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  • BEST lightweight sewing machine for portability

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    Old 11-18-2013, 02:53 AM
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    jackiequilts4fun's Avatar
     
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    Default BEST lightweight sewing machine for portability

    As much as I am intrigued with the Singer Featherweight,
    I think I'll stick with shopping for a more modern machine.
    But I definitely want it to be lightweight.

    I saw the new Baby Lock Rachel at my LQS,
    but then I (think) I read here that the earlier Aubrey machine
    weighs only 12 pounds. I like THAT!
    Maybe the Rachel machine is just as lightweight?
    I have not been able to find specs online that give the weight.

    I'm not "stuck" on Baby Lock, though I think they make a nice machine.
    Can you help me with ideas?

    Thanks!
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    Old 11-18-2013, 04:17 AM
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    dakotamaid's Avatar
     
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    Check out the Janome Jem. Fantastic machine and lite enough to carry anywhere.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 04:21 AM
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    I am a Janome girl and used them when I was teaching littles how to sew/quilt. I used the 5812 that you can get from Hancock's for $179 right now. They go on sale often and can be picked up for $139 or so my only complaint about it is that it didn't come with the 1/4 inch foot but the 1/4 can be marked out so wasn't a deal breaker. I hope you can find a machine that is easy to tote around.

    I had to carry 5 of these machines in and out of our class building once a week so light weight was a huge bonus.

    Tammy
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    Old 11-18-2013, 04:30 AM
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    Check out the Janome Jem. Fantastic machine and lite enough to carry anywhere.

    I agree with this. I have a Jem and not only does it sew very well, it is so light. I wouldn't be without it now even though I have a Viking d1 and a Juki TL98. Janet
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    Old 11-18-2013, 04:53 AM
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    I love my Janome Jem too. It's about 11 lbs. and is a little workhorse.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 04:59 AM
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    Check out the Brothers. I have two of them that I could lift with two fingers. Great for travel.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 05:15 AM
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    I have a Featherweight, but find I use my Brother cs6000i a lot more. I had a Jem and didn't like the fact I couldn't set the stitch length to what I wanted (it only has three options). The Brother is a fantastic machine with lots of stitches. The piecing stitch is exactly a scant 1/4" from the side of the presser foot, but I can also use a 1/4" foot with guide if I want. It even comes with a walking foot and a quilting/darning foot. I use mine to piece when watching videos and it sits just perfectly on a 14" media table. It also comes with a nice extension table if I'm using it on a larger surface. At $139.00, it really can't be beat. The weight is about the same as the Featherweight, and a bit less than the Jem.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 05:50 AM
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    Pfaff has made a lightweight machine called the Passport, it seems to be popular.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 06:12 AM
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    i have the brother cs6000i also and i take it with me almost weekly.
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    Old 11-18-2013, 06:58 AM
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    I also have a Brother..It's a Simplicity SB700T and I love it. It weights less than 10 lbs. Comes with a extension sewing table. The 1/4 inch setting is perfect with the standard foot. You might want to consider
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