Oh dear, you had to mention the Brother PC 420... don't get me started, please :o) I just measured mine and it IS 7.5 inches from the needle to the right inside part of the harp area... and 4.5 inches tall. Below is a picture of my Brother side by side with my Bernina so that you can see the size difference of the harps (I call it the arm pit LOL)... can you see how much more open the Brother is? The Brother PC 420 is the one on the right... Anyway, I've had this machine since 2009... I got it as a 26th birthday present to myself and I've loved it since day one... And I paid 500 dollars on Amazon for mine, the price has gone down 100 dollars. It's one of the few machines in the price range that gives you knee lifter, automatic thread slicer, and adjustable presser foot pressure. It comes with a walking foot, zipper foot, button attaching foot, one step button hole foot, teflon foot, patchwork foot, zig zag foot, open toe foot, free motion foot... it has drop feed and a perfect needle threader that works with one finger, the first time, every time. The bobbin thread doesn't have to be drawn up to start sewing, it has stop start, needle up down, sliding speed control that can also be set to be the stitch width control... It never gets a bird's nest or has messed up tension at all... truly a remarkable machine for the money! The only things I had to buy for it were a quilting guide bar for the walking foot (but it came with the walking foot), and a quarter inch foot with a guide, and extra bobbins. I tried to quilt something just the other day on my Bernina and I had to revert back to the Brother because it had a bigger harp, so that is definitely something to consider... not only the width, but also the height makes such a difference... the height of the Bernina is a full half inch smaller than the Brother and it may not sound like much, but in practice, it makes a pretty big difference. There's even attention to detail on this machine... there's a ridge on the top of the hand wheel so you can always tell when the needle is in the highest position just by looking at or feeling that ridge. There's also a clear coating on all the buttons on the right side so the graphic doesn't wear off over time. I lent it to someone at a retreat a few weeks ago and 3 people commented on how smooth and quiet it ran.. they couldn't believe Brother made such a lovely machine and these were people who had Vikings and Janomes! OK, I think I'm done with my plug... I just wanted to extol the virtues of this wonderful and underrated machine since I've had and loved mine for so many years. You can get all the same features in other brands, but you'll pay a lot more for them, and there's nothing wrong with this machine! The only thing I don't like is that the needle defaults to the left position, so if you're using a quarter inch foot with a single hole, the needle must be centered first... I've broken more than I care to admit by forgetting that step. Good luck with whatever you decide (let us know!)... If you have any specific questions about the PC 420, let me know.

Thanks Sherry. I bent the needle pulling the thread to the side so it wouldn't pull out when I started sewing. I was also using a blue needle, and I think it was too hard to go through 3 layers (top panel plus doubled for piping) of even the thin fabric. It went much easier when I switched to a purple needle (that looked more delicate to me, but package said for denim). I still have to figure out what's wrong with that brand-new thread - is it b/c it's cotton? I didn't lose the zipper foot, it's just that I was trying to put it right on the cord to sew close, and it kept slipping off b/c the bottom of the foot is flat and the clothesline is round. I didn't have enough of the striped fabric to make 5 cushions (one of them a double), so I figured I'd use the solid color (lightweight material but I can waterproof it) so this will be a final cushion not a prototype. 1 down, 4 to go! My aunt gave me a bunch of fabric, including 3 yds of upholstery weight blue stripe! Oh well, it's an awning stripe, all the stripes same size, and navy blue. I like my faded one better. She said I started out with a hard project, but thought it turned out well. We didn't actually cut fabric, but she looked at what I had and rejected some (slippery silky stuff) and gave me a *lot* of nice stuff (some only a yard so I'll have to make tops or pants and find coordinating solids for other piece). I'm talking an 18-gal tote full, she has more if her DIL doesn't want it. She took the pattern pieces and laid them out on fabric, showed me what grainline means, explained the notches and marking. I might need to get some chalk or something. I did take a remnant she had in a navy blue pinstripe and cut out an apron for DD (using HD apron from a Kids' Craft as pattern). My aunt had made me a red pinstripe one but none of that in the box. I don't have any coordinating ribbon or bias strip for the neck loop and the ties so I'll look for something when I return this other fabric to Walmart. DD is spending another night at Grandma's so maybe I can at least get the apron finished by noon so we can make banana bread together! Oh, and I don't want to put piping on DD's PJs - she's so picky about the feel of things it would probably bother her. I'm not even going to put a button on the back of the top b/c her hair catches in it - my aunt suggested a snap. I'll try doing the next cushion (next time I have a w/e without kids) with separate piping though I probably won't cut it on the bias, to conserve fabric. If I cut it down the grain (along the selvage) it should have more stretch than across the grain, right?

Go to the sewing machine store, and spend an hour or two. Have the sales person go through the machine and show you how it all works. You'll know feed dogs, tension, etc. in no time. Since you mentioned that you want a sturdy good quality machine, you'll want a brand that is made in Europe. Janome, Bernina, Pfaff, or Viking are all good quality well-made machines with their fan clubs. (Good engineering, metal parts, solid construction.) Expect to pay for a good sewing machine what you would for a pretty good computer. You don't necessarily need an industrial machine but check and see what the dealer says about comparisons. You would go to a different dealer for the industrial machines. Much like a car, you can test-drive sewing machines. Bring some material samples to see how the stitches go and how it "feels". Like cars, sometimes a couple are just really similar, so what it comes down to is feel and where the buttons are and does it seem easier to operate this one or that one. Ask the dealer about the embroidery features. You can buy a system that will enable you to: scan or otherwise create a design, "digitize" it so that the machine understands how to sew it, and save it in a way that your machine will understand, and interface your machine with your computer. You will need to learn about how all this software works. If you have messed with images and photoshop or some other photo manipulation program, you won't have any trouble with figuring out the software. There's a bit of trial and error on the actual stitching. Fabrics vary in thickness and need to have a stiffener so that they won't scrunch all up when you stitch that much thread into a design on them. If you do a really big design, say on a 16" by 16" pillow top, you'll need to learn all that hooping stuff that Joan was talking about. That is because the machine can only sew on a relatively small area. Though there is a bit of a learning curve, really phenomenal things can be done with the machine embroidery. For home sewing, check your library for home dec how-tos. That'll get you started on the pillows/curtains etc. Here is a link that might be useful: Embroidery Arts link

I have a Bernina 2000DE. I had an earlier model & traded it in because this was supposed to adjust the different stitches with a turn of the dial. You still have to fiddle with it due to the type of fabric, thickness, etc. When I'm in a sewing mood, I use it more than I do my sewing machine. I don't sew fancy clothes, so I sew all my seams with the serger, finish edges of hems, facings, etc. To use it to sew seams, serge & try & pull the seam apart. You may have to tighten the needle threads if the seam isn't tight. When you have a free day, practice, practice, practice. Threading is really easy with the color coded machines. Serge all the stitches on different kinds of fabrics & keep the samples & document your settings. Use different types of decorative threads. That's the fun part. Try all your stitches with the differential feed settings. That is one feature I absolutely love. I love to sew with fleece & you need it to keep the seams from stretching out & becoming wavy. Before you sew anything, test your settings by sewing the fabric on the crosswise & lengthwise grain. Make a note of the adjustments. Your library should have books & videos on serging. I have several & refer to them all the time when I want to play around & try something new. Some good authors are Naomi Baker, Tammy Young, Gail Brown & Nancy Zeiman. Read the troubleshooting section & learn how to fix any problems you have. If you get frazzled, you won't use it. A serger can be your best friend. If you haven't bought one yet, do as someone suggested & take the class. I learned how to sew elastic on, insert ribbon & all kinds of neat things. They're too expensive to leave in a box. Those of you who said you aren't using your serger, let us know if you give it a try & have success.