Can't Machine Quilt...Why Does Machine Skip?

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The Aria is nice but I think it's over $1000, maybe over $2K. It has computer, something you really don't need with free motion, better not to have, really. The Babylock most like the Juki is the Babylock Jane (I call it the Plain Jane, lol). Not sure about speed control or price, will look it up again. It's about $1000-1200, if I remember right. The town next to mine has a quilt shop that sells Babylock and Janome and a shop in Murphy sells Janome, too.

The Brother 1500 is the only one you'll fine of that quality for free motion in your price range. I've been through this search quite a bit lately. Look at Ken's Sewing Center online for really great prices, but he's in Alabama. Still, you can learn a lot by just reading up on the machines and get an idea of price of some. Babylock is not sold online anywhere. http://www.kenssewingcenter.com/quilting-machines-c-161_170.html


The Babylock Jane

 

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Well, I was a tad off on the Aria's price, lol. This is a statement off a quilt forum somewhere back in 2013


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I talked to the shop owner in Blue Ridge today, whose employee took home her price list then went on vacation. She's calling Babylock to ask about the price of the Jane and the Aria for me and will get back to me. She did say she sold one Babylock for a low price, around $600, but it's a super small machine, nothing like the others.

 

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Debbie, the quilt shop owner called me late this afternoon. Sit down for this one. The Aria's MSRP is about $5000. She said she can sell it for $3700.00. The Babylock Jane's MSRP is around $1800. Her price is just over $1200. So, though I wasn't far off for the Jane's price, I was way off on the Aria's price.

 

[OHhappychicks]

Debbie, the quilt shop owner called me late this afternoon. Sit down for this one. The Aria's MSRP is about $5000. She said she can sell it for $3700.00. The Babylock Jane's MSRP is around $1800. Her price is just over $1200. So, though I wasn't far off for the Jane's price, I was way off on the Aria's price.

Well! Alrighty then!!! Guess that is out!! LOL! I wonder what they sell for used? Thanks for the inquirey! I'm still shocked!! That's crazy!!! My friend probably paid close to those prices for hers. She sews and sells at a small local craft mall, so I can see her justification, but for me, no.

 

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I can't justify spending more than $1000 for a machine myself and even then, sometimes, I ask myself why I'm even considering going that high. My original pick and one that most folks say is a great machine was the Brother 1500, which, other than lacking a speed control (guess practice will fix that), is almost identical to the Juki 2010 and is $599 at Ken's Sewing Center. I'd check that one out if you're wanting to stay in that price range. I think with lots of practice, you can learn to control your own speed pretty well.

 

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I can't justify spending more than $1000 for a machine myself and even then, sometimes, I ask myself why I'm even considering going that high. My original pick and one that most folks say is a great machine was the Brother 1500, which, other than lacking a speed control (guess practice will fix that), is almost identical to the Juki 2010 and is $599 at Ken's Sewing Center. I'd check that one out if you're wanting to stay in that price range. I think with lots of practice, you can learn to control your own speed pretty well.

Thanks again! I just can't justify it either. I checked out kens and he does have good deals. I will check around here though. After seeing the prices, I may wait awhile. I may put the word out that I'm looking for a good used one and see what comes available. I'm not in a big hurry. Maybe later towards fall, when I will be thinking about sewing. Ler me know what you decide and how you like it.

 

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I'll do that. The quilt shop lady was incredulous that I didn't even want a zigzag stitch on my machine, only used a straight stitch. She said, "Not even for applique??" I said I hate applique (never did it on a machine and I hate doing it by hand, don't even care for the look of most of it) and I just quilt, only piece and quilt what I piece. I do not sew anything else. The only thing I made other than a quilt is a set of super simple curtains for my kitchen window and that was just piecing, nothing complicated at all. I just do not sew, I quilt. Period. Once when my sons were very small, I made myself a simple sheath dress to see if I could. I didn't enjoy doing it, but it was basically two sheets of fabric sewn down the sides with armholes and neck hole left open, nothing more than that. My best friend in HS was quite the seamstress, even a home ec major in college, and in HS, she tried to teach me to sew. My aunt was a home ec teacher, tried to teach me to sew. I did not have the patience, never did learn.

The problem is that a good, solid straight stitch machine with a decent size throat space will cost. The Brother 1500 is the least expensive and has great reviews from its owners. The next up the line is the Juki 2010, successor to the Juki 2000, and has speed control and everyone loves it. So, I may, when I have enough $$, get that Juki, if I can find a dealer who can service it during warranty time. I can't afford the Babylock at $1200 and I don't want a $1000 machine that doesn't even have feed dogs you can lower (Janome 1600).

Check out these videos on the machine by two of my favorite quilting teachers. Leah Day had the Janome Horizon for years and switched to the Juki 2010, which actually has a couple inches less throat space, but she says has much better visibility (and is less expensive). *yes, I do use those Machingers gloves-I love them. Got mine on Amazon somewhere for about $7.50, but quilt shops sell them, too, somewhat higher.

Melanie Ham reviewing her new Juki 2010-she switched from a Viking

Melanie Ham using her Juki to free motion quilt swirls

 

[OHhappychicks]

I'll do that. The quilt shop lady was incredulous that I didn't even want a zigzag stitch on my machine, only used a straight stitch. She said, "Not even for applique??" I said I hate applique (never did it on a machine and I hate doing it by hand, don't even care for the look of most of it) and I just quilt, only piece and quilt what I piece. I do not sew anything else. The only thing I made other than a quilt is a set of super simple curtains for my kitchen window and that was just piecing, nothing complicated at all. I just do not sew, I quilt. Period. Once when my sons were very small, I made myself a simple sheath dress to see if I could. I didn't enjoy doing it, but it was basically two sheets of fabric sewn down the sides with armholes and neck hole left open, nothing more than that. My best friend in HS was quite the seamstress, even a home ec major in college, and in HS, she tried to teach me to sew. My aunt was a home ec teacher, tried to teach me to sew. I did not have the patience, never did learn.

The problem is that a good, solid straight stitch machine with a decent size throat space will cost. The Brother 1500 is the least expensive and has great reviews from its owners. The next up the line is the Juki 2010, successor to the Juki 2000, and has speed control and everyone loves it. So, I may, when I have enough $$, get that Juki, if I can find a dealer who can service it during warranty time. I can't afford the Babylock at $1200 and I don't want a $1000 machine that doesn't even have feed dogs you can lower (Janome 1600).

Check out these videos on the machine by two of my favorite quilting teachers. Leah Day had the Janome Horizon for years and switched to the Juki 2010, which actually has a couple inches less throat space, but she says has much better visibility (and is less expensive). *yes, I do use those Machingers gloves-I love them. Got mine on Amazon somewhere for about $7.50, but quilt shops sell them, too, somewhat higher.

Melanie Ham reviewing her new Juki 2010-she switched from a Viking

Melanie Ham using her Juki to free motion quilt swirls

Thank you for the videos! I will watch them this afternoon. Now, I am just the opposite. I have never quilted. I haven't even finished a quilt. I've started several, but never saw it to the end. My MIL pieced and quilted by hand all the time. She passed away at 97 about 1 1/2 yrs ago. She quilted up until she was about 90, until her eyesight got to where she couldn't see to do it. I've sewed everything else. I used to make my girls clothes a lot. I even made them prom dresses. I sew american girl doll clothes for my granddaughters, but the thought of quilting, especially by hand just puts me off. I just don't have the patience for it. But I seem to enjoy the fmq and I think I will enjoy machine quilting a lot more. It is faster. I have several quilts that I can practice on!

I'm off to fm my mug rug. I'm just going to jump in and "get er done" today. I've practiced and I'm getting the hang of it pretty well. Nothing fancy, but I've got a deadline and I need to get it done today!

 

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Just jump in and do it. I did lots of practice "sandwiches" before I attempted to do anything else. If you've seen my hand quilting threads, you know I recently completed a hand quilted king size Dresden Plate quilt for a 95 year old woman who could no longer see to finish it for her granddaughter. Actually, it was the granddaughter who hired me, met her online when she bought an old Kenmore machine I had (and never used myself-machines scared me). My own mother made a lot of our clothes so I was surrounded by sewing women, just never wanted to learn.

Then, when my husband said to me that he would like to learn to quilt like our grandmothers, I decided to take a beginner's class at the local high school when my sons were in middle school in Ohio (stationed at Wright-Patt). Took one class and after that, was self-taught, pieced and quilted all by hand for almost 30 years, then, well, I've written how when I was a moderator here on BYC, the mods wanted to to a quilt block swap and I was having so much trouble with my hands, I wouldn't commit to it so they chipped in and bought me the machine I'm using now. Forced me to learn to use a machine but this little Brother CS6000i is easy to learn to use, been piecing on it ever since.

 

[OHhappychicks]

Just jump in and do it. I did lots of practice "sandwiches" before I attempted to do anything else. If you've seen my hand quilting threads, you know I recently completed a hand quilted king size Dresden Plate quilt for a 95 year old woman who could no longer see to finish it for her granddaughter. Actually, it was the granddaughter who hired me, met her online when she bought an old Kenmore machine I had (and never used myself-machines scared me). My own mother made a lot of our clothes so I was surrounded by sewing women, just never wanted to learn.

Then, when my husband said to me that he would like to learn to quilt like our grandmothers, I decided to take a beginner's class at the local high school when my sons were in middle school in Ohio (stationed at Wright-Patt). Took one class and after that, was self-taught, pieced and quilted all by hand for almost 30 years, then, well, I've written how when I was a moderator here on BYC, the mods wanted to to a quilt block swap and I was having so much trouble with my hands, I wouldn't commit to it so they chipped in and bought me the machine I'm using now. Forced me to learn to use a machine but this little Brother CS6000i is easy to learn to use, been piecing on it ever since.

Oh My! That it is such an interesting story!! how wonderful about the machine! People on BYC are sooo awesome! I've learned how to make soap, learning to quilt, and of course all about chickens from here! I'm only about 50 miles from Wright-Patt!
Well I've just been fmq on my mug rug, but I tweaked the tension because the needle thread seemed tight and now it is way too loose. I barely moved it! The top is very loopy. So I am working to fix it. Just took a break from it. It's not going very well. I'm just doing up and down free motion lines, but I will get to a certain place and notice that it skipped some stitches, so I have to go back over. Thread broke once. Just little annoyances. But I will get it. It's only a little mug rug, right! It is not going to get the best of me!!