Any Quilters in the family ?

Kind of an odd topic on a flashlight forum, but I thought it might be worth a shot.

My wife has decided she wants to learn to make quilts. I think it has something to do with becoming a grandma.

Anyway I am looking for a decent budget(<300) sewing machine. Something she can learn to make a few quilts on.

A good for beginner type machine. I have spent some time reading reviews on Amazon and other places, but the reviews make them all sound great.

My wife uses a more expensive machine for most of her quilting, but has a more portable (read cheaper) machine she takes to local quilting get-togethers. She says it's OK for under $300.

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Quilting-Stitches-Auto-Size-Buttonholes/dp/B000JQM1DE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1544750780&sr=8-2&keywords=brother+cs6000i

My grandmother became a master quilter after she retired from teaching and her work was regularly exhibited at galleries.

None of that is any help. Just reminiscing about someone I miss. :slight_smile:

That is one we have on the radar. She is uncertain about all the computer stuff it shows in the video.

Thank your wife for her input. Thank you for talking to your wife.

I hear you there.

I restored an old singer 201-2 from the fifties. My wife is using it now to make some denim quilts for Christmas gifts. Those old singers with a potted motor have a direct drive geartrain with no belt to slip. They can handle multiple layers of denim no problem. I’ve also used it to sew lightweight nylon hammock material with nice even stiches. Before I got the singer I actually bought my wife that same brother model. She used it to make a denim quilt a couple years ago, but the experience was a lot different. It has a lot less power than the old singers do. It couldn’t handle as many layers of fabric and needles would break more often on her. We still have both machines the only time she breaks out the brother is if she needs to take it somewhere, because it’s portable.

Here’s a photo of it in action

{width:80%}Singer 201-2 quilting - Album on Imgur!

That is really cool. Best one I have seen so far, maybe because its black.

My wife really like the quilt. Was there a lot to restoring one?

Yeah, but I don’t think I can help you with the machine recommendation. I like mine, but I think it’s sold out everywhere unless you look for a used one :wink:

It’s a Singer 100th anniversary edition, circa ~1951. Beautiful and well built machine.

Some old pics. We still use the machine often, but haven’t quilted much in recent years. When we did, we always machine stitched the tops, but did the actual quilting by hand.

That’s a sweet looking machine. Today we picked up a Singer classic 44S. The nice lady in the fabric department at WallyWorld, recommended it for a beginner. It doesn’t have a computer like the newer ones.

get a singer featherweight
i have one
quilters use them - i’m not one

wle

It was pretty involved. The wiring needs to be redone because the original wires get brittle. There is a kit and instructions online. I had fun bringing it back to life. If you ever see one of them at a thrift store or yard sale, consider it for a nice project.
That newer singer you ended up getting your wife looks fine and I’m sure it will serve her well too.

Thanks guys, well she was up early today, cutting fabric, I had to make my own egg :slight_smile: