machine suggestions? (and update on old Bernina)

[pigtailpat]

Hope I'm not covering old ground here

FYI, I have a friend who couldn't get her NEW machine to stitch with decent tension. (She'd bought it and let it sit for a year, until I invited her to sew with me.) She set tension to 0, and STILL not enough. I looked at the manual with her, when we threaded it. The store she bought the machine at was out-of-business. So, she took her machine in to my favorite dealer/service center and they discovered that she'd/we'd been threading the machine wrong (even though she was looking at the manual when she did it at home). They showed her how to thread it, and it was fine after that. She's in her late 50's, and had sewn a lot when she was younger, so sewing was not a new thing to her.

Just goes to show, some instruction is SO useful. Hmmmm, have you searched for YouTube videos on threading, etc, your machine? Since you live so far from the dealer/service center? If Bernina's many many videos don't cover your machine, I'll bet you can email the company with your model number, and ask which newer models (more likely to have videos) are threaded the same way.

Good luck! It sounds like your used Bernina is a lot more valuable than $250, so I hope you'll be able to use it!

[pigtailpat]

Picked out my sewing macine!!!!

Many thanks to all of you who replied with ideas on this!!! I'm so excited!

I go to TX in August for our annual US trip to see family, and while there will buy a Janome Magnolia 7318 from my "local" quilt shop who is also a certified Janome dealer.

I picked this one because:
-so many of you said Janome was a good brand
-I can *very easily* get Janome brand serviced here in Brazil (or buy extra feet, etc...), in my actual city, not hours away
-I have roughly $250 to spend w/o going over-budget, and of the 3 machines the dealer suggested, this was the best

I will *probably/maybe* go ahead and get the quilting kit (1/4" foot, walking foot w/guide, cloth guide?, open toe free motion foot, open toe applique foot) as well. Well, a friend has the free motion foot, so I'll buy the other bits separately. Plus it comes with a roughly 2 hour intro class, which I am excited about! He said about a 45 min. machine intro, and then another hour/hour & a half more in depth class with their "professional sewist"

I know it doesn't have all the features that would be nice, but I really cannot go over that price; at least, not and still have $$ to buy fabric with. :mrgreen:

So very looking forward to learning my new machine!!! I have about 6 or 7 wks until I pick it up, and I can barely stand the wait!!!

Oh -- the point, LOL! -- I am covered on needles, it comes with 4 bobbins (do I need the pack of 10 extra for $6?), I will get the feet listed above in the quilting kit, and keeping in mind I am just about maxing out my budget, is there anything else I need to get right away for the machine? It comes with a zipper foot, a button-hole foot, a regular foot + I will buy 1/4 inch foot & walking foot (do I need the applique foot???). Anything else that is "must have" from day one of using a machine??? For a "never has used a machine before in her life" but Intermediate hand piecer/quilter????

Thanks again, all! Hopefully I will love this new machine!!

[Margo C.]

Congratulations Heather!
I would recommend an open toe applique foot if you plan to do machine applique.

You are going to have a ball!!

[Lois B.]

Congratulations! Have a wonderful trip. I agree with Margo.

[Lois B.]

So glad for you, to have sorted out your machine challange. I hope you have many happy hours together.

By the way, I would definitely recommend getting extra bobbins (christmas presents?), otherwise you will find that you are stripping spare thread off a nearly full bobbin because it is the wrong colour - personally I always keep one for black and one for white/cream and then let the rest change colour as needed, but then I also do a lot of clothes alterations.

[Lois B.]

So glad for you, to have sorted out your machine challange. I hope you have many happy hours together.

By the way, I would definitely recommend getting extra bobbins (christmas presents?), otherwise you will find that you are stripping spare thread off a nearly full bobbin because it is the wrong colour - personally I always keep one for black and one for white/cream and then let the rest change colour as needed, but then I also do a lot of clothes alterations.

*that* is a very good tip! Okay, will do! I had thought 4 would be plenty, but as I often have multiple projects going at once, yes, the more the merrier. And at only $6 for 10, I can do that!

For ex, right now I have:
-baby quilt (purple thread)
-my son's quilt (gray thread) (but will use red for part of it)
-my diary quilt (white/cream)
-my Brazil quilt (well, not started, but soon....) (will need cream/beige in places, but something else, maybe blue?, in others....)

Not to mention the little random things I do here & there, such as:
-ipad cover for my husband (green thread)
-collar slip-cover for our new puppy (blue thread)
-placemats for our table (some bright color, not sure yet)

and so forth & so on. So, yes, bobbins so they can have different colors w/o me having to unload -- brilliant!! I would *never* have thought of that. Thank you!!

Any other "this is so common sense, everyone knows it" kind of tips, because honestly, I so don't know those things??

[Rita C.]

Hi Heather, this is great news! I have a question? When you say a friend has the free motion foot, do you mean that she is going to let you have it? For keeps? If not, you should get your own as you will definitely need it too often to be borrowing. I agree about the open toe applique foot and also the bobbins. Good luck with your purchase.

[Rita C.]

Hi Heather, this is great news! I have a question? When you say a friend has the free motion foot, do you mean that she is going to let you have it? For keeps? If not, you should get your own as you will definitely need it too often to be borrowing. I agree about the open toe applique foot and also the bobbins. Good luck with your purchase.

oh, yes, sorry; she's giving it to me. She is a very dear, dear friend and doesn't use it (she has a different machine, or this is a spare, or I"m not sure exactly but anyway, she told me "I have the free motion foot, don't buy that..." b/c she's sending it to me! Yay!!!

I am so beyond excited it's not even funny!!!!

[Norma H.]

Margo, Rosemary and Rita said it all

[Jill B.]

Congratulations on your new machine and I can understand it will be hard to wait until you can take your lessons and pick it up.

Superior Threads had a special on for I think it was US $9.50 for 100 bobbins, and yes as suggested you always have some left on the bobbins and its just a waste of thread to keep having to pull the threads off bobbins so you can use it for another colour, I bought a pack and we shared it among sewing friends.

[Deborah W.]

So happy to hear you have chosen your new machine. What fun awaits you.

[Rita C.]

Heather, I know you are back and that you bought a new machine, but what is it and can you post photos? What else did you buy? We are all curious.

[Norma H.]

Yes, we are

[Norma H.]

Oh, I didn't see this earlier and answered in poor Betty Jo's Architecture Challenge thread, LOL! So, will answer here as well....

The machine is a Janome Magnolia 7318 (I think is the number....) and is lovely for a beginner like myself! I had a 2-ish hour class learning to use it which was brilliant. The seamstress/instructor was great and really understood how much of a beginner I was/am, and so really took things nice and slow, made me do everything she did enough times until she felt I had it right, talked me through all the bumps and things, etc. It was wonderful! I've not set the machine up here at home yet (busy unpacking and all) but can't wait to play with it! First I have to get the boys' school things squared away (I have 3 boys, ages 7, 11 and about to be 15, and I home school them....).

I also bought a TON of fabric, and even one pattern/kit/project that I really fought against buying, but home it came anyway. I explained that over in the other thread, but short version here -- I have never done a quilt from a pattern in the same colors as the sample. The first quilt I ever did was a pattern, but the sample was blacks & brights, and I did red/white/blue instead to make it my own. Then since then, I've designed my own and not used a pattern at all (except my Diary Quilt uses traditional blocks, but still). So, to buy a pattern, and templates, and fabrics in the suggested color of the sample and think to myself I'd be making a quilt just like everyone else who walks in and sees that beauty in the shop......it really grated against everything in me. I want my quilts to be my own, not copies of someone else's, so this just was a huge hurdle for me. In the end, though (and now this is not so short a version...), I couldn't see anything else in the shop, though I walked through probably 5 times before giving in, until I bought the pattern and picked the fabrics. I *did* tweak the colors a bit so it will be my own version after all, and I'm contemplating adding a different border as well, and we'll see what happens. It was just one of those quilts that you see it and it doesn't let go of you -- I knew if I left w/o the pattern, I'd spend the rest of my life trying to figure out how to make it anyway, so I'd be better off buying the pattern/templates. But it was a serious stretch for me to buy what felt like a "kit" even though I did choose the fat quarters myself, and even though I knew I'd never forget that quilt, ever. (it's Radiant Suns, but the version I saw was all blue/yellow)

I bought other fabric as well, some for specific projects I have going, some for "just because", one for the Brazil Quilt/sidewalk pattern that I'll work on as part of Betty Jo's architecture challenge, so that was good. I have most/all/more than enough fabric for that already, but after I bought the pattern above, I found a clay roof tiles print fabric -- perfect for the Brazil quilt! So, a little bit of serendipity there I'd walked past that fabric 8 or more times but didn't even see it until I bought the other pattern, that is how distracted I was by the quilt!

I also bought just about everything on my list --- a pack of extra needles in each of the main sizes for my machine/piecing needs (plus I already have one pack each of the 2 main sizes), a case of bobbins (24? I think...?), thread, all the feet and machine accessories I need, rotary blades (6 spares!) (Plus I have a brand new blade on already), some notions and things (velcro, fusible stuff, etc...), glue sticks, and my dear friend Joyce came to visit me in Texas (!!!) and brought me marking pencils/pens, crayola washable markers, binding clips, 1 rotary blade, and a wonderful quilted clutch purse/wallet she made for me!! So, I think the things I left off the list are the slippy stuff for the sliding of large quilts, the grippy stuff/quilting gloves, and books. But, I can get grippy stuff here, I don't have a big enough table/space to need a slidy thing, and I can get Kindle versions of books as needed, plus I do have a couple. So, I think I did pretty well! Too much fabric (ha!!)(one can never have too much fabric!!!) but otherwise perfectly lovely!

I got to visit 3 different quilt shops in 2 states, so that was quite fun! I just missed a Shop Hop in Texas, but as I'd spent all my $$ by then anyway, probably for the best. It started just 2 days before we were leaving, but I had no time/money to go back to shop.

I'll post pics of all of this stuff over on my blog today or tomorrow and come link here for you guys; it is way too much photo to put here, I think. I do think I got a good machine for the $ I had to spend; I emailed my "local" quilt shop several times back & forth choosing, and they helped me choose just the right one given my budget, so I think I wound up with a good machine. And I did get all the feet needed --- a walking foot, a 1/4" foot, an open-toe applique foot, a free motion foot.....whatever feet came with it (button hole, zipper, and regular, I think....) and I think I got size 70, 80 and 90 needles and maybe 1 pack of denim....I don't remember now and haven't unpacked that yet.

Anyway, it was wonderful, my stash closet is starting to look almost full (sorted by project...I have too many projects, LOL!) and I cannot wait to have time to start sewing!

Oh, and I didn't finish the baby quilt yet, but showed the in-progress to the new mom and she loves it and is content to wait for it. I just ran out of time before, then forgot to take part of it with me so couldn't work on it there, either (not that I had time there for that, but....) So now I have until March to finish, so that's good! Though I will work on it soon and try to get it done so I can check that off and move on. Have I mentioned I have too many projects??? LOL! (right now I have the baby quilt, my oldest son's quilt, the diary quilt -- those are all partially done. Then "to be started" I have my Brazil quilt, my 2nd son's quilt, the Radiant Suns quilt -- those have fabric bought or mostly bought, and patterns designed. Then "one day" I have a quilt for my husband, a quilt for my 3rd son, a couch/throw that my 2nd son designed and wants made -- those I have ideas for but no fabric or pattern made up yet. My list keeps growing! Hopefully the machine will help me get through some of this.....)

so nice to be home and welcomed back! I missed you guys!!

[Rita C.]

Sounds like an all-round good haul. Glad you had a good time and got to visit a few quilt shops and I hope your machine gives you years of trouble free sewing.