1950s Singer 15 "clone"--a Japanese model--treadle powered. For the kind of sewing I do, piecing and FM quilting, it's perfect.

ihave a small husky that's easy to take places. a pfaff here at home, has a few more things on it. a brother that i keep at my moms to sew on and a singer serger here that i thought i really needed at the time. i like them all. most of my sewing is done on the husky.

I have a Janome. 3050 is the model I think. I haven't used it to its potential yet but like what I have used it for.
I also have two Featherweights and I use one of those the most. I love the stitch, the cuteness factor and its quiet hum while it's working.
lots2do

I have a Janome MC4400 and I love it!! The only prob I have had is the auto threader stopped working after about 2 months. It has limited throat space for quilting (about 7 inch), but I still manage.
I also have a Brother PE700 for embroidery and I love it. My Brother sewing machine I am iffy about.
My biggie was that I did not want a combo embroidery and sewing machine. After researching machines for about a year I read many reviews of the Janome having a reputation of being a 'work horse'!
If I had the money I would buy the latest model. My dream is to have one of the sytems you see on the quilting shows.
At least I can dream LOL!!!!
Rosa

I have a Janome 9000, a Baby Lock Espire, and a 1955 Featherweight. I also have a White tredle but don't use.
I have had my Janome the longest, really like it, it is a very good machine. I bought the Espire last year and also like it. I use that the most, especially like the auto tread cutter and and pivet feature. The Featherweight is tops for piecing. I have not used it much until recently and was very impressed with how well it sewed.
My daughter just bought the Jem 720 which I was impressed with. It is only 3/4 sized but has 60 stitches, auto theader, auto thread cutter, 5 button holes and more.
If I were looking I would really check out Jamome. I like their product.
Jayne

My main machine is a Viking Quilt Designer. I like most everything about it: needle up/down, memory stitch feature, stitch D cards, easy to see bobbin, etc. etc. I do wish it had a longer arm so that quilting would be less hassle.

I also have a Singer Fashion Mate, my mom's 1951 Singer, a Brother serger, and my cute 1947 Featherweight. Wish I had the time to use them all more.
Teresa

I have four at the moment after giving my 1960s Singer to a granddaughter. The 60s Kenmore is heavy, a portable, and a workhorse that does everything but was hard to do FMQ on. So I bought a Baby Lock Quilters Choice Pro for FMQ and love it. I also have DH Grandmother's portable Elna from 50s and took it to class now and then but I bought a Featherweight to take to class instead and it's much lighter. I made wooden extension tables with folding legs for Kenmore and Elna but others have their own.

I'd recommend the Baby Lock to anyone for straight stitch or FMQ. I love it best!

I also have a Baby Lock Espire and am crazy about it. Bought it maybe three years ago.

It is not an embroidery machine, but it has a lot of fancy stitches. I like the touch screen and the ability to set the stitch width and length and have it remembered, and especially the fact that there is a "lock" button to keep you from inadvertently changing the settings. My old Baby Lock Quilter's Choice was terrible in that respect; I was forever breaking needles because I would hit a button and change the basic needle position, and the first thing that would alert me to this change was the needle coming down on the presser foot.

Another thing I like about this machine is that the plate over the bobbin is truly level with the rest of the body of the machine, so if I press my seams open and then want to stitch several pieces together, the bobbin plate doesn't push the seams back into a folded-over position, negating my choice for handling them. When I mentioned this to the dealer, she expressed surprise and said that almost all the other machines had a slightly higher bobbin plate. I made up my mind that if I ever look for a new machine, one thing it must have will be a bobbin plate that doesn't stick up higher than the surrounding machine body.

This is my favorite of all the machines I've ever had.

I have a Viking Emerald 118. As a new quilter I choose it specifically because I didn't want something more than I needed, but something that I could grow into if I really like quilting. Well, I am passionate about quilting and this machine is perfect for me to learn on, and it has certain things I love. The up/down and threader are invaluable and I'm not intimated by the features or selection of stitches. I love it. It's perfect for me at the stage I'm in and I think it will serve me well for a year or more. I have yet to try the FMQ but I'm hoping it will be as easy as everything else I've tried.

Susan

I have a Kenmore (Janome) that's a pretty basic model. My original Kenmore was a Christmas gift from my husband our first year married. That machine with only a forward, reverse, straight and zig-zag, got me through nearly 25 years of hardcore sewing.

I had a custom sewing business going when the boys where young and the machine kept up just fine.

About 10 years ago I decided I wanted a new machine and "upgraded" about 3 models to another Kenmore. Still pretty basic but meets 99% of my needs. I traded the old machine for a computer and sewing lessons to a nurse I work with.

I just found out my neighbor's son is an executive for Janome and she asked if I needed anything. Wow, I don't even know what to consider! Any ideas?

I have an older Singer from the 80's which I bought a walking foot and a Big Foot for quilting. This month I bought a Brother 5000 which has 50 stitches auto needle threader and is electronic. I have mastered the blanket stitch for applique on the new one and am so happy with it. It wasn't expensive but seems to be a great machine.

My main sewing machine is a Pfaff 2010, bought as a discontinued floor model about 5 years ago. Even being the simplest of the electronic models at the time, it is such an improvement over the manual ones I had before. The only feature I have really wished I had on it is the needle down option. It makes beautiful seams and I have never had to adjust the tension in the 5 years I have had it. If you are looking for the more expensive electronic models, check out the floor models and the models that are discontinued which can save you much money.
I also have a 1956 Singer Featherweight and a Singer 500A that I occasionally use.

I have a Husquvarna Lily that I've been using for about 10 years. I still love it and use it for my everyday sewing and piecing.

I also got a Bernina something-or-other quilting machine for the stitch regulator foot for FMQ. The machine is very nice but, frankly, the SR foot doesn't "regulate" nearly enough for my spastic attempts at FMQ. I'm hopeless at FMQing!

I was so embarrassed to tell my husband I needed a second machine. I'm so relieved to see that others have mulitples. Of course, that's what the sales ladies at the store said but I didn't really believe them.

I'm thinking of getting a serger but not unless and until I can set up a sewing room and figure out how to alter garment patterns to fit my somewhat trollish body.

I have an Elna Quilter's Dream. I've had it
about 6 years. The thing I like best is
the needle up down feature. I have a Singer Featherweight and several other old machines that I can't seem to
resist at auction sales. LOL
Mayme

Can you believe that machines didn't used to have needle-up-needle-down? It's got to be one of the alltime best additions to the basic concept of interlocked upper and bobbin threads.

I have a Janome 6500 that DH got me about 5 years ago and love it. Had a Kenmore before that my dear grandma bought me when I was in 4th grade and my mom and I shared it until I got married and took it with me.
Karlene

I have a Viking Platinum 755, which is great for piecework. I'm very new to sewing/quilting, and I find the machine super simple to use. It has some trouble going through lots of fabric, though, which is a little disappointing.

I just bought the Juki TL98QE to go with my frame, but I haven't actually used it yet, so I have no idea what it's like :)

I have the Elna Heirloom (6003) which is almost identical to the Quilters Dream model. I love, love, love it. It has enough stitches to keep me happy but not so much stuff that I constantly have to mess with it. I love being able to position the needle up/down, left/right, etc. Changing tension is easy and accurate. It's light enough to move if I want to, but heavy enough so it doesn't slide around while I'm sewing, even if I'm quilting a heavy quilt. Can you tell I love it? I've had it for maybe 7 years and have never had a problem with it. It's easy to take the bobbin assembly out so I can clean thread dust out, too.

Kate

I have the Viking rose that DH bought for me 12 years ago.It has all the bells and whistles,but i;ve never used them all.At the time he bought it i was working full time,so didn't have much time for play,besides that i knew nothing about computors.

2 years later i retired and went and took the classes,still didn't have much success as the teacher knew the machine inside out upside down and backwards ,so she went to fast for me to pick up everything,especially the customizing and digitizing.So i just stuck to using the cards,those i could manage.

I also have a singer 2001,and used to have a Bernina 930 for over 20 years,i sold that as i started to downsize,could kick myself for that sometimes.I also have a brother serger 3034D model that i got last year after my white serger died.

Don't sew or quilt as much as i used to,so am still downsizing.
Kathi

I have a Juki (IÂm not sure of the model, but I think it is the TL98QE). I love my Juki because it has POWER. This machine can sew fast (great for FMQ). It also has a very large throat size so it really is not too much of a challenge to quilt large quilt. I really like the thread cut "button" on the foot pedal and the knee lift for the sewing foot. I wish it had a few additional stitches, such as a zigzag and a backstitch (reverse). The tension can be a bit difficult to adjust.

Since I wanted some additional stitch options, I bought a Brother last year. This machine is very light (relative to the Juki) and it has a number of "fancy" stitches. Other things that I like are the needle threader and the drop in bobbin with a little window so you can see how much bobbin you have left. It is also very easy to change the sewing foot (you donÂt have to unscrew it, you just push a little lever). It has automatic tension, which I was skeptical about at first, but it seems to work. I donÂt like to use this machine to quilt on. It doesnÂt have the power of the Juki. It doesnÂt have the throat space. The lever to drop the feed dogs is behind the machine (so when I have the extension platform on the machine I have to stand up and lean over the machine to change the feed dog position rather than the Juki which has the lever in the front).

I also have a Singer that was my mothers. I learned to quilt on this, but I havenÂt used it in years.

I basically use the Brother for piecing and the Juki for quilting. Both machines have a up/down needle button.

I forgot to mention that I also have a My lock serger which is a 4 tread. The diferental drive it a nice feature. I like it for many things, have even pc. a quilt on it once. A perfect 1/4" everytime.
After reading the other threads I realize that I take for granted many of the features on my machines, eg. the needle u/d, variable needle position, locking stitch, snap on feet etc..I guess I should appreciate having so much fun with what I have. Jayne

Many years ago, I had a wonderful Juki for about 15 years. It had automatic stitch-cutting and many fancy stitches. Twice one of the computer cards in it failed, and both times the company sent someone out free of charge to our home to fix it.

We left it behind for my sister-in-law when we moved back to the States, but Juki was my first choice for a good machine for quilting when DH said I could get a new one. Alas, they were no longer making machines with all the features I wanted in one model. It was a great disappointment. However, since that led to my getting a BabyLock Quilter's Choice and then turning that one in for my beloved Espire, all is well.

I'm Kenmore person. My first was in 1975, second in 2001. In 2004, when I started quilting more, I got a Kenmore 19233. I love it. Then due to life changes, I was spending more time my parents home. Wanting to sew while I was there, and stay with a familiar machine, I bought a Janome 4800 (?) to stay here, while the Kenmore is at my other home. My guild has lots of retreats and I go to classes so I got a Janome Jem Gold to travel. All three machines use the same feet so that's a plus.

I have several machines but the one I use for piecing is the Viking Quilt Designer. I have a Jem Gold for classes and a Janome 10001 for embroidery. I have a Baby Lock Quilter's Choice Pro for the frame. I also have 2 Featherweights, and three other Singers that don't get much use anymore. I also have a Baby Lock serger that I bought in 1988.
I would have to say that the Viking is my favorite of all the machines due to some of the features.
Linda OH

The machine I have here at home is an Elna Quilter's Dream. I really like it except for the beeps when changing a setting.

Sharon

I've had a Viking Lily for the last seven years and I love it. It has some nice decorative stitches that I sometimes use for quilting along with the walking foot. The only thing I wish I had, but don't, is a thread cutter. I also have a Janome Gem Gold which is nice and light weight to take to classes. It's okay but not as user friendly as the Lily.

No thread cutter on the Viking Lily? Are you sure?

Mind has one at the back of the vertical section where the needle rises and falls and another at the right of the bobbin winding mechanism.

Just adding that it's the little orange thingie on the outside of the presser foot lift lever. If, by chance, it's missing from your machine I'm sure a Husquvarna dealer could replace it.

A thread cutter is sorta an essential convenience. I can't imagine sewing for any time without one. OTOH, I always keep a seam ripper near my hand to trim the leading threads when I take a finished section out of the machine.

Here's mine with some thread resting on it. Hope you'll take a look at the back of your machine and discover that problem is solved. ;>

My fav: Janome 6600p: large throat area, knee lift, threader, auto thread cutter, stitches, alphabet. It is on its own table, which makes it sturdy, etc. The Janome yahoo group is well organized with files of info for quick reference and lovely people ready with answers to questions.

Over the years I have seen Janome owners and adked about their machines and they just love them.

I use a Viking Rose also...but the 6600p gets the main use. Cannot take it on a trip or to class, but am always happy to use it...GS uses it, friends use it...even DH occassionaly!

Gwen

Oh I have that thread cutter, but some machines have an automatic thread cutter that cuts both top and bottom threads when you press a button. I think the Viking Quilt Designer has it as do some of the higher end Janome machines.

Oh. I didn't realize that.

Yes, that's the kind of automatic thread-cutting (of both upper and lower at the same time) I meant when I wrote "automatic stitch-cutting"! My Espire has it, and my old Juki had it. A sharp knife cuts the threads just above the bobbin, but out of sight, when you press a button.

What was wrong with my mind to write "stitch-cutting"? Maybe I was thinking of doing the frog-stitch and wishing that our machines could do that for us, too! Lots of money waiting for someone who gets a patent on THAT process!;)

I have small children at home, so I cannot yet justify spending money on a fancy machine, but you can bet it's on my wish list, or my "some day" list. Lol*

Right now I have several machines I use regularly...I recently purchased a featherweight and it's my favorite for straight piecing. It's also portable which is a plus, and really cute to look at.

For sewing curves or anything a little more involved than piecing, I use a Simplicity Quilter's Classic, which was a very affordable machine, under $200, and it has a lot of features the more expensive machines have. My only gripe is the feed is kind of wimpy so I don't use it for anything other than quilting. If I have to do some heavy duty mending I use my featherweight or an old sturdy Singer I have in the house.

My next step up would probably be to a Viking Husqvarna or a Baby Lock...although I think really, while a lot of people are devoted to their brands, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major brands. I just like those two because they are slightly more affordable upscale machines. :) Good luck! Loved reading everyone's posts here!

im looking at new machines too, but No idea what to look at. May go to sears, and check it out, But you cant use the machines there. I like to play before I pay.

I just bought a Kenmore at Sears. I took cloth and thread and tested the machine out! I bet you could too.

Deb

Not My sears, I was just there, They arent even plugged in. Which one did you buy??

I bought the Kenmore 15358. I needed one that was simple and easy to use. Gosh, I even threaded it right the first time! So far I am doing fine with it. I've never really used a sewing machine before so I'm doing okay I think.

Deb

Good for you, Deb. Just keep going, and it'll all come easy. We are looking forward to seeing what you make.