A new machine for my quilter?

I've heard good things about the Janome 6600, and I think that's one I'd look for if I needed a new machine. On the other hand, I've been really happy with my Husqvarna for many years and would probably check them out too. I'm sure you'll get a lot of recommendations from others on just about every make of machine available.

Once you get your recommendations and decide on your top choices within your price range, please take your wife to the various dealers to let her try each one so she can make the final decision. She can take along mini quilts so she can see how each feeds through the machine to ensure it does what she wants it to do. And she also may find some features she just can't live without!

Good luck, and thanks for being so good to your lovely wife!

- Louise > My wife has made do all these years with older hand-me-down machines.

I love, love, LOVE my Janome 6600! It's a real workhorse and designed specifically for quilters with all the bells and whistles a quilter could ask for in a sewing machine. But it is computerized and you said 'no' to that. (It sells new for about $1500.) A gently used late model machine is a much better buy than brand new- just like when you buy a car.

And I agree with Louise- your wife should test drive many machines before the purchase is made. Choosing a sewing machine for someone else is not such a good idea- your idea to upgrade her current machine is a excellent idea and thank you for recognizing that her old machine is holding her back in her quilting adventures.

Best of luck- there's a lot to choose from out there!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I love my Janome 6600. It's computerized, but not in such a way that you need an engineering degree to use it. The interface is digital and you use little buttons to scroll through the various stitches and then choose them. Nothing more complicated than that is ever necessary. The needle can be told to always stop in the down position. There is a little button that cuts both top and bottom threads when you are ready

-- nice and close to the machine. And it's sturdy as heck. I stitched part of an aluminum soda can to a background without any fuss, and I've stitched through light cardboard.

I will also say that in the same price range is a Babylock (don't remember which model number) that is very similar, but will completely thread itself. Very nice.

Good luck to you and bless your heart for wanting to give your darling wife a nice machine.

Sunny

I have a pretty "basic" Husqvarna (Viking) "Lily 550" I love it! It doesn't do ALL the computerized fancy stitches that some do, but:

-- it does sew a heck-of-a-good 1/4" seam for piecing,

-- it has a "needle down" position you can click on - to make sure the needle stops in the "down" position so you can turn a corner without the quilt slipping away.

-- it WILL easily sew through heavy fabric (as in hemming a pair of jeans - or quilting a quilt) if you use a size 18 or "jeans" needle.

-- it needs very little upkeep. Mine's been running great for years and years! ME-Judy

I wonder if your wife is one who hates to shop. She could be. Our oldest daughter is one. She will wear just whatever I buy and hand to her and loves it. Shopping is a dreadful waste of time (to her). OTOH, I do hope you're paying attention to what several here have already said. Please bless your wife with choosing her sewing machine

Several years ago I got my wife a Juki TL98Q and she loves it. Right now the machine is getting a real workout. She is working on wedding quilts for two of our granddaughters, one getting married this August and the second a month later in September.

Ross

Ed, what area of Arizona do you live in? We have lots of good dealers all over the state and lots of great support. I would be happy to let you know of dealers I know in your area. As others have said, let your wife make the final decision on a machine. while all do basically the same stuff, the positions of controls, bobbin winder and so forth can make a big difference in how comfortable the machine is to use. Thank you for understanding the need for a good machine to do the best job.

Pati, > My wife has made do all these years with older hand-me-down machines.

On Tue, 11 May 2010 09:38:42 -0500, Ed from AZ wrote (in article ):

I have both a Janome and Viking and love them both. I think you couldn't go wrong with a machine from either of those. Also had the opportunity to sew recently on an Elna and thought it made a nice stitch.

But a machine is a lot like a car. You're really going to have to let her test drive and choose for herself. Nothing would be worse than not having a feature she really wants or all the buttons in the wrong place!

Maureen

I'd say the Janome 6600, I have friends who have them. It has a larger harp, which is nice to have when machine quilting. It even cuts the thread! I love my Bernina, but it cost me an arm and a leg, worth it to me. The Janome is not as expensive, and I must say that I covet that thread cutting thingy! Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

I forgot, needle up/needle down, very important to me, my Bernina 160 does have it. Love it.

Are there any new ones not computerized? I have a Pfaff and a Bernina, both excellent. (I like Pfaff better, but don't tell Bernie!) Your wife (lucky woman!) really needs to go test drive a number of different brands and models. It's like buying a car: lots of great cars on the market, but different cars fit different people. It's also important to have a good dealer in case of problems, maybe get a course on using the machine thrown in.

Of course she maybe th>My wife has made do all these years with older hand-me-down machines.

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

Yes - I would let my wife test drive the machine. Just wanted to get an idea of what models I might be looking for and what the price range would be. Also - just what _should_ we be looking for in a machine?

Her current machine is just a old basic sewing machine, and it doesn't like quilts very well. She got a walking foot for it and that helped, but the machie itself just won't hold up. She's borrowing a machine right now to finish her current project - a wedding gift for our daughter. (She wanted it done _before_ the wedding, but between wedding preps and machine issues, it didn't happen!)

Computerized is almost definitely out. A simple selector panel maybe

- but too much gets very overwhelming. She's not into computers - doesn't use one at home and has no interest in learning. She finally learned to text form her phone and enjoys it, but that's as far as it goes.

So we see all these bells and whistles on new machines, but have no clue what they add and why we need them. Well, more stiches is an obvious one. A larger table and throat - oh yeah!! She's been arm- wrestling this quilt across our kitchen table! But other than that ...

She was looking at one at JoAnn the other day (I wasn't there) - I think it might have been this one: Singer Confidence Quilter 7469Q Sewing Machine

Ed

PS: -- Pati, we're in Yuma. We did do a "tour" of a couple Phoenix- area shops before - Connt Fields and Quilted Apple, if I remember right, and maybe one other. We do have a Babylock dealer in Yuma, plus JoAnn - and WalMart of course!

grrrrrr. Ed! Would you buy a $100 refrigerator? You could, you know. It would be flimsy, too small and last about 6 months. Don't even think about a cheap Singer from JoAnn's. We know where you live. Polly

"Ed from AZ" Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

I use a 1970's mechanical Necchi 537. Very basic. All steel and cast iron, except for a couple of plastic buttons on the front and plastic thread spindles. Medium size harp. Easy maintenance, inexpensive service. This is your mother or grandmother's sewing machine. The best thing about it for quilting is that it will sew through very heavy materials, including a quilt package. So that's one thing to look for: handles heavy materials easy.

The things I lust after in a modern machine are:

Needle up/down selector Automatic thread cutting Larger harp Sturdiness the Bernina Stitch Regulator (the BSR), but only if I can bypass when I want easy access to clean and oil by myself Availability of certified repair person/shop within easy driving distance

a good selection of feet, including walking and darning (some experts say an open-toed darning foot is best; I'm happy with my clear one), and a quilting bar, or whatever you call it -- the heavy wire arm that you mount on the shank so it rests to the right of the needle at whatever measurement you want.

a large sewing surface -- on this one, I'd really rather have a SM that sets down flush inside a large, SMOOTH-SURFACE cabinet or table rather than one of those attachable extension tables from the manufacturer

Your concern about "computers" is probably be misplaced. A computer interface on a sewing machine is not like trying to learn to operate a PC in Windows or whatever. It's much more intuitive, more like pressing buttons than working with a computer -- just like you'd press a button or turn a dial on the front of a mechanical machine. Some are more complicated than others. So that's another selection criterion personal to your wife: an easy-to-understand computer interface.

I instinctively have more confidence in machines that are specifically designated that they're designed for quiltmaking.

I wish somebody would give ME a cool quilting machine.

ep

One thing I adore that's pretty standard on a Pfaff is their "integrated dual feed" -fancy name for a built-in walking foot. And it's not a big clunky thing, you barely know it's there. The Pfaff makes it very easy to pick different stitches, and nobody's forcing me to figure out how to work the memory function or combine different stitches or do anything kinky with the computer :-) So don't automatically nix anything with a motherboard. Lots of the fancier machines can figure out tension adjustments on their own. I like the little message that pops up when there's about a yard of thread left on the bobbin.

Look for something that runs quiet and doesn't vibrate the whole table. A good machine for quilting is heavy -it needs to stay put while you wrestle a quilt through it! Look for metal innards as much as possible -plastic is cheap- and a motor with muscle. When she test drives, she should bring along some washed fabric (no sizing) and her own thread to really see what the stitches look like in the real world, try out some really thick seams (think 8 layers of denim). Make sure the quilter's accessories are either included or easy to get. (quarter-inch foot, big quilting foot, acrylic extension, etc) Roberta in D

The Janome 6600 has the Accu-Feed feature... that's a built-in walking foot like the Pfaffs have. It's works very well and I can use it at a much faster feed than a separate walking foot attachment.

LOVE it! Janomes rule! LOL

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.