Which machine should I buy?

16 years ago

Hello,

My name is Stella and I'm new to the forum. I'm in the middle of making my first quilt (for my sister's baby, to be born in April) and have enjoyed the process so much that I've decided to buy a sewing machine once I finish this one. I really know very little about the various brands of machines and which features are important for quilters. I am also interested in making clothing with this machine, so it should have features appropriate for that as well. Finally, I'm really trying to stick to a one thousand dollar budget. In particular, I have been looking at the Brother NX-450Q. However, I don't know much about Brother machines and would be grateful for any input or adivce any of you could give me about making this purchase. Also, if you know of any specific models you think I should look in to, that would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Stella

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Comments (12)

coalaska
16 years ago
Welcome to the forum!

I love my Pfaff, but the throat is a little small for machine quilting.

Sorry I can't help more. I'm don't know much about Brother machines. Somebody here should have more information...

Cheryl
Islay_Corbel
16 years ago
I had a Brother NX 400 that I passed on to my daughter. It is a great machine.
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I have had my Pfaff 1471 since the '70's. When I last took it for cleaning the repairman said Pfaff has always had the finest machines, especially the 1400 series. I agree since I've only had two repairs on it in all that time (replaced the auto needle threader and the foot pedal) besides having it cleaned every 3 or 4 years and adjusting the timing. You might think about calling a sewing repairman and see if he/she has used Pfaff machines to sell (make sure he/she is an authorized Pfaff repairman, not everyone can take care of these complex machines). Buying a new Pfaff could cost a couple thousand but a used one might be just a couple hundred. BTW I've made sailboat sails, done upholstery work, quilting, and all types of clothing on this machine, including about 30 wedding dresses. It can handle everything from tissue silk to swim wear knits to denim jeans. Its built-in walking foot (now called an IDT) is its best feature, in my opinion. I have rarely used the embroidery stitches but the automatic buttonhole settings have gotten a lot of use over the years. It came with 10 or so feet and I have used all of them, to the point that I don't use my serger very much since the overcast foot does about the same edge binding stitch very nicely. Blind stitched and rolled hems are a breeze, and the "needle always down" button gets lots of use on curves. It seems to me that the latest model sewing machines are geared towards machine embroidery. That was never anything I wanted to get into - I just want to sew things together, not embellish them with thread, so a new machine holds no fascination for me, as my old Pfaff does everything I need it to do.
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patce
16 years ago
Most quilters love whatever machine they choose.If you don't plan to quilt quilts,there are more to choose from.Many of the machines with large throats for quilting are plain straight stitch machines. You'll need some other stitches,buttonhole etc for sewing clothing.
Don't pass up looking at Berninas. It's one of the best & they have a lot of different models in that price range. You can Google them for more info & finding dealers. Pl
grammyp
16 years ago
Welcome Stella! The actual machine is a personal "fit" preference. Some of the features I would look for are:

needle up/down selection
lock stitch
wider throat if you plan to quilt with it
accessories available like 1/4 inch presser foot, walking foot, applique foot

Have fun with your addiction

beverly
marty_mo
16 years ago
Welcome to GWQF ~ I agree with Patce that most sewers love which ever machine they use, personally I think it's because of the time that is put into researching prior to buying. I have a PFAFF 2040, Janome 1600BX, Singer and a Brother, this is also the order of my preference with each machine. I absolutely love my Pfaff but is does not have as large a throat as some other machines on the market if you are planning to use it for machine quilting. I have quilted a few small projects on this machine and long ago I quilted a large project and it worked fine I just had to make sure the project was rolled tight.

Good luck with your search for the machine that will fit your need.

Marty
stella526
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for the suggestions. I've heard nothing but great things about Pfaff and Bernina. I'll have to do some more research into the models they offer in my price range. While I'm sure I'll eventually want to machine quilt, at the moment I intend to hand-quilt most of my projects. For now, I would use the machine mostly for piecing. Another model I'm considering is the Janome 4800 QC. Does anyone use this machine?
sunnycentralfl
16 years ago
Welcome!

Lots of info at the epinions website. Hope this helps.

Gwen

Here is a link that might be useful: epinions
fran1523
16 years ago
Vikings are also great machines and very user friendly. Needle down and the ability to lower the feed dogs are the two main features you want to look for. Also the ability to add a quarter inch foot, walking foot and free motion foot.
gillian_41
16 years ago
Hi Stella- I have a Bernina 153QE and Janome 6500MC like both seems like I use the Janome more often than the Bernina.
dshepherd
16 years ago
Hi Stella-
i am a great fan of brother machines. i have the nx600 which is a great machine. the 400 is very similar (no programable stitch maker) but is an excelent machine. i use the nx for free motion and stitch in the ditch as well as piecing and have no problems. for mid arm quilting i have the pq1500, also a worry free machine. (it has a deeper throat but only strait stitches)
good luck with you choice of machines, what ever you choose i am sure will give you much joy.
donna
nanajayne
16 years ago
There are many good machines available. I have a Janome 9000 which is an embroidery machine. I don't use the embrodery part very much but like features such as: needle up/down, pushbutton start and stop, feed dogs down,knee lift presser foot, varity of stitches, eg. zig zag, buttonhole, applique stitches. Also different presser feet for different task.
My best advice is to find a good dealer who services the product he sells and provided instruction on the various features available. Try out different machines to find the one that meets your needs before making up you mind. It is worth the effort to look.
biwako_of_abi
16 years ago
I have a BabyLock Espire; not the Espire that came out years ago, but the one that is called the "new" Espire, and I love it. It has all the things Nanajayne mentioned, plus what was one of the most important features for me: automatic thread-cutting.

Two other nice features the Espire has that my first BabyLock didn't have are the ability to lock my stitch selection (so that if my elbow hits a button, I won't suddenly find the needle position changed) and a smooth transition from the accessory box to the needle plate. According to the dealer, a bunch of other machines have a little bump there that tends to flip your seams towards you when you are doing piecing. Until I got one, I had to stop just before a seam reached the presser foot to make sure the seam was still pressed in the direction I had chosen.

The new Espire's throat is approximately 8&1/4", pretty good for machine quilting. It is kind of pricey, but often dealers will offer machines that people turned in for an upgrade within their first year, which are much cheaper, and they have been serviced and work well. One way to get a great machine for less. Last spring Babylock took off the full price of my first BabyLock when I got the new Espire.

But as the others have said, the best thing is to look around and try out various machines. I'm sure you will find something that thrills you.

Which machine should I buy?

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coalaska

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Which machine should I buy?

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