New machine recommendations please!
#21
The vintage Bernina 830 (1970s) is a workhorse that can be found for between $300-$500 in many places. Start with a local/regional Bernina dealer, check Craigslist, and eBay and ask at any quilt guilds you may be near.
I adore my Bernina and use it daily for everything.
Jan in VA
I adore my Bernina and use it daily for everything.
Jan in VA
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Keller, TX
Posts: 1,942
Do not buy a new Singer, do not purchase a machine from Walmart....no service or warranty...you have to send back to the mfg. Check out pricing and features on the internet. Brubakerssewing.com...call them and ask about used machines or show machines that have only minutes on them. Check out pricing on Allbrands.com and Kens Sewing.
I would opt for a computerized machine, you have a mechanical one....there are a lot of them on the market now at reasonable prices. Janome has several. Check some pricing on the internet, then go to Janome.com and compare the models. Features are your choice. the ones I like are needle up, needle down;automatic thread cutter; zig zag a given with all computerized machines, throat space is a consideration as well. Just think of your needs, look online, compare prices and test drive. If you find a dealer you like, see if they will match online pricing without sales tax.
best wishes in your quest.
I would opt for a computerized machine, you have a mechanical one....there are a lot of them on the market now at reasonable prices. Janome has several. Check some pricing on the internet, then go to Janome.com and compare the models. Features are your choice. the ones I like are needle up, needle down;automatic thread cutter; zig zag a given with all computerized machines, throat space is a consideration as well. Just think of your needs, look online, compare prices and test drive. If you find a dealer you like, see if they will match online pricing without sales tax.
best wishes in your quest.
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 345
My son recently purchased a Singer 403A, which has a lever that raises the needle plate making fmq possible. I've sewn on the machine very little, but I can tell you that I LOVE it! My son got this machine at the Goodwill store locally for a mere $41. The machine "smells" new. It was and is so clean, with no dried-up oil on it, and it sews like a dream, and very quietly, too!
Jeanette
Jeanette
#27
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
After literally "burning out the motor" on my Sears Kenmore years ago - although that machine loved sewing on heavier fabric, rather than cotton. I went to the local sewing machine dealer and after telling him how much quilting I did, he recommended a Singer, can't remember the model. Well, a year or so later, when trying to finish a quilt for a quilt show it became a "quilt and swear" as someone here mentioned, as the tension kept messing up on me, and I was only using straight stitches with my walking foot. After a discussion with the owner, he recommended a Janome 4000, and he gave me a trade-in for my Singer for the amount I'd paid for it. Granted that was many years ago, but we're still going strong, and I love it. It has all these wonderful embroidery stitches that I used in making 2 baby quilts for our next door neighbor's twins, and using a variety of rayon threads, the quilt was well received and I was very pleased. I would recommend going to a sewing machine dealer, in my area there are 2, and trying out machines to see which is the best fit for you. You don't need a Cadillac machine if you're only going to do Ford quilting, if you get my drift, buy what you need your machine to do.
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Camarillo, CA
Posts: 4,608
i also have this machine, and really like it. It is a non-computerized (my choice too) straight stitch only, no zig zag, if that matters to you. Perfect for piecing and FMQing, but I have not learned how to do that yet. It has a wide harp for quilting. I paid $599 at Amazon about 9 months ago, don't know what the price is now.
#30
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Chapel Hill
Posts: 1,086
The vintage Bernina 830 (1970s) is a workhorse that can be found for between $300-$500 in many places. Start with a local/regional Bernina dealer, check Craigslist, and eBay and ask at any quilt guilds you may be near.
I adore my Bernina and use it daily for everything.
Jan in VA
I adore my Bernina and use it daily for everything.
Jan in VA
Cheers, K
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