Lyncat

My Babylock gives me nothing but joy. It's so user friendly!

gramma nancy

I am not sure you need this kind of advice, but it might be worth looking at slightly used machines. If you have a machine dealer in your area, check to see if the shop has used machines for sale. At a good shop, they are in top shape and sold for MUCH less than new. (It's like buying a car -- the new ones lose some percent of their value the minute you drive them off the lot. A good used one can be a great investment.) Considering a used machine might let you get more machine than you otherwise might get while still staying within your budget.

CMW

I would not consider the Babylock Jazz as it does not have an automatic needle down option. Manually using the hand wheel each time you want to pivot or stop a line of stitching would be very tiresome for me at least. It is a computerized machine without one of the key features necessary in my opinion.

qltnmom

If I were looking for a new machine, my must haves would be needle threader, needle up/down, variable speed control, knee lifter for presser foot, a few fancy stitches and a local dealer. Decide what your must haves are, try some machine out at your local dealer and get the best you can with in your budget.

I have 2 Janomes and a Pfaff Passport. They all work well, but I prefer the Janomes for stitching at home. The Passport is great for taking to classes and retreats.

romanojg

I know that Brother has a few new ones way under your top price. They have one that is rough and tough, I think that's the name and a really great public teacher says she takes it with her everywhere. If you are going to do quilting with it you might want to make sure the harp size is as big as you can afford.

Onebyone

I have the Brother 1500. It's a straight stitch machine Excellent for piecing and machine quilting. Needle up/down, auto thread cutter, large harp, knee lift, all mechanical, comes with extension table and all the feet you need. Brand new it will be under $700.

Sharonquilts

My advice is get one you like from a dealer near you. I have the Juki F600 and love it. I primarily quilt, however, I have sewn a few clothing items and made clothing repairs with it as well.

Good Luck! The choices are many ... you just need to sew on them to see which machine you like the best. For me, I thought the Juki was much quieter than some of the other machines I tried.