I’ve been MIA…it’s been 10 days since I last blogged! Quick update. I treated myself and bought the above sewing machine (Brother XL-3750). Do I plan to stop using my current Pfaff Grand Quilter? Heck no! Am I hoarding sewing machines now, in addition to fabric? Yup!
This was a fun little treat for myself. For one, it only cost $116 on Amazon (and it comes with a walking foot!), free shipping too. Also, I’ve been getting emails from people asking me for sewing machine recommendations. After replying, I realized my answers were biased as I’ve only ever owned Pfaff’s. Plus I’ve never owned a sewing machine this inexpensive. Is it possible to have a great sewing machine for only $116 bucks???
I did a lot of research on the Brother XL-3750 and it had excellent reviews from all sewing backgrounds, ranging from the occasional sewer to the avid quilter (such as muah ;). I should receive it in the mail this week, so once I test it out I’ll be sure to give you my review. 🙂
I’m curious…if any of you own(ed) a Brother sewing machine, let me know your thoughts. Or if you don’t, but know a brand that you absolutely love and/or hate, I’d be really interested in hearing about it.
On a totally different update… I’m working on that traditional binding tutorial. Also, I have a Moda Bakeshop tutorial coming up pretty soon, so stay tuned. I’ll be hosting a fabric giveaway along with it. 🙂
Happy Quilting!
I've been quilting for a little over a year, last September I bought a Quilter's Club Brother, lots of moolah! I do like it very much but have nothing to compare it to. There was a problem with the feed dogs mechanism needing replacement the first time I used them, but other than that, it's been good. I hope you like yours! I probably should have started with something like that!
I have benen shopping for a new machine…. Went last weekend to look at Pfaff. The salesman tried to talk me out of it. Said they have lots of repairs on the new pfaffs. I was so bummed out. Kinda had my heart set on one. Now I don't know what I am going to get. The salesman was trying to talk me into a Viking…Owned by Pfaff… What is a girl to do???
I have owned two Brother sewing machines now and have been very pleased with both of them. I upgraded from the basic model to one with more quilting capabilities, a walking foot, etc. and so far have had no issues. I think you will really enjoy yours!
I am a Janome gal after learning to sew on a Viking. I liked the Viking fine, but let me tell you, I love my Janomes! I now have two – bought one of the little ones first, then the 6600 a year later. Can't say enough good things about them and the price point is great too. Enjoy your new machine!
Love, love, love my Janome 4900QC. It's a quiet, reliable workhorse. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
I had 5 machines and none of them had the ability to drop feed dogs or the ability to do a blanket stitch. I found (on Amazon) a Brother CS6000i and I LOVE IT! It was about $150 and came with free shipping so I figured I would give it a try. It is so lightweight that it is easy to take when I go on retreat, has an open toe darning foot so that I can quilt and it great for piecing. I love all the decorative stitches and have enjoyed using them – especially the blanket stitch for applique'. It certainly does not replace my Janome 1600DP but it is probably one of the best purchases I have made in the past few years!
I have a pfaff 7550,,,,love it
I have two featherweights…got them for the kids
I just treated myself to the janome aqs2009 really loving it
Had a very basic brother for years and years and gave it to a newbie and it's still going strong!!
I started out sewing about 5 years ago on a Kenmore, and I have to say I hated it. It was really hard for me to sew slowly enough with just a foot pedal and no speed control. So, my absolutely wonderful husband bought me a Janome 6600 for Christmas. I LOVE IT! And, there are much cheaper Janomes that have the two features I would look for for a beginner: speed control and the needle up/down feature. My 5 yo has been sewing on my Janome, and for Christmas santa plans to bring her her own DC1050. http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/Machines/Sewing-Quilting/DC1050 It's only $299!!! I probably could've done just fine with this machine myself, but I love my 6600. I'll never need another machine.
I know that the Kenmore is actually made by Janome, but the difference in sewing on the two machines is like driving a Ford Fiesta without power steering and driving a Lexus with all the luxury upgrades.
BTW, I also have a White Serger and a cheap-o Singer that sews a fine straight stitch, but I wouldn't recommend them to someone getting into the hobby.
I have a Brother very similar to this one (I think it's a CS6000i or something) that i use for piecing quilts and for doing buttonholes and taking on trips. It is a very lightweight machine, and I, too, read all the reviews before I purchased it (about $139 I think) and so far, it has been a gem – I have had ZERO issues/problems with it. It's not great for machine quilting because the throat (?) is way too small to maneuver anything but a large baby quilt through. I still rely on my Singer for all my heavy duty work and mass production for my sewing business.
I have owned two Brothers. The first was wonderful so I sold it and bought a big sewing/embroidery combo…and that machine was horrible! It literally was broke down more than fixed.
My sister on the other hand has a cheap brother that she runs the heck out of and it has never had a problem.
I've traded now for a Janome because they used to make Sears machines and my Sears machine was the best ever. The janome is too new for me to review yet.
I have acquired a Brother PX-200 from my sister (who acquired it from an aunt many years ago). I am new to sewing but have discovered I can buy a walking foot for it and also the feed dogs drop. I think this is perfect for me for now. I don't have anything to compare it to though…
Now I want a Janome and a machine with feed dogs that drop…
I own a Brother Innovis 80… I heart it so much!!! Maybe it is just because the sewing machine I was sewing on prior to owning this machine I had since I was about 12 years old. So needless to say when I got my new machine a couple of years ago, it was manna from heaven. It has feed dogs that drop and I have a walking foot, free motion foot and many other special accessories for it. Now I must say I did pay a bit more than $116 for it, about $500 more. So it does come with a few a bells and whistles. I have been very pleased with it.
20+ years ago, I bought a $99.00 Brother at Wal-mart. I loved that machine and sewed wonderful things on it for 10+ years. I've rarely had my own machine, but instead borrowed/ used/inherited many brands and types of machines. I learned to sew on my mother's Pfaff, and years later my mother-in-law gave me her old Elna, which I used until recently. Although nice machines, they never impressed me like my cheap Wal-mart Brother. About 2 months ago, I finally splurged and bought a Brother NX 800 and have been sewing up a storm. I went with a dealer so that I get free lessons and service. My old Brother never broke. The Pfaff and Elna machines I've used average shop visits every few years!
I sew with a Pfaff 213. It is my mother´s Pfaff, which I learned to sew on. She gave it to me, when she bought a new Pfaff last year. The Pfaff 213 is about 30 years old and still works perfect. It is quite heavy as everything is metal – even the spools and bobbins. I hope this makes it undestroyable because I love this machine!
Our second sewingmachine is a Pfaff Expression 2.0. It has a big throat -great for quilting.
I would like to try out a Bernina because it is said to have a constant stiching lengh, even with varying sewing speed. This is something I miss at the Pfaff Expression 2.0.
Does this machine do the blanket stitch? I'm looking for an affordable machine that does it. My Pfaff doesn't do that stitch.
My very first sewing machine was a Brother – very basic but did button holes and only cost $50 and was heavier than you can imagine. I currently have a Brother PC6000 and got that one because it has a cutting foot that works like a serger. The only other one I have had is a Janome which was a great machine. But right now, Brother is my choice of machines.
I had a Viking for years. I rarely used it, and when it started sewing poorly, even after costly servicing and repairs, I gave it away. I didn't think I would miss having a sewing machine, but I was wrong. Not wanting to spend a fortune on a machine for occasional use (this was before I started quilting), I did some research and decided on a Brother (I'm away from home, so don't know the model #) that got great reviews. I bought it from Costco, and the price was $169. I have now made five quilts on it, and I LOVE it! It is so simple to use, has all of the attachments I could ever hope to use for quilting, and is just a little workhorse. It is very light weight, so is easy to take to quilting retreats, etc. If you're half as happy with your machine as I am with mine, zi know you'll be delighted.
i have a built in kenmore that is about 35 years old…the dogs do drop and it is metal. took up quilting in november and bought a janome dc 1050 from a local dealer who gives classes. same price as amazon.com by the way. it came with some feet but not a quilting foot, so i purchased that pricey baby. i love it. i did have an issue with that foot but dealer fixed me up. had i purchased it online i would have been SOL i think……or they would have charged a bundle to figure out the problem. so i would recommend a local dealer just in case problems arise.
i also have a sew mini janome which i use for paper crafting.
still have the kenmore for heavy duty sewing repairs, chugs along just fine.