ncsewer

I would agree that you would be wise to allow her to help make the choice. If there is a quilt shop nearby, she would have a good time visiting. Even better if there is more than one shop so she could try out a few different brands.

Dolphyngyrl

A featherweight is only a straight stitch. What does your wife want to do if its sewing clothes where she needs to do buttonholes, blindhem, and type of zigzag stitch than a featherweight might not be the choice you want to make. The are good piecing machines for straight stitches. There are a lot of good machines out there. I would ask what features she is looking for in a machine, decorative stitching, needle up/down, thread cutter, needle threader, drop feed, harp space, adjustable width/length, etc.), types of projects she is interested in sewing(will she need something more durable), how much time she will be sewing(is a lower end model suited for her). I have sewn on a featherweightas my aunt has 4 of them, and I find them personally limiting. I can piece for my quilts but not much else, not suitable for applique, too small for really FMQ. featherweights are great for piecing and taking to classes that only require straight piecing. Me personally I would rather have my brother SQ-9050 that is equally lightweight great for classes, and has more features, you can do so much more with it and it cost you around the same. I you are looking for a great overall starter machine that is more durable with highend features, but more reasonable price I would get the brother PC-420 project runway model off of amazon. I have had 3 low end, and 2 highend brothers, none gave me and problems. the pc-420 has almost all the features my babylock espire(brother QC-1000) had for a quarter of the price, however if you have a bigger budget I wouldn't hesitat to get the brother laura ashley(updated QC-1000). I have also heard excellent things about the juki exceed f-600 those run about 900 and are very similar to the espire. Juki has some of the most powerful motors, I would have one if I weren't a diehard brother fan

sewplease

Buying a sewing machine is EXCITING and FUN! I vote for letting her enjoy the process, too! :-) Happy Holidays!

Buckeye Rose

Choosing a sewing machine is a personal journey for the end user. My husband and I went to a dealer and test drove several before deciding on a Janome 6600. He would never have known the the needle threader, thread cutter, needle down and accufeed system were important to me. Being that your wife is a novice sewer, she may not know what she wants either! There are so many different manufacturers and options out there, I don't know how you could choose without some guidance. I would suggest taking an experienced sewer with you to help with the process. And stay away from the very cheap ones at Walmart and similar stores...won't hold up ( I went through two before deciding to get a good one). I don't think a featherweight is the machine for a beginner as they only straight stitch. I use so many of the decorative stitches, buttonholer, free motion quilting, etc. that you just can't do with a featherweight.

JustAbitCrazy

Absolutely involve her in the choosing of this machine! What she needs depends on what kind of sewing she'll be doing. If she intends to sew garments, then I think a Featherweight will not be the ideal machine for her. If she intends to learn to quilt, then it may be just what she would want. If she wants to do machine applique on quilts, though, then she'll prefer a machine with more features, like fancy stitches, needle down, and knee lift. Get the best machine you can with the money available to you. For any kind of sewing, I always recommend a machine with both top and underneath feed dogs, like a Pfaff, some of the Janomes and Babylock machines, because with both feed dogs the two fabrics being sewn together stay lined up together. If she is new to sewing, then a gift of sewing (or quilting, depending on what she is interested in) classes would be invaluable! Many years ago, I took a basic sewing class at a fabric shop with a Pfaff dealership, and it was the best money I ever spent. Check out local fabric/quilt shops or sewing machine dealers to see what classes they may be offering. If she doesn't know enough yet to know exactly what features she wants in a machine, it may be wise to postpone the machine purchase until she takes some classes first and is more knowledgeable. Many times you can take classes without owning a machine, because machines are there for students to use during classes. She may be able to test drive various machines this way before making a purchase decision. A sewing machine is an item which is kept and used for many years, so it's best to make sure you don't buy one which is not going to serve her intended purposes and future needs. She may find she wants an easy-to-learn-to-use fairly basic machine, or she may want a top of the line machine with all the bells and whistles. There are all kinds of machines, for all kinds of people. Kudos to you for being so thoughtful, and for being wise enough to ask advice of people who know and will give you their honest opinions. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

lalaland

Excellent idea! I've owned a lot of different brands of sewing machines, some I'm just not comfortable with and others that I love to sew on, it's really a personal choice and your wife would have no way of knowing this unless she was able to sit down and try different machines. And a store that offers lessons is a must! They will help her become familiar and comfortable with the features on the machine she chose. Even we experienced sewers look for the "lessons included" when we purchase a machine.

DOTTYMO

I have a small collection of vintage, manual and computerised machines. I use each for a different part of quilting or taking to class. I have built them up as and when I needed something.
I would suggest giving your wife a large card with come shopping with me after Christmas you could at this stage tell her where or leave ot dangling. Then take her too a sewing shop with a large selection, new, ex-demonstration models , used models the vintage. I would go for ex- demo, usually they have been in the shop and used by customers to try. In good working order and well cared for. Used may not have been lovingly cared for. A class is vital so can your wife carry the machine you buy. So light weight machines in the bernina, janome groups have different stitches etc.
if she is quilting a quilt does sh require a large throat in the machine? Can a walking foot be used on the machine.

How many brothers do you have , and are any English.?

neenee586

Please let us know how it turns out. Inquiring minds want to know!

miriam

Sir, would you want your wife to choose a gun for you, a power tool, a car for you??? My sister's husband surprised her with a new sewing machine a few years ago - she hates that very expensive machine and it just sets there - she uses her 301... That said, I've been selling sewing machines for the last month mostly to men. I try very hard to match them up with what they say they are looking for for their wives, sisters and friends. If she does not sew at all you can't go wrong with a simple straight stitch or a machine that does straight stitch and zizzag - but make it an electric machine - if she wants a treadle or hand crank let her do it - she might get the wrong idea - like you want her to exercise more cuz you think she is fat... If she is an accomplished sewer, she might love an old well made high end sewing machine. Do some research and see what other people are saying about the machine you narrow it down to. If she learns to sew she might love one of the new electronic machines - if you already have given her a vintage machine she can still use the vintage for 99% of what she will usually sew and save on servicing an electronic machine.

BTW this topic has been discussed here
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...as-t30575.html

QuiltingHaven

I bought my Featherweight on ebay and got a very good deal. Be careful and watch the ratings but you can get really nice machines on ebay. I have gotten a Coffin top 99 and two 301 machines on ebay.