World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of August 5, 2002:

Our question this week comes Amelia E

I am a new quilter and have an old Viking sewing machine and I wonder if there are better machines designed for the quilter. I would like to know what most of you think is the better sewing machine now in the market for a quilter that wants to do her own machine quilting.

Maggie Golden :
I prefer the older machines without all the electronics. In addition to my old Singer Slantomatic I do have a Bernina Virtuosa 150 and use it for everythig sewable. I do have one valuable hint to offer: Do not use the canned air to clean your machine. It has a tendency to freeze the O-rings in your machine which would be very expensive to repair and you may have to replace the entire machine.
Good luck.

Diana Terlisner :
I have a long-arm quilting machine, I'm not sure if you are talking about piecing or actually doing the top quilting. But anyway, I I own a Gammil long-arm. 12 foot table. Have owned it for a year and love it. After taking lessons, I opened business and do machine quilting for others. As far as pieceing goes I just have a regular older model Singer, also a older model Kennmore. I do not have any problem with either of them. Sure, if you want the new fangeled "extras" like the thread cutter, special guides, etc. I think it would be wise to actually sit down at one and try them for yourself. I have not found one yet that justifies spending that much money. I have a friend that has a Huqsvarna (probably spelled wrong) and all she does is embroider on it, what a waste of money spent. Guess it all boils down to, what am I going to use it for and how bad is the one I have now really.

proverbs :
I agree with the other quiltes. Any that is in good working order is fine. I have a singer featherweight that is over 30 years old and it is wonderful for quilting. The Pfaff is also wonderful because you do not need a walking foot. It has one already built in. Happy quilting.

Louise :
I have a low-end Sears sewing machine, and I think it's the "Chevy" of sewing machines. . . .I have a walking foot, have made dozens of quilts, and wouldn't trade it for any Cadillac! As long as you have a machine you're comfortable with and have a walking foot, just go for it. You don't need a fancy machine. Look at all the beautiful antique quilts! They were made without a sewing machine at all! Good luck!

Katrina C. :
I have an Elna 6004. I have made six quilts so far on it, and I think that it is the "Cadillac" of sewing machines.

AB :
I THINK A WALKING FOOT AND A GOOD MACHINE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH ARE WHAT IS IMPORTAMT- NOT THE AGE OF THE MACHINE.
I HAVE A PFAFF THAT IS 25+ YEARS OLD THAT I WOULDN'T TRADE FOR ANYTHING!
WHATEVER MACHINE YOU HAVE TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT. CANNED AIR AND SEWING MACHINE OIL ARE MUSTS.CHANGE YOUR NEEDLE REGULARLY REGULARLY.
I HAVE MADE MORE THAN 120 BABY QUILTS - A TOTAL OF 180 QUILTS AND I FIGURE I WILL DO AT LEAST THAT MANY MORE ON MY "OLD" MACHINE.
BOTTOM LINE - A GOOD MACHINE,WELL MAINTAINED THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH IS THE BEST - NO MATTER WHAT THE AGE.

MJ :
Amelia:

I also am relatively new to quilting but have been sewing on my Viking for years. The upgrade to a new wizbang machine is quite hefty (over double what I paid for my 610). I've decided to invest in a walking foot for the time being. There is an "off brand" foot but I have not been lucky enough to find it as it seems to be back-ordered due to high demand. The high demand is due to the Viking Even feed Foot being expensive. I've found it for as "little" as $65 on the web and approaching $85 at my local Viking dealer. There are two other feet I'm aquiring: a 1/4 inch foot and a darning foot for stippling. Again not cheap, but cheaper than a new machine at this point.

Hope this helps.

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