Sewing Machine Recommendations

Hello Taria

thanks to all who been discussing accessories and the feet that come
with the sewing machines, this was something that I hadn't thought a
lot about.

The demonstration model Bernina that I looked at seems to include a
box of about 8-10 feet, but I will make sure that I get a confirmation
from the Bernina dealer should I decide to go ahead and purchase that
machine.
I can't recall what feet come with the Husqvarna, so I'll go back to
the dealer and seek confirmation of what attachments I am getting.

Many thanks
Brooke

Taria wrote in message ...
Just curious what model Bernina you have and when did you get it?
My 930 came with 8 or 10 feet. No walking foot but I bet if I'd have
asked for it in the deal at the time I could have gotten it. I bought
one a few years ago and it was on sale and around $80.00. It was worth
the cost.
Taria

KEL wrote:
Wow! Wherever you got a Bernina with that many feet, you are very, very
lucky!!!! Mine only came with the bare minimum, zipper foot, buttonhole
foot, blind hemmer and zigzag foot. I was in the market for a new machine
and called about them as the nearest dealer is over 50 miles away. Nope. Not
even the ones going for around two thousand came with more than the minimum
at the two dealers whom I spoke with. I had to pay almost a hundred dollars
for a walking foot for my Bernina. I didn't care for the way it sewed and
recently purchased Janome. It came with many more feet than the Bernina and
the additional feet are way cheaper also.

AmazeR wrote in message . ..
On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 11:23:59 -0800, Brooke wrote:

"nana2b" wrote in message ...
I love my Berninas. I have the 153QE and the 200E. Both sew through
anything with good speed and no hangups. Lots of features and stitiches.
In the 2 years I have had the 153 I have never had to adjust the tension on
default stitches. Nana

Thanks so much for your recmmendation Nana

I made some enquiries at the local Bernina shop and found that the
Artista 200E is about $11,000 New Zealand. So I don't think I would
be purchasing one but it looks like a fabulous machine. The 153QE
looks like a very good machine, it also has some rather good features,
including some quilting features and is more affordable at $3,295.

The woman at the shop did a demonstration for me on the Bernina Activa
145S and it looks a like a very nice machine and is even more
reasonably priced. I also enquired among some local dressmakers and
patchworkers and many of them highly recmmend the Bernina brand.

I am also looking at a Husqvarna Platinum 750 and had a play with one
at a local retailer yesterday, it has some nice features also and at
around $2,595 NZ it is not too bad.

Thanks again
Brooke

Brooke,

Where abouts in NZ are you? I am in the BOP..

I love my Bernina 1030. Bought it about 9 years ago and wouldn't part
with it for the world. Sews well at a good speed and sews through
everything I have made including jeans very well.

Good service from my local Bernina shop too..

AmazeR

Hello AmazeR

I am in the Waikato region.

Thanks for your recommendation, much appreciated.
One quilter I was talking to also recommended the Tauranga Bernina
sewing centre on Cameron Rd, she said they have a good range of sewing
machines and very good after sales service so I am planning to phone
them and make some enquiries about what they have in stock and what
they recommend.

Thanks again
Brooke

"Penny S" wrote in message ...
AmazeR wrote:
On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 13:19:27 -0800, Penny S wrote:

Pogonip wrote:
Brooke wrote:

Bernina owners tend to be very loyal, and love their
machines to death. What puts me off on Bernina is the
price of each additional foot, and from what I have seen,
you do have to buy them because the machine doesn't come
with enough. So I would say that if you are considering a
Bernina, look at the attachment set and add the actual
prices of any additional feet that you would need to
determine the actual cost. If I were buying one, I would
try to get the dealer to throw them in on the deal. When
I bought my Singer Quantumlock, I got all the available
feet with it, as part of a special promotion.


in 17 years, I've bought a walking foot, and open toe embroidery
foot, and a foot for felled seams. I don't think that's too many. It
came with at least a dozen, has something changed with the newer
ones?( 1130)

Penny S

I have the Bernina 1030 and it came with a heap of feet.. I think I
purchased maybe one or two extra but don't really need any other ones
unless doing specialised sewing. I think what is supplied with the
machine is perfect for most home sewers..

AmazeR

ay-yup: my 1130 came with regular foot, zipper foot, BH foot, BH foot with
chip,cording foot, embroidery (spring) foot, reverse pattern foot, overlock
foot, blindstich foot, regular embroidery foot, edge stitch foot, bulky
overlock foot that's quite a lot.

I think one needs to be care ful about generalizations like " I hear
that..." Perhaps the low end Berninas don't' come with that selection, and
I did get mine a lot of years ago. But when I look at the collection I got,
really, I'd consider it pretty complete for most sewists.

Penny

Thanks Pogonip & Penny

I will be sure to pay some attention to exactly what accessories come
with the machines that I have been looking at and what other
accessories are available and prices.

Brooke

"I.E.Z." wrote in message ...
"Penny S" wrote in message
...


the 1030 and the 1130 were top of the line, 15-18 years ago. I guess
things
have changed a bit?

Note the other post where a gal is asking where to purchase a walking foot
for a viking... for $84. Perhaps the foot pricing deal is not so exlusive
to
Bernina? Other than Pfaff, does any home machine come with one?

penny s


I bought my Bernina 1090s in 1995 and it came with at least eight feet. I
did have to buy the quarter-inch foot and the walking foot which cost $80 on
sale. However...this is one good walking foot.

Recently I bought a Janome 6500 which has a large space under the arm for
quilting. This machine came with eleven feet, including a walking foot,
quarter-inch foot (with a little flange that is the best quarter-inch foot
I've ever used) and free-motion foot.

I have a Pfaff with IDF. It's good but not as good as a walking foot.(IMO -
YMMV). And the Pfaff does not have the punching power of either the
Bernina or the Janome. In free-motion it would sometimes struggle over
thick seams.

I like all my machines, and wouldn't get rid of any of them, but the Janome
is my current favorite.

Iris

Thank you for that advice and recommendations Iris,
I plan on looking at some Janome machines tomorrow and I will take
with me those features you have mentioned.

Brooke

Tia Mary-remove nekoluvr to reply wrote:

From:

Here in Canada, the Janome QC series of machines have come as a
package that includes the walking foot (and several others) .......

I Missed the beginning of this thread so apologies if I am missing something.
Anyway, I have a Janome 9000 and it came with a walking foot along with about
8 other feet. I bought a generic walking foot from Clotilda (cost was in the
US$25 range) for use on my Brother and it works just fine. I have a friend
with a Viking and it will cost her almost $90 to purchase a walking foot for
her machine 8-O -- outrageous price IMNSHO!!!
I am looking in the Clotilde catalogue as I write this. The "Economical
Walking Foot (for center needle positions only) is US$14.98 and comes in low or
Singer Slant. The Deluxe model (the one I have) come in low shank, Singer
slant, Bernina (needs adaptor) and one for the Viking 1100, #1 + and the price
is US$29.98.
IIRC, my friend with the Viking contacted Clotilde and was told that her
model of sewing machine will not accept the generic walking foot! I will NEVER
ever purchase any Viking or Husquvarna product for this reason. They want you
to buy only their stuff and then they price it way out of sight! My Janome
will accept all of the generic feet that I have acquired over the years with no
problem. Obviously, I much prefer the Janome -- and don't have to use the
generic foot :-))! CiaoMeow ^;;^


I have one of the generic type that fits my Singer hand crank and my
treadle, and a Husqvarna one for the Lily. It cost £25. I have used
both quite a lot. I have to say, having used both, that if I could have
got one of the Husqvarna quality for the singer machines, I would NOT
have thought the £45 price tag outrageous at all - it really IS that
much better! Unfortunately they are not interchangeable, so I couldn't
just use the HV one on the Singer machines, or I would.

I don't object at all to paying £45 for a well engineered bit of kit,
but I DO object to paying £25 for something that will probably need
replacing in a year if I use it as much as I do the HV one, which I've
now had for 5 years. If it's only wanted for light weight occasional
use, the generic ones are fine, and waaaaay better than none at all, but
for hammering velvet curtains, acres of velvet or velour for bridesmaids
and costumes, and lots of straight line quilting, I'll use the HV thank
you!
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On 21 Jan 2004 23:05:16 -0800, (Brooke) wrote:

I currently have a Pfaff sewing machine and I am considering
purchasing a new machine.

Comparing brands alone is pointless, certainly between those three.
You'd have to look at individual models. They're all well-made and
reliable, but there are feature differences.

What model of Pfaff do you have, why do you feel you need an upgrade ?
What's missing ?

I am in the Waikato region.

Thanks for your recommendation, much appreciated.
One quilter I was talking to also recommended the Tauranga Bernina
sewing centre on Cameron Rd, she said they have a good range of sewing
machines and very good after sales service so I am planning to phone
them and make some enquiries about what they have in stock and what
they recommend.

Thanks again
Brooke

Hi Brooke,

I have never been in the Tauranga Bernina sewing centre but recently
bought a second-hand machine for my daughter with their stickers all over
it. I have heard they are quite good for service too..

Hope something from the posts helps,

Mavis

The demonstration model Bernina that I looked at seems to include a
box of about 8-10 feet, but I will make sure that I get a confirmation
from the Bernina dealer should I decide to go ahead and purchase that
machine.
I can't recall what feet come with the Husqvarna, so I'll go back to
the dealer and seek confirmation of what attachments I am getting.

Many thanks

Hey Brooke,

Get cheeky too, & see whether they'll throw things in for free.. After
all, you are spending a small fortune, right? TIC

Mavis

AmazeR wrote:
Get cheeky too, & see whether they'll throw things in for free..
After all, you are spending a small fortune, right? TIC

That's not cheeky, it's negotiation. Do you think the dealer accepts the
first price that the manufacturer quotes? Would you buy a car at the sticker
price?

If the answer is yes, come right over to my house! I have _such_ a bargain
for you. Don't you bother with writing that cheque, dear, just sign it there
and give it to me. I'll do the rest for you.

If the answer is no, you're ready to haggle. Er, negotiate. At the least,
you want some extra needles and the walking foot. Maybe a pack of spare
bobbins, too. Are the classes free? If not, you're looking for a discount on
them. I know the Husqvarna blue workbook costs money (it's worth it) so
roll that in too.

How? My approach is direct: "Would you throw half-a-dozen packets of
needles, the walking foot and the workbook in for $original?" If the answer
is yes, you've won. If it's "No, but I can let you have it for $original+x"
you've got a start. You can try again: "How about the classes as well?"

If you have the money readily available it may be worth asking if the dealer
would prefer cash, cheque or a credit card: it can make a difference to how
much he actually gets.

I'm not saying you'll get the machine and all of the extras for the original
price, but if you're looking at a middle- to top-end machine you should get
the whole package at a discount. It's in the dealer's interests too: if the
dealer makes you happy, you'll go back there when you need extra feet,
thread, bobbins etc.

At the end of a good haggle both sides should feel that they've won
something. The dealer has a sale and that means a profit, albeit less than
he'd hoped. You have more than you thought you were going to get for your
money.

I would be interested to know what sort of percentage markup there is on new
sewing machines. Does anyone know?

I love haggling.

Sally

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 07:21:42 +0000, Sally Holmes wrote:

AmazeR wrote:
Get cheeky too, & see whether they'll throw things in for free..
After all, you are spending a small fortune, right? TIC

That's not cheeky, it's negotiation. Do you think the dealer accepts the
first price that the manufacturer quotes? Would you buy a car at the sticker
price?


Heh,heh, thanks Sally.. wrong word.

Be a bit difficult to come over - I live in NZ.

Thanks for the detailed negotiation pointers..

Mavis