What sewing machine is the best for quilting and cost no more than $1000?

Question

I have been using an old piece of junk sewing machine for over twenty years. I need help picking out the best one for around a thousand dollars.

Answer 1

Check out the Janome , I love mine ;)))

Answer 2

Viking has a new line of quilting machines out now. They have a longer arm so more fabric can be easily put into the machine. It also has a very large "table" that fits around the machine to lift your quilt up while you sew.

Answer 3

If you can find a second-hand Janome MC6500 with the quilt table, they usually run for anywhere from 799.00 to 1,000.00.  I know the newer model, MC 6600 usually sells new for somewhere in the 1500.00 range. I highly recommend Janome machines. They sew beautifully, very precise stitching.  I own two of them, and love them both.  

Viking's are nice machines, but very pricey. You might find an older Rose or Quilt designer machine can be found on EBay quite frequently. I did some checking and there are a few offered right now.  There is also a dealer on EBay, Ken's Sewing Center, whom I've dealt with before and recommend. They usually have used machines that have been refurbished and sell for a good price. they also sell on EBay.  

Answer 4

If you're just doing piecing and straight or free motion quilting, any of the old black straightstitch Singers or Whites will do well for you, at under $50.  Toss in a clean-oll-adjust and you're set.  If you need a few more stitches, like blindhem for applique, consider a 401.  The advantages of the straight stitchers are that they're cheap, they go through nearly anything, the narrow presser feet are very useful on curves, and the small hole of the needleplate gives you excellent straight stitching.  I keep a couple around just for straight stitching.

The other class of machines you might look at are the modern electronics, because of the advantages of the stepper motors used to drive them.  The needle position controls, non-stalling slow sewing speeds, and full punching force of the needle give you excellent control for quilting.  Many can also be set to always stop with the needle up or needle down.  If you do this, I'd suggest you want to look at machines with straight stitch plates available -- this gives you at least some of the advantages of the old straight stitchers.  I use my electronic primarily for sewing garments, but I can see the advantages it would have for quilting.

There are a couple of modern "improvements" you might also want to look at.... some machines are designed now with a very large "harp" area, the area to the right of the needle.  When you're trying to machine quilt a king size quilt, every little bit helps.  The other is that some machines now have a free motion stitch length regulator.  That appears to be very pricey, and I've not played with one just because I'm happy with my current machines and methods.

Bernina, Viking and Janome seem to be the most stable of the good sewing machine companies these days.  I personally prefer Viking but there are strong proponents of other machines.

You might want to check any possibilities with the machine reviews at http://www.patternreview.com and ask some quilting groups like the Usenet group rec.crafts.textiles.quilting for their experiences with current machines.