Encouragement
#31
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,052
Janome's are great machines, and come in all prices. she could start out with one that is not so expensive and later trade up. You might try looking for a Janome Dealer in your area, and talk to them, they offer great deals on used machines also. I have a Janome and I love it. This time of year you can get good deals also. I bought my Janome 3050DC 2 years ago at christmas. I got an $800.00 machine for $400.00. brand new. I think it's wonderful that you support your wife and encourage her to continue to make quilts. Good luck!
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 711
I believe you can get a decent Janome for $300-$500. I have an old Bernina for as my major sewing machine but did purchase a Janome for workshops recently and it has many more features than my Bernina. But, I love my Bernina!
#33
I own a good number of machines but piece on a machine off of Craigslist that does only straight stitch forward and backwards.
I second the Janomes. I several of them from basic to fancy. Most of my friends and my DD sew on a Janome Jem Silver. They bought it with the quilter package. They all bought it to get into quilting and were going to buy a fancy machine later on. All of them liked the Janome Jem so much they never upgraded. The plus point too is that it is portable as it is a 3/4 size machine.
If the quilting package is with it it will have the feet for free motion and a walking foot. I has a wonderful quilting stitch.
I second the Janomes. I several of them from basic to fancy. Most of my friends and my DD sew on a Janome Jem Silver. They bought it with the quilter package. They all bought it to get into quilting and were going to buy a fancy machine later on. All of them liked the Janome Jem so much they never upgraded. The plus point too is that it is portable as it is a 3/4 size machine.
If the quilting package is with it it will have the feet for free motion and a walking foot. I has a wonderful quilting stitch.
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 5,896
Simply tell her that if everyone needed a fancy machine to quilt the world would be a very cold place because there would be a lot less quilts. Fancy machines while nice are not necessary. Tell her you'll never be able to drive a car unless you have a ferarri and she will see how silly it sounds. Also tell her there are nice machines that don't cost thousands of dollars. Also most people start out with the low end machines. I did for 10 years before i got my nice machine.
I've been sewing, for over 50 years (started as a young child) and most of my adult life, sewed on a Sears Kenmore. I made my first quilt on that machine, as well as clothing and hundreds of craft items. A few years ago, after my trusty Kenmore developed problems, I finally decided to upgrade to a new Janome (by that time, it was within our budget). I have to admit I love that machine and it's more 'fun' to sew on it . . . BUT it hasn't improved my actual skills. Whether or not I sew a straight line is up to me, not the machine.
My advice is to just have a heart-to-heart talk with your wife. If the machine of her dreams is not in the budget, then encourage her to cut back on something else and start saving for her dream machine. If she doesn't want to quilt until she has that machine, then she doesn't really want to quilt.
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 818
Hi there -
I'm confused about what it is that your wife thinks she cannot do on a lesser machine. Is it the piecing or the quilting? If it's piecing, you've gotten a lot of responses from folks who have had great success on inexpensive machines. I wonder if it's the quilting she's talking about. Maybe the friend has a machine with a big opening for quilting large quilts and/or a stitch regulator and feels without these, she'd have to send her quilts out to be quilted by a person with a longarm machine. Many people, with all sorts of machines, do that because they prefer not to do the quilting themselves. If your wife's friend has convinced her that without a high end machine, she'd only be able to do half the job (the piecing of the top), that may be where the discouragement is coming from.
I made my first quilts on a $200 Kenmore and they came out just fine. There are many computerized machines, particularly used ones, that are quite reasonable, too. I moved up to one because I needed some of the automatic features due to arthritis. Probably by now, though, most less expensive models have those same things.
Hugs,
Charlotte
I'm confused about what it is that your wife thinks she cannot do on a lesser machine. Is it the piecing or the quilting? If it's piecing, you've gotten a lot of responses from folks who have had great success on inexpensive machines. I wonder if it's the quilting she's talking about. Maybe the friend has a machine with a big opening for quilting large quilts and/or a stitch regulator and feels without these, she'd have to send her quilts out to be quilted by a person with a longarm machine. Many people, with all sorts of machines, do that because they prefer not to do the quilting themselves. If your wife's friend has convinced her that without a high end machine, she'd only be able to do half the job (the piecing of the top), that may be where the discouragement is coming from.
I made my first quilts on a $200 Kenmore and they came out just fine. There are many computerized machines, particularly used ones, that are quite reasonable, too. I moved up to one because I needed some of the automatic features due to arthritis. Probably by now, though, most less expensive models have those same things.
Hugs,
Charlotte
#36
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Upland CA
Posts: 18,376
You sure are one wonderful husband. I understand how your wife feels if her friend has a really nice machine, however there are many nice machines out there that do not cost an arm and a leg. She really can get started and do alot of wonderful work on this type of machine. I just purchased a Brother XR1355 at costco for taking to class very inexpenise but quite a nice machine. Good luck to you and I hope your wife makes many beautiful quilts. It is a really fun hobby!!!
#38
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
Posts: 3,992
By all means do go to the Vintage Sewing Machine thread here on the QB and take a look. I have an Elna 7300 with a lot of bells and whistles. I also have several, well a lot, of vintage sewing machines that I use to piece and quilt. What I like about the vintage machines is that I can service them myself. It really irks me that a service for the Elna cost me $169 the last time I took it in.
#40
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 559
It is fortunate she was not introduced to a ten thousand dollar machine......
If you had a child who wanted to be a concert pianist, would you get it a grand piano to learn on?
That might not be appropriate in your situation, however, the desire and decision is hers to make. If she wants to sew badly enough she would sew by hand and be happy. Count yourself lucky. Along with fine machines comes the desire for the most expensive fabric, thread, scissors, not to mention a studio with all the cabinets...and then, there is a long arm machine where you would need a huge climate controlled room and pantographs and many cones of thread in a rainbow of colors. God forbid she should collect old machines also. Be careful what you encourage........................Lots of love.
If you had a child who wanted to be a concert pianist, would you get it a grand piano to learn on?
That might not be appropriate in your situation, however, the desire and decision is hers to make. If she wants to sew badly enough she would sew by hand and be happy. Count yourself lucky. Along with fine machines comes the desire for the most expensive fabric, thread, scissors, not to mention a studio with all the cabinets...and then, there is a long arm machine where you would need a huge climate controlled room and pantographs and many cones of thread in a rainbow of colors. God forbid she should collect old machines also. Be careful what you encourage........................Lots of love.
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