I have 2 brothers 270D and PS8500...best advice, get the biggest hoop capability you can afford...wish I had

I own two embroidery machines. My first is a Bennina 650. I have had it for years and invested a lot of money in software for it. It uses the PES format. The second machine is a BrotherPE-780D. I just purchased it several months ago. The first machine only did a 4x4 motif. The newer one will do up to a 5X7. They are very similar except that the new one can also be used with a USB stick. They are both the PES format. My older machine while being sold by Bernina was made with a Brother patent. Since Bernina no longer makes a machine that uses the PES format I needed to get another machine that did. Over the years I had invested thousands of dollars in software, additional hoops, a Magic Box, thread and stabilizers. While the newer machine uses the PES format and the design cards that fit the older machine it doesn't use the same hoops etc as everything is reversed. The magic box will not work with my newer home computer that has Windows 7. The only way I can use designs that I purchased or downloaded on CDs is by copying them on to a UBS stick. Hence the newer machine. My Bernina is also 20 years old and only takes the little design cards that are getting impossible to find. Beforae purchasing the new machine I spent almost $150 having my older one "tuned up" at the dealer. Ironically the new Brother machine cost half what I paid for the Bernina.

I have a Singer Futura - and I would no way buy it again. No way. I'm sorry I bought this one.

It has very low hours of actual stitching on it and the bobbin case got trashed because it was not being held properly in place. It's been replaced and the problem supposedly repaired, but I'm afraid to use it. I certainly couldn't rely on it to finish a project.

I keep thinking I will at least set it up to make quilt labels and little things like redwork blocks. That way, if it dies on me, again, I won't be in the middle of some big gift. ;)

My next embroidery machine will probably be a Brother that does embroidery only. I've got a couple dozen sewing machines around here, so an embroidery only machine would be just great. :)

I have a Pfaff and I love it. It's a 2144 with all the upgrades so it's the same as a 2170. It sews beautifully!

Janome 350E. Love having a stand alone machine so I can be sewing at the same time.

I've had an Ult.2002D for about 10 yrs.. I love it. Brother is very user friendly. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. as others have said, buy the biggest field you can afford. i don't know if the stand-alone machines go bigger than 5x7.

Hi,

I, too, have a Babylock Elegante 2 and I second everything you said......love, love, love, my machine! It's user friendily, has great hoop sizes, and it quilts beautifully and has tons of decorative stitches, too. I use it mostly for embroidery as I also have the new Babylock Symphony which I use for piecing and quilting. I also have a Babylock Ellure which I use daily for piecing quilts at the quilt shop where I work. It also embroiders, but doesn't have a lot of the features of the higher up ones.

I love my Babylocks!

Bev

I have a Brother 1200 Innov-is. I love it. Straightforward instructions and easy to learn (not much dealer help closeby) Never a skipped stitch.

My first embroidery machine was a Janome 9000 memorycraft. I love it for my quilting but don't use the embroidery on it. Have a Babylock Esante that I bought used & find it more user friendly. Last June I bought a new Esante & am really loving it!

I have a Babylock Elegante and I love her. She's sweet and even tempered, works for peanuts, never complains. She's just a real doll.
She goes in once a year for her annual physical, I clean her often and she just keeps on truckin'.