Happy Linda

Bernina is my choice. It's more expensive but I love mine. It's #730 and embroiders. I'm a quilter too. If I was going to purchase another I'd make sure it had a knee lift, thread cutter and stitch regulator. The 730 now comes with a stitch regulator but when I purchased mine it did not. I bought mine from someone on this site who simply didn't use their's.

hoppa

I have a brother amd it is edasy to use got it from Ken's sewing on ebay refurbisged it is lightweight for classes and this is the secind ine in our house since we voth sew. Many of thr ladies in our foll group vought this because of the easr of using it. Stay away from the walmart mavhines.

Buckeye Rose

To be very honest....quilting is an expensive endeavor, not something to be taken lightly. I am not questioning your intent, just letting you know upfront that there will be quite an outlay of $$$ to get started. If at all possible, I would borrow a sewing machine from a friend and try piecing a top to see if you like it at all before buying a machine of your own. I have been sewing since I was nine, so I know what is involved and use my machine every day for something, even minor clothes repair. To buy a machine, and then not like to make quilts would be a waste. Just my honest opinion.

napetrucela

I too and fairly new, however I wanted a machine that was easy to use, stitched well and had the embroidery capabilities. I researched and purchased a Bernina and love it, it is a bit pricey but well worth it. I agree with everyone able that mentioned see what variety of feet (foot) come with the machines as they are very pricey as well. My good friend has been quilting, etc for years and loves the Janome. Another friend loves her Viking. Take your time and definitely go in and try them out. Just remember most of the sales people do get commissions. Good luck and have fun.

JeanChev

Keep it simple. Also the suggestion of a "SEW & VAC Shop" in your area is a great one. So many machines have a large number of stitches and you end up using less than five on a regular basis. The prices rise accordingly. My machine was bought used four years ago and I am delighted with it (Viking Husqvarna) but I am thinking about the Bernina or Janome for my next one. good luck and ENJOY YOUR QUILTING. You didn't ask but best thing to do when learning is to Join A Bee, great support and friendship awaits.......

Dawn227

Virginia,
I would agree with most go through a dealer. You may pay a little more but you will get more support.
I have taught many teens to sew. The machine I love for that has two sewing speeds. One is super slow and the other is regular speed.
Even my young Grandkids use it on "turtle" diagram speed.
Good luck you Will know what is best for you after checking out several. Make sure to take notes. Take your time to digest all your information before you choose.
Good Luck
Dawn227
Rochester NY

annies-best

For a beginner go to HSN you can look at brother & singer decide what works for you......Get flex pay with no interest and sew happily ever after

,,no i don't work for has but am a very happy shopper love the return for 30 days if you don't like it for any reason

Helena

So am I - totally in love with my Bernina. I had the 1120 and now the 1230 which I purchased from Ebay. No, not cheap (over $1,000) but definitely one of the easiest to use with the least frustrations encourntere by some of the cheaper ones. I could have bought a new one for the money I spent, but having owned a Bernina, I will never consider any other.

IAmCatOwned

The advantage of a manual vs. a computerizes is that you can usually do all the servicing yourself, short of broken parts. A computerized machine has a lot of features not available on the manual. I know plenty of people who were perfectly happy with their mechanical brand name machines and have never upgraded to a computerized one. I love my computerized Bernina, but the upkeep will also be higher since most things must be done by a technician.

BTW, my sister got a mechanical Bernina (990?) at an auction for $100. She cleaned and replaced the oil. Runs wonderfully and so much more quietly than her other machines. This is perfect for her since she is 45 miles from the nearest sewing repair person.

NUBQ

Virginia..I would not hesitate to buy a Janome machine..Whatever price range you can do, you will not be sorry..If you reseach, they make a lot of the brands you see on the market now..Why not go for the mother of all of them?...I bought a low-end DC2007LE in'o8..I never see it mentioned, but I put a walking foot on this machine, and finished this tote yesterday, with 2 layers of fleece besides the iron-on interfacing and the layers of fabric in the 'handle', for instance....NO problem with the walking foot..a necessity with the light machines, but sews through it all just fine...
It has the up/down needle, thread cutter& threader. Computerized for easy push button stitches...Love this little machine..I have 3 Janomes and just ordered a Singer 403 on EBay. for extremely heavy sewing..
Don't have it yet, but gosh, now I will have to thread my needle, cut my thread, roll the wheel for a down needle..Whatever will I do??
Stick with this Quilting board..you will learn plenty along the way, with great video links.. Thank you QB...
Now I will try to attach a picture of aforesaid 'Tote" berni