She's here!

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend! 

I did. And I even got some sewing in on the new machine! Here's a sneak peek.

Before a revel, here's what I learned about the last three brands. 

Pfaff. I was unfamiliar with this brand, but a local quilt shop sold them so I wanted to find out more. I researched the brand and heard good things about older machines. I also got one report from a person who owned one that said they were quite finicky. The model in my price range was the Passport 2.0. It seemed to have a comparable number of stitches, bells and whistles as the other brands and while being light weight, the sales lady assured me that it could handle everyday use. The interesting thing about this brand is that the machines have a built in walking foot that you can engage on the back of the presser foot. I was told you could use this for quilting or for everyday sewing to make sure that all your material layers move along at the same rate of speed. Apparently, Pfaff was the first to have this technology and other companies have since improved on it and made the foot wider—allowing for more grip on different types of fabric. All in all, I just didn't love the look and feel of the machine and couldn't envision myself sewing on it every day.

Janome. This was my last stop as a dealer was a bit harder to find. All in all the after visiting with the dealer I believe that to get a high quality machine you have to spend more. This manufacturer makes some nice machines and offers a wide range of options, but there just weren't anything options that appealed to me in my price range.

Elna was a pleasant surprise at the same dealer as I visited for Janome. I did not know much about this brand, but was very impressed. The dealer told me they are known for having good tension and very few problems—which is good to know considering I have read a lot of comments about sewing machines in general having tension issues. Additionally, the dealer told me that compared to other brands she stocks, Elna had hardier engines and offers a higher quality machine for less money, which was appealing. One model from Elna I would would recommend to anyone for review is the Elna Lotus. These machines have a carrying case that is built in around them and folds down into a table. Plus the one I saw had the start/stop feature I have come to value and a quilter’s throat plate, which includes all the angle markings a quilter uses. But in the end I just couldn't fall in love with the look and feel of the Lotus either.

So, what did I get? Can you guess?

I got the . . .

Baby Lock Rachel. She came in at the best price and value due to a Shop Hop sale. Plus the shop is just a few blocks from my house, so getting my classes and support will be easy. In the end it did come down to combination of quality, support and price. I purchased a high quality machine, from a dealer I trust who will offer convenient support all in my price range.

Here she is!

What does everyone else have? Any different experiences?

Sew, what do you know about machine brands?

I'm back. I'm sure you're all dying to know what machine I got. But alas, it hasn't come in yet. 

So instead, here's what I found out about the first three brands: Bernina, Viking and Baby Lock.

Picture from Bernina website.

Bernina truly is the Cadillac of sewing machines. What I learned is that they are essentially the only all metal machines left—and you pay for it. I visited a dealer and must say I was quite impressed with the brand. one interesting thing I learned is that Berninas have front loading bobbins. So instead of having a plate that you slide open and drop the bobbin in from the top, Bernina bobbins have a round case that the bobbin sets in and then the whole case snaps into place underneath the throat plate in a vertical position. This was very weird to me, but the sales lady assured me that it gives more flexibility with tensions and fabrics. She demonstrated some very neat stitching techniques with the machine that demonstrated this. I was also impressed by the flexibility Bernina provided on the stitch width and length as there were no limitations on how high you could adjust these on every stitch. Even though I was looking at a basic model, the Bernina 350 PE, it came with some nice bells and whistles like the hands free foot adjustment, which is a lever you move with your knee. This features works similarly to some of the sensor systems other machines have in that it allows you to move the presser foot up and down without ever taking your hands off of the fabric, only this Bernina feature is mechanically controlled by your knee and has no sensors involved. Another fun fact is that all of the Bernina presser feet are interchangeable on all their machines, which is helpful, because when a walking foot costs $200, you are going to want it to work on any Bernina machine you own in the future.

Ok, the bad news . . . this base Bernina model was over twice the price of comparable machines in other brands.

Husqvarna Vikings. The most interesting thing about this brand was the bobbin case and what it is made out of. Not sure what it is called, but it is a Teflon like material that is friction resistant. The limiting factor for me with this brand were the options in my price range. The H Class 100 was what I was looking at and I was not convinced that it would serve me completely well for everyday sewing given it was light weight. Additionally, I wish there were a few more digital options in my price range.

Fun fact, apparently Pfaff and Vikings are both owned and made by Singer.

Picture from Baby Lock website.

Baby Lock. In reference to my previous comments about lack of selection in other brands, I am extremely impressed with the number of machines Baby Lock has in a lower price range.

The ones I concentrated on were in the A-line series. I was immediately drawn to three of these machines and then asked questions to determine which would be the best for every day sewing. I asked about weight and use for larger projects, tension settings, and stitch adjustments. I happened to be taking a class at the shop that sold Baby Locks and the owner let me sew my project on the machine I had in mind! These machines are actually made by Brother but to a higher specification and from what I understand have few problems and are very good machines.

Ok, that’s three brands, I’ll review the other three and then reveal my choice, so stay tuned.