basic quilting machine advice

Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

Andy:

Here is a copy of a recent post that may answer your question:


----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Torrens"
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 6:58 AM
Subject: Juki TL-98QE Sewing Machine


I purchased one last spring. I still have my regular machine, (an aging
Pfaff that I am trying to keep working as long as possible), as the Juki is
only a straight stitch machine. It is easy to control, and comes with all
the quilty attachments that you might need. I don't use mine in a frame,
but DH adapted my table so that it can sit flush, so it is easier to machine
quilt. It does come with an extension table, so it is easy to use anywhere.
This was the first time I had made a large purchase online, but was quite
happy with the delivery and machine. I got mine from
www.SewUnbelievable.com NAYY. It came with a $300 shopping spree from
Superior Threads. They have a set of threads already chosen for you, or you
can select your own (that is what I did, as some of the threads were for
sergers and bobbin work).
Their shipping was fairly fast, and they have some hints online to help you
get the machine ready to sew.
You might want to compare shipping costs etc.
--
Susan in Zephyrhills FL
finally back to quilting
http://community.webshots.com/user/sbtinkingston
"patslag" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone have this machine? My 45 year old Singer finally went to
the Big (and hopefully much cleaner!) Craftroom in the Sky and I was
thinking about this machine.it's onsale at Joann's for $599. Any
thoughts would be appreciated. Patti


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

The Juki was one of the ones that I looked into when I was interested
in a long arm machine. The other one, and the one I bought, was a
Janome 1600 DB This is available over the internet for sale for $699.
The reason I chose the Janome was that the Janome machines that I have
owned and sewn on produced a superior stitch. I am judging that against
2 Bernina machines, that I currently own, which were much more
expensive but lacked the long arm feature. The Juki was a bit cheaper
and I am sure would do fine for it's intended purpose bit with my
experience with Janome it was not worth the savings to take a chance on
an unknown, to me, machine. If you can try either one of these machines
out at a dealer, then go ahead and make an informed decision as to what
would be best for your situation. I believe the Juki comes with a few
more accessories than the Janome, so that may tip it in your favor

John Taylor
wrote:
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

Depending on how big the quilts are that your wife intends to make in the
near future, you may want to look at a Singer 301. It's a very solidly
built machine with metal gears and workings instead of plastic, and very
little can go wrong with it that your wife could not fix herself. They are
available for $250 to $450 through several dealers (all on the internet) who
specialize in vintage Singer machines--I got mine from Glenn Williams, but
there are certainly many others. The drawback is the harp size. I've
machine quilted quilts on my 301 that are slightly larger than double-bed
size, but if she is interested in making queen-size and king-size quilts, I
don't think the 301 would be suitable. But for anything smaller, the 301
with a walking foot or embroidery foot is a dream.

--
Carolyn in The Old Pueblo

If it ain't broke, you're not trying. --Red Green
If it ain't broke, it ain't mine. --Carolyn McCarty

If at first you don't succeed, switch to power tools. --Red Green
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer. --Carolyn McCarty

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

But, Andy! . . . for goodness sake - don't surprise your wife with anything
we recommend. Please do let her choose something that she really feels
comfortable and happy with. I'd vote with Carolyn on the Singer 301, it's a
sturdy, grand old girl, but your dear wife may much prefer a loved and used
Pfaff that has that special ability that Pfaff has to keep two fabrics
totally and always even feeding. You're wonderful for thinking of such a
gift and I don't want to discourage you but please let it be her choice.
Choosing a sewing machine is serious business to a quilter. Polly

Just a small addition to what others have said - at this stage!
Whenever budget is limited (isn't it always?), it is a good idea to
consider the idea of a 'gently-used' machine. Sewists often upgrade
their machines, and really good machines they trade in are good value at
the dealers. For instance, the Janome with an extra large harp space is
now the 6600. This has been brought out quite recently, so there will
probably be a good number of its predecessor, the 6500, on the market.
Quite a few of us here, including me, have a 6500, and we love it. If
you want heavy and sturdy that would be a good one to let your wife try.
But, if she goes to classes a lot, it would be too heavy. Also, that
one might have more gadgets than your wife needs/wants. If simple, good
straight stitching with extra harp space would fill be the bill, then
the Juki mentioned, or the equivalent Brother, would be fine. These are
also heavy, though.

Your wife's own 'test drive' is very important; as is, knowing what you
want - perhaps even listing it - at present and in the foreseeable
future, so that you can respond appropriately to suggestions a dealer
might make!

Have fun both of you - it's an exciting time.
..
In message .com,
writes
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Welcome Andy! You won't get an easy answer from us, because the machine I
own (Pfaff 2042) may not suit your wife at all. She simply must test drive
before buying. And a good dealer /repair person is almost as important as a
good machine. Go find such a dealer, mention your budget, and see what's
available. You might find a TOTL machine you love that's been previously
owned!
As for Singers, I'd pick a vintage model any day but avoid anything built
after about 1960.
Roberta in D

schrieb im Newsbeitrag
oups.com...
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

Polly Esther wrote:
But, Andy! . . . for goodness sake - don't surprise your wife with anything
we recommend. Please do let her choose something that she really feels
comfortable and happy with.

Don't worry! I'm a woodworker myself, and I wouldn't like or expect
her to surprise me with some major tool purchase. A test drive will
certainly be a priority, and I think it will be enough of a surprise
that I've done some homework...
Thanks for your replies and opinions so far - keep them coming!
Andy

I love my old Pfaff, and I find that the Juki stitch is as nice as the
Pfaff, and it is easy to adjust the tension. There is also a tension
adjustment for the amount of pressure of the presser foot. You can make it
very light for free-motion machine quilting, which makes it really easy to
move the quilt under the foot!

--
Susan in Zephyrhills FL
finally back to quilting
http://community.webshots.com/user/sbtinkingston
"John" wrote in message
ups.com...
The Juki was one of the ones that I looked into when I was interested
in a long arm machine. The other one, and the one I bought, was a
Janome 1600 DB This is available over the internet for sale for $699.
The reason I chose the Janome was that the Janome machines that I have
owned and sewn on produced a superior stitch. I am judging that against
2 Bernina machines, that I currently own, which were much more
expensive but lacked the long arm feature. The Juki was a bit cheaper
and I am sure would do fine for it's intended purpose bit with my
experience with Janome it was not worth the savings to take a chance on
an unknown, to me, machine. If you can try either one of these machines
out at a dealer, then go ahead and make an informed decision as to what
would be best for your situation. I believe the Juki comes with a few
more accessories than the Janome, so that may tip it in your favor

John Taylor
wrote:
Hello,
Let me start by saying I don't know much about quilting, other than
what I've picked up from my mom (avid quilter) and my wife (talented
novice quilter). So I'm looking for some advice - I searched the
archives briefly, but I hope this subject hasn't been beat to death in
this newsgroup before!
I'm wondering about getting a quilting machine upgrade for my wife, but
I really don't know much of what's out there, except that my mom has a
nice ($1000+) machine (I think it's a Pfaff?) that works well for
quilting. My wife currently has a very basic Singer sewing machine
(model 6038), on which she has a quilting foot that is adequate for
quilting, but apparently not very good or very convenient. (There seem
to be problems with tension, capacity/arm length, and the motor making
a funny noise when the quilting foot is installed.) She likes using my
mom's machine whenever possible, but we live 8 hours away, so that's
not very convenient either.
My specific question (finally) is whether there exists such a thing as
a machine that's pretty good for quilting (i.e. better than the basic
Singer), but costs less than $500 or so. Is that realistic? My brief
googling revealed that there are a lot of nice quilting machines, with
longer-than-normal arms etc., for more than $1K-2K, but what about
under that price point? Would a $400-500 machine be a significant
upgrade from what she has now, or is it really not worth it, and we
should wait and get a "real" (if that means $1K+) machine later? If
so, is a $1500 machine a LOT better than a $1000 machine? I think she
would prefer a solid machine that's easy to quilt with rather than a
fancy machine with lots of computerized stiches, if that helps. We
definitely don't have room for a rack/frame type quilting setup with
rollers etc., though that might be a nice upgrade later.
In other words, is it possible to summarize where the rough price
points are that signify real jumps in quilting machine quality and
usability?
Thanks very much for any advice or opinions!
Andy

There are lots of good machines available, at many price points. I do
not recommend most Singer machines made since the mid 1960s, the company
has been sold so often and some of the machines are really not very
good. And tension control is one of the biggest problems with them.
As has been mentioned, the "harp" or "arm" length/height is of prime
interest for the actual quilting. And optimum depends on the sizes of
quilts being quilted.
If you check at the major brand dealers they often have "trade in"
machines, which are in very good shape. Often these are machines that
have been owned for less than a year and have been used in a "trade up"
situation. I always want to have a machine with a manually adjustable
pressure foot pressure. (I don't use either a walking foot or "hopping"
foot for various reasons.G) I reduce the pressure on the foot to do my
quilting, and it works just fine.

Price and availability of additional pressure feet and such may also
play a part in the decision. And of course how the machine "feels". I
love my Viking/Husqvarna machines. I know they are good quality and will
last a long time. For me they really "fit" and have for about 30 years.
However, they do not have a "regular" machine with stitch regulator.
sigh. The Mega quilter does have a "cruise control" available, but that
is a whole 'nother thing.
I may be checking out the Berninas with stitch regulator in the next few
weeks/months. Even though in the past I have had problems with Bernina
machines.

If you appreciate quality tools, you know that in many cases you get
what you pay for. The same is certainly true of sewing machines.

Pati, in Phx

wrote:

Polly Esther wrote:

But, Andy! . . . for goodness sake - don't surprise your wife with anything
we recommend. Please do let her choose something that she really feels
comfortable and happy with.


Don't worry! I'm a woodworker myself, and I wouldn't like or expect
her to surprise me with some major tool purchase. A test drive will
certainly be a priority, and I think it will be enough of a surprise
that I've done some homework...
Thanks for your replies and opinions so far - keep them coming!
Andy