is unlikely to perform all of the different sewing functions (piecing, embroidery, quilting) equally well. By buying more specific machines, I expect better performance for each function plus less complexity in the engineering (so fewer trips to the sewing machine doctor).

ckcowl

Visit the dealers and try out the machines, choose the one you like best. I have had my viking designer 1 for 15 years and have not had any problems, have a small janome regular machine I hate--- machines, like cars everyone has their personal likes, dislikes. Best to test drive & choose what You like

soblessed

thank you everyone for all your feedback so far. I'm planning on going to the International Quilters show in Houston at the end of the month, my first time going to anything like this, so I can see all the machines brands.