Hello from Northern Illinois
welcome from se TX
06-29-2013, 06:03 AM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Knot Merrill, Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,781
Welcome from Illinois ... I'm in Grundy County - about 20 miles south of Joliet.
I was also at the show this past weekend and spent lots of time looking at Long Arms ... after looking at the quilt eye-candy of course!!
As for the high end machines you need to decide which features are must have's for you, and which are icing. There are tons of threads on QB about needed vs wanted features, reviews on various machines etc.
The short summary though ... start by sourcing which dealers are local to you. If you need training/support/service/parts you'll be happier if you can get them within a short drive with dealers you like and trust. Once you have a list of local dealers of different brands, test drive them and figure out which features you NEED, and eliminate machines you are uncomfortable with. Narrow it down between features/dealers/price and as they say "Bob's your uncle".
I was also at the show this past weekend and spent lots of time looking at Long Arms ... after looking at the quilt eye-candy of course!!
As for the high end machines you need to decide which features are must have's for you, and which are icing. There are tons of threads on QB about needed vs wanted features, reviews on various machines etc.
The short summary though ... start by sourcing which dealers are local to you. If you need training/support/service/parts you'll be happier if you can get them within a short drive with dealers you like and trust. Once you have a list of local dealers of different brands, test drive them and figure out which features you NEED, and eliminate machines you are uncomfortable with. Narrow it down between features/dealers/price and as they say "Bob's your uncle".
07-02-2013, 06:50 PM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 1,103
Welcome to the Quilting Board from sunny Nevada! Great to have you on board! Please feel free to jump right in and make yourself at home: post questions, answer posts, show us your favorite projects, explore the Board (it's huge!). Just join right in! Happy Quilting!
I have heard the Bernina is a great machine. I started with a Brother, then a Janome MC9700, which is still awesome to me. Perhaps your best plan would be to try to find a Bernina on Craig's list. Go for an older model that is less costly but will serve you for years. I picked up my Janome on Craig's List. The machine was still being sold by the company, and new, it cost $2,400. I got the Janome, a ton of embroidery stabilizers, extra feet, storage box, AND like new cabinet to put it in -- all for $800. The thing was, the wife had talked about sewing, so the husband went out and bought her what was at that time (4 years ago) the top of the Janome line. She sewed on it for ONE day, and put it away. It sat for 3 years until I bought it. So essentially I got a brand new machine plus lots of extras, for one-third the cost of a brand new machine. That's a steal, not a deal! I had it serviced, and it didn't cost much because the machine was whistle clean, and only needed some oiling. I also bought an extended warranty for it at the shop that services Janomes. This may be worth remembering. It cost $300, and covered the machine for all routine cleanings and repairs for 5 years. This also included all of the classes they would give to a new owner, plus a 10% discount on everything in the store, including sale items, for 5 years. If you ask me, it has already paid for itself in all of the classes I was able to attend.
Anyway, good luck quilting and make sure you come back and visit us often!
Cheers!
I have heard the Bernina is a great machine. I started with a Brother, then a Janome MC9700, which is still awesome to me. Perhaps your best plan would be to try to find a Bernina on Craig's list. Go for an older model that is less costly but will serve you for years. I picked up my Janome on Craig's List. The machine was still being sold by the company, and new, it cost $2,400. I got the Janome, a ton of embroidery stabilizers, extra feet, storage box, AND like new cabinet to put it in -- all for $800. The thing was, the wife had talked about sewing, so the husband went out and bought her what was at that time (4 years ago) the top of the Janome line. She sewed on it for ONE day, and put it away. It sat for 3 years until I bought it. So essentially I got a brand new machine plus lots of extras, for one-third the cost of a brand new machine. That's a steal, not a deal! I had it serviced, and it didn't cost much because the machine was whistle clean, and only needed some oiling. I also bought an extended warranty for it at the shop that services Janomes. This may be worth remembering. It cost $300, and covered the machine for all routine cleanings and repairs for 5 years. This also included all of the classes they would give to a new owner, plus a 10% discount on everything in the store, including sale items, for 5 years. If you ask me, it has already paid for itself in all of the classes I was able to attend.
Anyway, good luck quilting and make sure you come back and visit us often!
Cheers!
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