I have another handmade Christmas present to share in the next few days, but for today I'm sick and miserable at work...I'm also the only one in the office, which means I'm researching new sewing machines!
My parents offered to buy me a new machine for my birthday, yay! I was hoping you'd tell me if you like your machine or not :)
I have a budget of no more than $1000, and these are some things that are important to me:
-Large harp space
-Ideally it would sew more quietly than my last machine
-Ability to add an extension table
-Still needs to be able to do things like buttonholes and zig-zag stitches for clothing
Thanks everyone!
I love my Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 835. It's right around the $1000 price point, has the large harp space and has tons of extra stitches! Of course someday I would love a Bernina but until then this machine gives me soooooo many options for a great price!
ReplyDeleteBack in March I purchased a Janome Memory Craft 6500. I absolutely love it!!! There are so many feet, stitches, and functions - I am continually learning something new. However, I get the most use out of my 1/4" foot, walking foot, and darning foot. It has a needle up/needle down function and a thread cutter - both of which are extremely handy!! When I bought my machine it retailed for about $2000, but I was able to get it for $1200. I suggest looking for a shop that carries multiple different brands. I drove four hours to a store that has at least six different brands and was able to play for an entire day. :) Also, I suggest checking out Rachel's post over at Stitched in Color: http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2012/02/how-to-buy-sewing-machine.html
ReplyDeleteI recently purchased a Pfaff Expression 150. I was most interested in the harp space. It is very large plus has a lot of extras. It is in the $1000 range. Mine came with about 10 extra feet and a 6 hour class. It does not like Aurfil thread but otherwise I'm in heaven!
ReplyDeleteI just bought a Babylock Melody for $1000. It came with an extension table, walking foot, 1/4" foot, etc included! Has a good amount of harp space I think compared to my old machine.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Pfaff Expression also a few months ago. Lots of extra feet but, most importantly, the built-in "walking foot" ability to use with any of the feet. You don't need a separate walking foot. In addition, the free motion quilting I've done on this Pfaff is AWESOME!!! It's so incredibly easy to free-motion quilt with the Pfaff. No tension problems whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI've got a Bernina 930 Record. My mom lucked out and happened to find it on Craigslist one day, and it is in amazing condition with all of its little accessories and everything. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI know someone did a blog hop this fall called "Know Thy Machine" that featured various bloggers talking machines, but I can't find a centralized place where you can access all of the participants in the blog. But if you google "Know Thy Machine blog hop" you get quite a few of the entries.
I can recommend the new Husqvarna Viking Opal 670. I havent tested mine to the fullest yet but from what I've tried so far I'm thrilled. Also I have a sewing friend who also has the Husqvarna Viking 875q and she has tested the Opal 670 a lot more than me. Her input from her try outs convinced me that the opal would be the machine for me. It has a lot of the modern features and you can get a huge extentiontable as an extra item for it. It should be within your budget nps. GL with your choice and I wish you a happy 2013.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this is too late, but i LOVE my babylock Melody!
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