Jan in VA

Buy the machine for which you have an excellent service tech in your area. It surely isn't helpful if you have to pack up your baby and send her off somewhere if she falls "ill". Personally I'm a Bernina gal but so many of my friends love Janome....you may have known them as New Home, by the way.

Welcome to the board.

Jan in VA

MadQuilter

Both of those machines are listed as "previous models" so if you get either one, you should be able to get a good price. The Ellure has the embroidery module which you may or may not use. However, it has a much larger throat and more features than the other one. I am a baby lock fan and have an Espire (previous model) and the Crescendo. Would not care to trade.

sewingsuz

Welcome from Arizona.

amyjo

Welcome back. I have a Singer which I just moved out of the cabinet to replace the Bernina that I had serviced. I like the Bernina and I also like the singer. Most of my machines are singers, oldies but still work very well. I also have a Juki that I purchased to try to quilt my own. However she is out in my trailer and I'm snowed in til someone comes to open everything up

northerncreations

Welcome back from Central Florida. I am a Janome girl as well -- just bought the Skyline S7 -- absolutely love it. Also have a Janome 4800 - love that one too. Agree with Susie-Susie-Susie. Try out the machines that caught your eye and pick the one you are most comfortable with. The knowledge on this Board is never ending -- ask away and you will definitely get lots of help.

luana

Jan gave you good advice - Your machine is only as good as the service it comes with. Happy Quilting :-)

quiltingbuddy

Hello and welcome back from Washington State. I have a Bernina and like it, but I agree with Paper Princess on the biggest harp space you can get for your money. That is what I will do when I'm ready to upgrade.
I do like the stitch regulator of the BSR foot on my Bernina and I don't know where else you can get that.

letawellman

Welcome back! Like JBJ, I'm also in Upstate SC.

I have three Husqvarna Viking machines - Designer1, QuiltDesigner, and the MegaQuilter 18x8, so I have to say I LOVE Viking products. I'm fortunate to have 2 different shops to take my machines to if necessary, so PaperPrincess is absolutely correct, be sure that you have a service center within a reasonable driving distance.

With that said, you also need to decide just what you want to do with the machine. Are you planning on just piecing, or are you also going to quilt on it? If you decide to quilt on it, definitely go with the largest throat space you can find. Many of the machines that do both sewing and embroidery have a good bit larger throat/harp space, and you may find later one that you want to do a little embroidery to complement your quilting.

I would also recommend that you "test drive" the machine as well. And finally, if you are buying from a store/dealer, be sure they offer classes on both the use and care of your machine. When you buy from an individual, you won't have any of that kind of information, and you may not even have a user manual. If you're not technical-minded or mechanically-inclined, I would definitely only buy from a reputable dealer.

Good luck with your decision, and again, welcome back to the wonderful world of quilting!!