On Sewing Machines

One of my readers asked if I would explain my sewing machine choices.  Right now I am sewing on two machines.  One is the Brother, Nouvelle 1500s.  It is a lockstitch industrial machine much like the Juki with which I think folks are more familiar.  It is my newest machine.   I bought it last fall for a little over $600.00. I also have a Bernina 153 which I bought used in Kansas City a few years ago.  Originally it was intended to be my travel machine.  I have two machines set up so I can be piecing and quilting at the same time.  I need to take breaks when I'm quilting and I don't want the hassle of changing thread etc to be able to piece while I'm on quilting breaks.  I treat my machines with care and clean, oil and change needles regularly.  I cover them when not in use to keep the dust away.

 I have learned over time that for me, both in quilt design and in sewing machines that I love simple and uncomplicated.  I want to stress that I don't endorse any sewing machine company and no one pays me to state my opinion.  I bought my Brother last fall after having so many frustrating days with my Bernina 820 which is now a very expensive dust collector.

 I sew for a living and I need a machine that is a workhorse and is dependable.  I bought the Brother because it was simple, it was from a local shop where I know I can get it repaired if needed, and it was available for me to take home that day. The best thing about my Brother is that after I got it home and took it out of the box, I was sewing in less than 10 minutes. No training, no fuss no muss, it simply sews.  It has beautiful stitch quality and a pretty long harp space for quilting.  As you can see it has one large knob to adjust stitch length, reverse, needle down, a thread cutter and four feed dog settings.  It has a walking foot, which isn't very well designed, but I've put my thinking cap on and made adaptations to it to help it work better for me.  I piece, straight line quilt and free motion quilt with it.  It also has a nice extension table.

 My other machine is the Bernina 153 which is a lower level computerized machine,  I've never had an issue with it and it has never been in for repair.  I piece and quilt on it as well.  It doesn't have a large harp space for quilting, but when I need that great Bernina walking foot, I use that machine for quilting as well.  It slows me down having to deal with the smaller harp space, but slow and steady is fine.  I bought the larger acrylic extension table to help during quilting.

 Sometimes I switch the positions of the machines from the desk to the table depending on if I'm piecing or quilting on that machine.  The table provides much for room in the back and on the left for supporting a large quilt.

I have worked on many brands and models of sewing machines and I have watched students struggle with over engineered machines.  Machines will not sew for us.  For me, gadgets and gizmos get in my way.  I want to be in control of my machine.  I don't want the machine to control me or how I sew.  It was an expensive lesson to learn.  As I travel and teach I continue to find that simple seems to be better.

I am still looking for that machine that has the right combination of features that will work best for me.  I do know at this point that more is not necessarily better.

To Anonymous who left a comment on my Proud to Be post, I left you a response in the comments in case you are interested.

To the rest of my readers:  I've eliminated Anonymous comments from now on.