My name is Nina so for me it was easy, I just chose the machine that had my name on it It had to be a Bernina.

I've still got the Babylock Quest and we still haven't bonded. I'm a Viking gal and I should have stayed with Viking. The dealer in the booth had both brands and I let him talk me into the Babylock. Don't get me wrong, it's a great machine-just not for me. Anybody want to buy a gently used Babylock?

Golly, I forgot I started this post in 2008. I never thought I'd need to update it because I believed my beloved Bernina 630E was my retirement machine. But my dealer gave me an offer I couldn't refuse AND I sold a bunch of jewelry just sitting in the jewelry box unworn for ages. So the Bernina 830 has been sitting in my shared sewing room since last October. I'm having a great time with it and it will take me years to discover all that it is capable of doing.

Have you ever done some free motion quilting, no problems, came out great, only to find out you forgot to drop the feed dogs?!!! :shock: I have. You do not have to drop the feed dogs to do free motion quilting! In fact, there is a "paid professional" (I've forgotten who it was) who prefers to fmq with the dogs up.

My machine of choice: my Janome 6500, for piecing and fmq (with or without the dogs up).

I learned to sew on my Mom's Singer (it was new in 1969-has the auto wind bobbin) and she still uses it, I hope to inherit it someday. I sewed mostly garments, even when in high school. She let me take her previous Singer with me when I went to college, don't know what ever happened to that one tho. When I was out on my own, I bought one from Spiegel-it didn't have a brand name on it but it was still going strong when I started quilting, but didn't have a walking foot or free motion and couldn't drop the feed dogs. I sold that machine to my Aunt. When I was looking for a quilting machine I looked at quite a few machines. Just could not justify spending thousands of dollars on a sewing machine, but I found my Kenmore on sale and it had everything I needed. So I sew on a Kenmore Quilter's machine. I got all the extra feet and bobbins for it when I bought it 3 years ago, bought a custom slide on table for a very reasonable price and I'm good to go. I haven't had any problems at all with this machine, I just love it. I think if I was going to invest thousands in a machine today, I would have to go with a long arm, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I send my larger stuff out to be long armed and quilt twin and smaller stuff myself right on my Kenmore.

I learned how to sew on my mother's old Swiss Elna. When that machine could not longer be repaired (in Brazil) she bought a Singer. My first machine after I got married was a sears Kenmore 16 stitch which I loved. I sewed many garments, drapes and house decor items on it and then discovered quilting in the 80's. the Kenmore did me well with the typical beginner quilts but then we moved to Washington DC and I became interested in art quilts and more sophisticated patterns. By then the Kenmore did not have features I needed for some of the sewing I wanted to carry on with and had the opportunity to buy the class model Bernina I had been taking classes on. That was a Bernina 1230 which is still my workhorse machine. While living in South Africa I got a really good deal on my second Bernina, a QE with automatic dual voltage (120 or 220) so I could take that one to our other posts. I have the two of them still and love them both! OH, and my mother still sews on my old Kenmore....

Back in Middle school our "Home-Economy Class" was outfitted with Singers. My mother had a Singer at home that she had used for many years. When I moved out on my own I had purchased a White, which did the job, then over the years traded it in for an Elna Jubilee, at that time it was a pivotal point in time, I had tested the Harsvonka (sorry for the spelling) but liked the Elna at that time. After I married, I checked into Bernina and traded in for my first Bernina, a Bernina Virtuoso (150). I fell in love with it. I am now on my second Bernina (as I traded the 150 in for a 240 with updates). If anyone is searching for a good machine, I would encourage them to test them out, compare features and see which best fits your sewing needs. I like the feel of the Bernina when I sew, it fits me.

They found me it was a good deal I have 2 Phaff 7570 and a Baby lock

Judy,
I too have many machines. No machine can beat the Singer featherweight for straight stitching & it is so portable. I have owned Elnas, Janomes & Husqvarnas. I moved to Berninas last year & like Judy have a high end one for home use & a portable one for classes & retreats. The support & education that Bernina offers is fabulous.

Hi, Donna! Welcome! Glad you've been bitten by the "quilting bug"!!! I've been quilting for a long time, but it's one hobby that's more of a passion for me. I've got several machines and I've used my two Singer Featherweights for many years. In the past two years, I've bought a couple of Berninas--one that stays home and has alot of fancy stitches and the Bernina Stitch Regulator for machine quilting (if I EVER get enough practice in--I've always been a hand quilter!) and my other Bernina is a small one that I can take to classes. There are so many really nice machines on the market and some of the older machines really stitch nicely, too. A really good straight stitch is all that's needed for piecing. Judy in Torrance

Hi, my name is Donna,

My mom has a Singer 401 that she got as a wedding gift from her parents, which she used to make clothes and home decor items. She's still using it.

She tried to interest me in sewing when I was in about elementary school, and it didn't "click" for me. I took sewing in home ec in junior high school, it still didn't click.

Now that I don't have to worry that the bell will ring while I'm still threading the needle, and a couple of church friends are quilters, it's starting to click.

I started last January with a 401 Mom found at a thrift store, then moved on to a Singer 503 after I discovered I kind of like sewing. LOL I'm still a sewing newbie, and that Singer is teaching me about terms like "free motion sewing," "presser foot" and "stitch regulator."

you could probably say I started sewing when I was still in diapers. I crawled up on my paternal grandmother's treadle sewing machine and promptly ran a needle through my index finger on my right hand. Needless to say my mother wasn't happy with grandmother. So I guess they kept me away from machines until I was five or six when I started making doll clothes on my maternal grandmother's Singer treadle (don't know what happened to that machine sure wish I had it today) but then used a Singer Electric throughout high school and college. When I got married my grandmother gave us a Kenmore portable (very much like Ricky's granny's machine but without the cabinet.) I used that to sew clothes for the family and decorative items such as drapes, table cloths etc. for almost forty years until it finally died in 2000. The bobbin case had finally gotten so loose that it would not hold tension any more. I looked around and decided on a Viking (Scandinavian heritage wins every time) Freesia which I still have. Last year I upgraded to a Viking Sapphire with the longer arm and more stitches. I love both of these machines and have had very few problems with them but am seriously thinking about getting the fabric mover with the stitch regulator. I have heard mixed reviews but at this point I can't afford a Bernina with the BSR. Am waiting to make any decisions until after the LaVeta Quilt Retreat in September so that I can get the best advice from Ricky as what will work for me. My biggest problem with the Sapphire is that it does not fit in my sewing table without doing major revamping both of the top and the base so I am using it on an old sewing table and don't have a flat surface for FMQ. Next project is to build a customized table if I do not get the fabric mover. Decisions decisions decisions. Ann

I chose my current machine because it's supposed to be a workhorse.

Pat, I tried that and it just plain did not work with my old machine. My instructor tried, as well, and neither one of us could get it to work. the thread kept breaking and I just didn't have enough "play" in the fabric to let it move freely.

So I HAD to buy a new machine!

BethMI