factor) which one would you purchase and why? What accessories do you consider absolutely necessary? What features are of no benefit to you? If you have a mega-hoop, how often do you use it compared to smaller sized hoops? Are there any special features that would make or break a sale for you?
I'm hoping to buy a new machine before the end of the year.
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okay, go ahead and laugh. but I purchased the Brother Disney 270D. I have used that baby soooo much, have not had a problem other than my own ignorance. I have learned some new trouble shooting ideas, too! When I purchased it, I was not sure I would really enjoy embroidery the way I do, so I purchased the least expensive I could find. When this one dies, I will get another, one that does more and has a larger hoop. Until then, she keeps on humming. I made what seems like a kizillion hand towels last year for Christmas and she still is going strong. Okay, now you all have had your laugh. It is good for the soul to have a good laugh. Just know you are laughing with me...!! luvs,w
1795Sandy, this is a wonderful question - I am enjoying reading the answers!! I haven't researched "the best" machine yet as it isn't in my near future (two kids in college right now and a house that needs a new roof, etc!). I have a fairly new Brother Innovis 1500D - which suits me fine right now. It is a workhorse! Good luck in your search and please, please let us know what you buy and how you like it!!!!!! 4U* Hugs, Laura
96283Just had to share these pics with you....
If you double click on them it should give you an enlarged view.
hugs n roses, M
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4 comments
by cinderoak
16 Sep 2009
Wow, I mean WOW!!! What a blessing, you must be doing something right Meganne!!
by meganne
16 Sep 2009
Yes, my Elna was in repairs for 9 months so I had no machine, but I did have cancer, and more importantly a wonderful husband who said I needed something to help get me through the ordeal.
He didn't realise I had all my Cute Family who did that for me. xxxxx
122864I have had a Brother Disney machine and since this year a Janome MB4 which is a light industrial machine with 4 needles. I use the big hoop a lot because with lace you cane make a lot of things together and also on jackets you can do a lot with it. the little hoop I use less but is useful a now and then. Since i have this machine ( the other is for sale ) I do a lot more and the fun is back again. It is also easy in use and because of the 4 needles handy. I hope it will help you with a choise. In Holland are at the end of the year machines cheaper because the new ones are comming and the will sell as much as possible. Don't know if it is at your place too. Succes with it. Yvonne
1 comment
34172If I had 2 choose 1 again I would definately go 4 a light industrial mc. Not only can u do more but the hooping is much better. If not I would like a household machine with all the necessary hoops(and made easier 2 use)and want 2 b able 2 do all sizes from small 2 very large on the machine. I have never used my mega hoop 'cause I do like 2 hoop so much. I have the Bernina Artista 730. The disadvantge of the newer models is that the mc's r 2 big 2 transport. But, who is designing the machines? Definately not a woman!!!
18960I have a Janome 11000 sewing machine and am more than happy with it. The thing I like is that is very very compact and you don't have to add on extra pieces which are usually long and need a lot more space when you want to do some embroidery. It has a great range of various sizes in hoops from extra small to very very large. I just bought the update which also had a extra hoop and a lot more software. If I was going to get another machine I would still go for Janome because I find the dealer where I got it always looks after their clients and says Janome will also do this. I looked for a very long time and checked out every brand on the market I felt the Janome was the one that stood out to be the best for all I was looking for and the price was very good at the time
Good Luck with what ever you decide on.
2 comments
by dilceia
15 Sep 2009
Dixie, this Janome11000 has side-scene greater than 140x200.Quero touch my janome ME300, but only we have the larger side-scene. Because I do baby's trousseau and in the hour to embroidering the sheet bars is difficult.
An affectionate hug
by dilceia
15 Sep 2009
Dixie, this Janome11000 has side-scene greater than 140x200.Quero change my janome ME300, but only we have the larger side-scene. Because I do baby's trousseau and in the hour to embroidering the sheet bars is difficult.
An affectionate hug
7873I would have to say the Husqvarna Designer Diamond. I bought mine last October and I love it. Hubby got me the 4D professional after begging for Christmas. I have to say I am still learning things I don't use everyday. But absolutely love it... well worth the money!
4599I would have to get the new Brother Quattro!!!! I have the Brother Innovis 4000D and I LOVE it - I use the large hoop all the time. The Quattro is the 4000 with a lot of new features. Take a look at it on the Brother site. Sue
5924I love my Designer SE, just wish it had a longer arm like the Diamond. I don't use the large hoops so the SE is just fine. Can't afford to trade up for the Diamond. That's how I got to the SE. I started with a Scan. 300.
62461The Husqvarna diamond is a dream machine,but here in Australia it has a price tag of $10,000 - the sky is the limit with this machine. It has one of the largest hoops for large designs. The software that husqvarna also has is great you can make your own fancy stitches and digitise your own designs etc. Very impressive!
4 comments
by meganne
15 Sep 2009
Don't be fooled about that large hoop, you have to stitch the design in two sittings, you stitch side one, then turn the hoop around to stitch side two and (according to the instructions)you have to split the design first to do this. I haven't even found anything that large yet, that I would want to embroider, so my $300 hoop is just a decorative ornament hanging on the wall.
hugs n roses, Meganne
by sanc
16 Sep 2009
There are some Viking designs that do not have to be rotated I'm told, but I have not used mine yet as I am just starting to sew again. Also, I can't see to thread the needle so use my needle threader all the time. I normally do not have any trouble with the loop. A wooden skewer to pull it through helps. I also have been sewing about 75+ years. Started on my grandmother's knee on the old treadle. Still have s Singer treadle that was my aunts. What a blessing the Diamond is! Husqvarna is great for standing behind your needs. I had a serger still at the dealers (new) that was destroyed in the flood. Husqvarna replaced the serger for the dealer without charge.
by sandynavas
16 Sep 2009
Ouch. I had one shoulder totally rebuilt in December 2000, the other totally rebuilt in March 2002. Then in May 2007 I had one knee replaced. The other knee was replaced in January 2008. My husband introduces me has his BIONIC wife.
6833Oh help this takes some thinking about. I am very happy with my Galaxie 3000. So a new Galaxie (they dont do them anymore but this is a wish) with a much larger hoop size. Otherwise I am totally happy. Look forward to hearing about your choice of new machine
115771I'll keep the one I have, the Janome 10001. The added features of the 11000 were not worth the additional cost. However if someone were to give me an 11000, I would be ecstatic.
I use my 5X7 hoop the most, and wouldn't be without a thread stand.
7293No question!!! I want an AmayaXT 16 needle commercial machine so bad I can hardly stand it. I got to work with one at a trade show and fell in LOVE with it. Just a little pricey tho. And they take up a lot more space,which I am very limited on, than a regular machine. If I ever hit the lottery that machine and a legitimate sewing studio are my first priorities. Barring that I'm pretty happy with the machines I have now, Pfaff 2170, 2124, 1473, 4862 Serger, and a Viking Mega Quilter and Inspira frame. See why I need more room!!!
6832Great post, Sandy!
I wouldn't recommend my machine for 2 reasons. 1)only works with a computer connected to it 2) the biggest hoop is 114x168.9mm. Otherwise, is a wonderful machine, made it (inside a suit case) to Australia :), but I can't wait I can afford to buy a machine with bigger hoops :)
I hope you get the right machine for you!
Love,
Yoriko
88650To be honest with you, I really don't know the model of the machine I would love to have. I watched a Demonstration for a Viking sewing/embroidery machine last year at the Joannes by me. I fell in love with the machine. It had a huge hoop, and as a sewing machine, would effortlessly stitch over numerous layers of fabric without any hesitation. They were giving one away in a drawing. I asked the woman how much it would cost because I knew that I would not be fortunate enough to win it. When she said $9,000...I just gave up all hope of ever owning one. I never even bothered to ask the model number.
2 comments
by sandynavas
15 Sep 2009
Don't give up. You remind me of the man who lamented "God, let me just win the lottery." And God replied "BUY A TICKET!"
***** to you!
by meganne
15 Sep 2009
That would be the Designer Diamond and yes it does sew effortlessly.
It is $10,999 in Australia and worth every penny as it feels like it will last forever.
I will wish you luck if you buy a lottery ticket. hugs n roses, Meganne
17126I absolutely LOVE the Husqvarna Designer 1 limited edition machine. It does everything that Meganne has listed - I don't know what extra features are special to the Diamond, but I haven't missed them. I am happy with the wonderful features of my machine.
I also have another Husqvarna (previous model to the Designer range) but I gave it to my younger daughter! I also have my original Husqvarna from 20 years ago (Maroon colour!).
My local service guy Martin is wonderful - I have never had any trouble with my machine and if I did I only have to drive to town and he'll fix it for me. Wonderful service! (only 20 minutes away) I have 5 different hoops, but I prefer the 4x4 and the 6x6.
I love Husqvarna sewing Machines as if you couldn't guess!
Love and blessings Chris
1 comment
234501I have a 10 year old Designer 1 - no USB - and quite a collection of hoops. I hardly ever use the Endless Hoop, but the 150 x 150 Quilters Hoop is my favorite; that comes with to inner rings - for thick and thin fabrics - so I use that for quilting as wel as organze. Although I would love to have the new Diamond I can't allow myself to trade it in - it's just too good to be said goodbuy to.
Unlike Meganne I love the automatic lowering of the foot when I start stitching (and forget to use the lever on my other machines). I like the way you can go back in the design when you want to do something again, the colour information on the screen is limited to a certain number of colours, but the chosen colour number is displayed, so that is a great help. I love the Husqvarna service and have had no complaints at all in the 10 years I've been using this machine.
224Isn't it wonderful to see all the great reviews on these machines - I LOVE IT!
211079I have the Ellageo and love the machine but now just use it for sewing since I have a PR600II. For the price of the new Ellegante it would be well worth your time to check into the PR600 group of machines by Brother. The machine I have was just over $6000.The dealer threw in the fast frames and the cap hoop plus the table to hold it.It was a floor model with 4 hours on it. The new models were arriving so he was anxious to move all the previous models out. It has 6 needles and stitches out wonderful at top speed of 1000 rpm. You can have a direct link from your computer to the machine thus eliminating the use of a card.
4436Well I would have said an Elna Xquisite 2, but since they've been discontinued and Janome doesn't give a damn about honouring their warranty, I very sadly have to stop singing its praises, especially since the one I bought has caused me nothing but heartache.
Anyway, what I wouldn't buy is a Brother Innovis of any kind because, as far as I am aware you can only really set two speeds and the machine takes over and automatically speeds up and down depending on the design, so far I have not successfully stitched FSL on my 750D and I believe it is because it won't stitch slow enough for such dense designs to stitch successfully.
The Designer Diamond is fast becoming my favourite machine. The more I get to use it, and get used to using it, the better I like it. And wow, does Husqvarna Viking look after its clients with frequent downloadable upgrades, new stitches, emails containing software lessons and plenty of accessories to perform every conceivable sewing project.
It has far too many features to list here, (without sounding like I'm bragging, LOL!!) but some of the things I like are: the colour screen of the whole design in 3D, (a crosshair on the screen shows where you are stitching and there is a running stitch count also clearly visible on the screen; basting stitches around the design and/or around the hoop area; perfect centering in case you haven't hooped your design accurately; the ability to go back to the exact stitch number if you need to, or the previous colour if you want to re-stitch a segment; these are just some of the embroidery features I find I like.
Sewing is great with an automatic locking stitch you can turn on and off or just use when you want to; It is very smooth and feels almost like a mechanical machine rather than a computer controlled machine. I haven't used many of the Numerous stitches yet, but what I have are all good and there's a stitch fine tuning feature if you need it; and the optional walking foot is great as is the sensor buttonhole. The lighting system is fantastic, I don't need an additional light over the machine and often find myself stitching in the dark, after sunset, without realising it. These are only a few of the features I have used so far.
Things I don't like: the manual needle threader is a pain in the butt and isn't even as good as the one on the Brother 750D. And I hate that there is no presser foot lever, (which I keep reaching for), you raise and lower the presser foot by 2 buttons.
Now, bear in mind I have hardly used my machine, because of the chemo, but what I have been using I am becoming more and more impressed with, especially the simplicity of selecting the feaures you want to use.
I did read most of the user guide and tagged specific pages, with post-it-flags that I wrote on, so when I needed to know something I could find it more easily, but I hardly need to look at it now, unless it's for something I haven't tried yet.
So despite my previous negativity, especially because of the price, the machine itself has been changing my mind.
Oh, and you can download most formats to the machine without having to convert them and you can transfer designs to the USB stick directly from Windows Explorer.
Hope this helps,
hugs n roses, Meganne
3 comments
by sandynavas
15 Sep 2009
What a fantastic review - Had my mouth watering until you got to the manual needle threader . . .
This is the kind of info I am looking for, so I thank you for your thoroughness******************
by meganne
15 Sep 2009
Oh sandy the needle threader is just a nuisance on this machine, what annoys me about it is that it doesn't pull enough thread through the needle and I have found I have to keep holding the threader unit down until I have put my stylus in the little loop and pulled more thread through, otherwise it just unthreads the damn thing again. NO PATIENCE! LOL!!!
It is easier just to thread the needle myself, which isn't too difficult as the bobbin cover is also a magnifying glass.
There's also a great (inches & metric) ruler printed right on the machine with a special section to measure button sizes.
Storage is a nuisance though as it is practically non existant except for a useless section on the embroidery unit that only holds bobbins & the thinner tools like the quickunpick & a brush.
The sewing accessory tray (for ME) is a waste unless you take the embroidery unit off, which you don't have to do to sew, so my EmbUNIT stays on the machine all the time and my sewing accessory tray is packed away in a box as I prefer my tools to be in the drawer beside me.
Read my post to Kazza about the mega-hoop. I mostly use the 4 x 4 or 5 x 7 but it's nice to have the other hoops in case I want something larger.
The mega-hoop? I'd have been better off spending the money on specialised presser feet which I have had to do anyway. And remember there are some great Viking suppliers on EBAY for much, much cheaper accessories and all genuine viking parts.
Glad it was usefull info. If you have any other Q's just email or PM me, I have nothing to lose by being brutally frank and I have been sewing for 55+ years so I don't wear rose coloured glasses.
hugs n roses, Meganne
by sandynavas
15 Sep 2009
I had to laugh when you told about having to hold the threader down. I'm so used to doing that on my Bernina (that's why I LOVE my wood crochet hook) and on the Diamond it would probably just be second nature. Appreciate the information about the megahoop, too!!
I do wear rose-coloured glasses though - only because I like the tint on my bifocals. :-)
122864Mine is a Pfaff2140, which has been upgraded to 2170. Though I have not much experience with other emb. machines, this one is very user-friendly. The new Pfaff Creative Vision is too large for my sewing space, as is the new Bernina 830. I have only 2 medium size hoops,one round,one rectangle but would like the small one as this would get used quite a lot. My choice was influenced by the fact that I do lots of sewing (not always embr.) so it had to be able to sew well, with good "feed" (IDT)
16529I enjoy my Bernina artista 200 but the most important I think is who is going to give you the best support with service and back-up. Our Bernina team in Cape Town is the best. Good luck with your choice
2306Viking Designer Diamond w/mega hoop. I don't have one what I have is the Husqvarna Viking Designer I usb with 4D Embroidery Extra that Hubby got me a year or so ago. Before the Diamond came out. I have about all the hoops now. I use the smaller size hoops the most but they all serve a purpose at times.
27608Viking Designer Diamond w/ mega hoop 13" x 13.5" Like this one... Oh I guess I already have one, my hubby got it for me... :)
I use the big!!! hoop alot Most of my designs are for bigger hoops... I love my DD, Besides I have hundreds of different designer stitches to choose from for when I'm quilting or designing something on an outfit... It truly is a dream machine!
Sam :)
4 comments
3624Very interesting question, looking forward to the answers! *
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