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?