Embroidery machine questions

[dianec42]

Okay, my friends are pretty geeky, but what are the odds?

I've recently moved countries and am without a sewing machine. I was thinking of just getting a good basic model, and then a friend of mine told me about the Quantum Futura (made by Singer)... I am now captivated by the idea of getting an embroidery machine. The one I am interested in is the CE-200, because the CE-100 just doesn't seem to come with enough stuff.

I have done some machine sewing and consider myself fairly competent; I've never owned an embroidery machine before.

Question 1: Is the Futura my only option below $1000? (I've looked at reviews on patternreview.com, and most of the others seem to be MUCH more expensive.) I know I'm going to be spending gazillions on supplies anyway, and my bonus wasn't THAT big, so I don't want to go completely nuts spending on the machine. (Also because knowing me and hobbies, there is a nonzero chance that I'll embroider like 3 things with it and then never use it for embroidery again. In which case I would prefer to minimize my guilt.)

Question 2: Has anyone used the Futura (or any other low-cost option, if there is one) and liked it? Hated it? How much of a pain in the butt is the software to use?

Question 3: Is it any good as a sewing machine? I do need a machine to sew with too, and I'd prefer one machine to do it all.

Obviously, I'd ideally like to go to a sewing machine store and play with one of these before deciding whether to buy it or not. But I've already failed my shopping roll a couple of times, so I'm resigning myself to the possibility of playing with Singers in general and then ordering off the web. (Shopping suggestions for the LA area would also not go amiss.)

Thanks in advance for any clues! (Also posted to advanced_sewing and machinembroider.)

p.s. - DAMN YOU, qidane! (-:

Comments

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

I've forwarded this post to a couple of sewing friends of mine.

(Having no embroidery machines, and being on the wrong coast, I cannot help you. Sad, sad.)

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

What I can suggest for a start is that you look for dealers in your area on my web site:
California Sewing and Craft Stores (http://www.tomfarrell.org/textiles/stores/index.jsp?state=CA)

Visit several dealers, test drive a lot of models, and compare prices. Make sure to find more than one dealer for the brand you like so you can get competitive pricing. If you'd like more advice about buying a sewing and/or embroidery machine and dealing with sewing machine dealers, buy my book (http://www.lulu.com/sewing). It's only a buck to buy the PDF.

I got my embroidery machine for $300, but I bought it on the web and in general I recommend against doing that, and it has a very small hoop. But, I'm very happy with it, it meets my modest needs for the moment. You might try looking at used models; your local dealers will probably have some used models that they took as trade-in, which they'll usually clean before reselling, and will usually warrant for some period. There are some superb used embroidery machines on the market.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, if by LA you meant Louisiana and not Los Angeles, go to the same dealer listing page anyway and use the selector at the top to change states.

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info!

I agree it's not a great idea to buy off the web (returns are a bitch, for a start). If I do manage to find a good dealer or two, I will treasure them always. I just wish I wasn't so under the gun on this.

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

It is sad indeed. I have made several critical misses in a row on my shopping roll, and it is getting quite frustrating.

It did finally occur to me to ask the LASFS LJ community, since they're local (duh!) and SOME of 'em must be costumers. Sadly, the logical setting for asking this would be Worldcon, but we really wanna have some pirate costumes done by then.

I might have to call in a favor and borrow a sewing machine in order to buy some time to make sure I buy the right one for the long term. God, do I ever owe this woman too many favors already...

[earthling177.livejournal.com]

Hi!

Not much to add after Tom's suggestions. My view is that sewing machines are very personal, like buying a car -- what is intuitive and works for me might be completely opposite of what you want. That's why we are so firmly in the "you must test drive them" camp.

I wouldn't be too hung up on the price or the brand name. This is an investment in time and money -- if down the road you decide you needed *more* machine, you may lose money selling this one and buying another; yes, it *is* true that if 3 months from now you decide you don't really want to sew, you'll have wasted some money. But so far, I know no one that has regretted spending on a better sewing machine when time passes and they find out they are using more features in their machines.

The reason I say don't get too hung up on the brand names is because even though different brands will have similar descriptions (say, "automatic buttonholer") they may work in completely different ways that may either piss you off every single time or help you. Take the time to find out before you take the machine home. The only time brand name means anything is when it is difficult to find attachments or even stuff that wears out (needles, bobbins etc) for the machine you bought. That's when having an outstanding dealer near you becomes the best thing and even if some other brand is "better" or "more in fashion" they'll be kinda useless if you need support (parts, service, help).

My story, for example is a weird one. I bought a (then top-of-the-line) Brother machine in 1997 which does embroider. I don't embroider. Usually. Tom and Elizabeth have actually used my machine to embroider more than I have. Why did I buy the machine, might you ask? Because it had an extremely nice user interface, and things that have only recently become available/standard in other machines, like autotension that actually works (you can go from sewing silk to denim in the same garment and not have to touch a thing or even interrupt the sewing line), the machine automatically cuts the threads when the sewing is finished etc. It has precision stitches that are a side effect of the fact it's also an embroidering machine. So I got it and have not regretted one second of it, I enjoy every minute of sewing with this machine and it actually relaxes me when I sew (which was the reason I started quilting in the first place).

I will warn you that you really really have to pay attention to what the machines offer. For example, my machine sews and embroiders in a way that simulates hand stitches. The sewing line, while straight, is not ruler-straight like many Singer machines do, each and every stitch is on a very slight diagonal line that is nearly identical to what someone would do by hand. Also the embroider is very dimensional and full, as if you satin-stitched it by hand -- the machine first puts down foundation stitches and then goes from side to side covering the area with long satin stitches. Many machines (Berninas included) have (or used to have) very "flat" looking embroidery, as if you zig-zagged tiny stitches by machine covering the surface, which doesn't please me much; on the other hand they often have the "ruler-straight" standard stitch that modern people often seek, but which were vilified at the turn of the 1900 (a couple of my aunts, born at that time, got an earful from their friends, they were told that "clearly you don't care enough to have good clothes to sew them by hand!" because they could tell my aunts used a sewing machine) and, up to a certain point, to this day in Asia hand-sewing is more prized than machine sewing, so they try to simulate it.

Good luck and keep us posted!