This is my machine to take to class, etc. Love it - it is only 12 pounds (I used to have the Jem Platinum but like the 3160 better). My friend uses it for everything.

I have a 1936 model that I LOVE. I call her Kay, named for the lady my husband bought her from, recently deceased. Kay just purrs and has a perfect stitch. Get one if you can, you will love it. There are lots on eBay, always a risk. There are also dealers that specialize in buying and rehabbing them.

I love taking my Featherweight but then again it depends if you need something other than straight stitching so an Brother or Kenmore elite is light enough weight to take & has other stitches to use. I brought mine at an yard sale and depends on my project, will take one or the other. I'm not familiar with other machines.

I finally bought a BabyLock Molly last Friday. I was going to stick with Brother but I tried the Molly and like it. It's very basic but does everything I need it to do, just nothing fancy. The bobbins and a lot of the feet are the same as my Brother so I don't need to keep my bobbins separate. Another plus is the BabyLock dealer is an hour closer than the Brother dealer--and the BabyLock dealer will service my Brother machines.

Love my featherweights. I have 6 in my personal collection. As we sell them I can give you some advice...A lot of the price is based on the condition of the decals and the year. If you aren't particular about looks you should be able to find one much cheaper. One of my friends just wanted one that would sew, she didn't care about the decals. We found her one for $280.

Love the BL Sofia. It is portable and majorly sturdy and has every modern feature u can think of. Tested one and just could not get over how neat it operates and has every basic embroidery capability as my HViking embroidery machine on a lower scale only in that the hoop size to embroider is smaller.

I have my FWs, the 221snd a 222. They sew mega great and I get a ton of compliments because they sew so quiet and u can FMQ w them too

To be honest, there are so many machines to choose from The vintage ones stand out to me because they operate so quietly.

Best wishes on your search and happy quilting

The Janome 128 is a good travel machine. At about $120, you don't get excited if it gets bumped around. The one drawback I found is it has no carry case. So you might need to make one for all of the things you need to sew.

I know the OP posted this quite a while ago, but since i think others are interested in the same topic, I will respond too.

If I know all I will be doing is piecing, I take my 1950s Featherweight. I bought it for $225 a few years back because the paint and decals aren't perfect, but the stitch absolutely is perfect! It even came with the (very stinky) original case which i dont use. I use a soft-sided tool carrier that has a hard plastic bottom that holds the machine perfectly with room to spare for accessories and even some small projects. It is just so much easier to carry around. I also bought a great seam guide at a quilt show years ago. It is a big piece of plexiglass that attaches to the bed of the machine with adjustable screws. I can set it up as a true 1/4" or a scant 1/4" as needed. It is from Nova Montgomery, and was around $10 when I got mine a number of years ago, probably more now.

When I need to use a non-straight stitch or I need to quilt, I take my Bernina 440. It is much heavier and harder to set up, but it is a great workhorse. However it does have a wide variety of stitches including various ones for applique work.

Pam

actually my janome gem seems lighter in weight than the fw