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Bearly Kidz BearsI have a old new home 8000 which are now janome i love my machine i had it check out this year and cleaned it still works like it did when i first got it that was 15 years ago.
Denise
Sunshine Coast, QLDHi Catherine!
Sadly I don't have anything valuable to add now that your decision has been made, but my mum has a Janome that she's had for yeeeeears. My dad bought it for her when they were dating, and I'm 24 now. It's still the best machine I've used! I want to trade her :p
I have a cheap Brother from Kmart that I assumed would be ok (can't afford a huge outlay at the moment) and was happy with it and made quite a few dresses and things up until the other day when it started doing silly huge tangly wobbly messy groups of loops on the back of my stitching every now and then when sewing a bear. The machine all sounds normal so I never know when it's happening. Don't get a brother! Thinking of starting a thread to find out why it could be happening - I wont hijack yours!
Hopefully someone else can give you some USEFUL information. 
I have Janome 2041S, it's one of the cheapest models from Janome ($300 in Poland) but I'm very happy with it. I must say I love and adore her! 
I hope, whichever machine you choose, you'll love it too :)
oh, and I also heard that cheap Brother machines are not so good, the same with Singer. I've seen Pfaff machine and it was just perfect - but very expencive. I think Husqvarna's Huskystar are good, too (if we are talking about cheap machines)
I have several sewing machines but the ones that work the best (for me) for sewing bear parts are the old ones. I have an old black Singer that is so old there is not a model number on it. I think it is from the 40's. And I also have a Singer Featherweight. They only have the straight stitch and reverse. The two old Singers are the only two machines I use for the bear parts. Couldn't do without them. 
They sew the most perfect stitch, are heavy duty, and you can pick them up cheap. 
Posts: 751Hi there.
I was very interested in the write up on sewing machines.
I make most most of my bears on a Bernina 830 circa 1981 and have found it a reliable machine and is lovely to use. In fact I love it so much I have bought a spare one as a back up just in case it conks out!
I also have a small Elna Stella which I take to classes. It is very lightwight.
The Bernina (2nd one) cost £150 and the Elna £130 second hand.
Bought a Brother - cheap and nasty, woundn't work on the fabrics I wanted it too - so best of luck Brenda.
Karon
Posts: 8,574No matter what machine you get I would like to encourage you to get the shop book for it off e-bay or used book stores. The more you know about your own machines, the more you can take it apart for cleaning or to remove errant threads gone astray, the better you will understand the machine and the easier it will be to use.
Canned air is wonderful for clearing out mohair dust and fabric dust, BUT if your machine has an electronics board you will want to be very very careful. You will want to blow so that the fuzz goes away and not deeper into that area.
and do do do oil regularily, you'd be surprised how many machines are taken in simply because the owner doesn't oil and things get gummed up quickly. Especially in your bobbin casing area.
I love my machines, each one has special characteristics that are endearing.
I have heard nothing but praise for Janomes, I hope you have many happy hours with her.
gollyhugs
dilu
Hi there.
I was very interested in the write up on sewing machines.
I make most most of my bears on a Bernina 830 circa 1981 and have found it a reliable machine and is lovely to use. In fact I love it so much I have bought a spare one as a back up just in case it conks out!
I also have a small Elna Stella which I take to classes. It is very lightwight.
The Bernina (2nd one) cost £150 and the Elna £130 second hand.
Bought a Brother - cheap and nasty, woundn't work on the fabrics I wanted it too - so best of luck Brenda.
Karon
Hi Karen,
I love my Bernina too!!!! I have a 1001 model - solid metal casing and a real trouper. I bought it in 1995 and it has been in constant daily use since then - so much so that it needed to have a new motor two years ago.
I have always recommended Berninas because they are tough little machines and really reliable, but they are a European make (Swiss, I think?) and they seem to ber VERY expensive in the USA. I didn't realise this until last year, when I saw a very basic model in New York for $1750, yikes!!!! 
So I'm sorry, ladies, because I know that's going to be way out of reach of most budgets - they are a lot cheaper in Britain and Europe!!!
I have a Pfaff as a backup - not my choice, but I sort of inherited it and a gift is a gift! I will probably get another Bernina at some point too.
Hugs,
Christine
Deedle BearsHi Everyone, This is a great thread and intersting read on the machines everyone likes and why . I also have a bernina, it is their Bernette line 740E (there entry level machine) that I got as a demo about 16 years ago. I have been extrmely pleased as it has a wide range of stitches (24) yet handles just about eveything. I like that it has a metal casing and is very solid. And the price at the time was about $500. It was a huge expense at the time but it is a wonderful machine, the best $$ i spent for the use I have gotten out of it. if I ever need to upgrade i will stick with a Bernina. The 1st machine I ever bought was from Walmart and very cheap, it was a white I think and I used it once and took it back and ended up getting the Bernette.
Last time I took it in to be services the shop had several used Berninas that were two that were trade in's and very affordably priced. Be sure to check out repair shops as others have suggested. I am not sure I would ever spend the money on a new machine since most of the repair shops I have been in have amazing deals on used machines.
Good luck in your decision!
Duff
Posts: 751Hi Christine,
Glad you agree about the Berninas.
For anyone looking for a second hand Bernina e-bay looks a good place to investigate.
The older 2nd hand Berninas are really cheap - including my faithful 830. The only disadvantage is that you don't see them running.
It is the least tempermental sewing machine I have ever come across and has never given any problems except when the foot pedal conked out, and I got replacement. Bogod Machines in London where VERY helpful.
Hugs
Karon
PijangibearsI too have a Bernina - love it to pieces. It's model 930. It goes through everything
without problem. It is a very robust machine.
:hug:
Kingfisher Farm Teddies and Folk ArtI have a Bernina 1090QE,( 1990 ) with needle down, I bought it new, they dont make it anymore. I also have a singer industrial. But since my daughter dropped my Bernina on the floor 2 yrs ago, the leg thingy that lifts up the presser foot digs into my leg, even after repairs, so I bought a $5 singer at the thrift like moms. I need to have it oiled and cleaned but it works good enough for her. (LEAVE MOMS ALONE!) Pam
I have a cheap Brother from Kmart that I assumed would be ok (can't afford a huge outlay at the moment) and was happy with it and made quite a few dresses and things up until the other day when it started doing silly huge tangly wobbly messy groups of loops on the back of my stitching every now and then when sewing a bear. The machine all sounds normal so I never know when it's happening. Don't get a brother! Thinking of starting a thread to find out why it could be happening - I wont hijack yours!
Erin,
I'm sorry that I was absent from the board when you posted this, and I hope you're still subscribed so you can see my message.
I have found that whenever I get those "tangly wobbly loops" on the bottom of my seams that it is invariably due to the way I have threaded my bobbin. Sometimes a bit of lint or fur has gummed up the bobbin but more usually I have inserted the bobbin incorrectly so that it unwinds in the wrong direction. In either case, removing the bobbin, blowing into the bobbin casing, and then re-inserting the bobbin carefully (attending to what direction the thread will unwind from the bobbin) fixes my problem every time.
I've gone through maybe four sewing machines in the fifteen years that I've been sewing, and in my experience, the problem with cheap sewing machines is usually that the reverse button will die before anything else does. Every other major problem that I've had with cheap sewing machines has been fixed with a can of air. Of course, your mileage may vary.
Well, after the sad demise of my fifteen year old Pfaff, I bought a new machine a couple of weeks ago. They don't make my original model any more, so I opted instead for the Pfaff Select 4, because I wanted something that felt solid and wasn't electronic. Once I'd worked out where the thread went (had me scratching my head for a few moments!) I was up and running. I've now made two bears with this machine and I'm very pleased with the quality of the seaming. The machine deals well with thick fabrics (has an IDT feed to help with this) and has two speed settings on the foot pedal. There are a good variety of stitches available at the push of a button, but I haven't moved beyond straight stitch yet!
