sewing machine vs. serger vs embrodery vs quilting machine

[BarbGalloway]

Ssshhhh, I don't want my husband to know yet. I have a Brother sewing machine that is basic. A couple of years ago my husband bought me a serger for Christmas. I thought I would love it but I can't thread it. I took it to a private class and she showed me but I still can't do it on my own. So, it sits and has not been used. Now that I am starting to be interested in quilting I am thinking of checking into trading in both of the machines for something but needs some guidance. I want something that I can still do regular sewing since my granddaughter is interested. Every Christmas we sew presents for family. But I would like one that I can also do fancy things. Any thoughts?

[Cat n bull]

Go visit some dealers and play around with lots of machines! Get a feel for the dealer and how well they know their machines and how they treat you as a potential customer.

Take fabrics with you that you sew with frequently, and sew in the way you like to sew. For example if you are mainly interested in quilting, see how easy it is to get a 1/4" seam, and really test the start of the seams on different shapes, like triangle tips, to see if the fabric gets sucked into the stitch plate. How easy is it to maintain accuracy? How easy is the machine to use?

I can tell you that I LOVE Pfaff machines, they suit me and they way I sew and I find them very simple to figure out. They have really outstanding stitch quality and you'll never have to buy and attach another walking foot because they have IDT! If you want embroidery, they are outstanding embroidery machines.

[SiobhanF]

For what you've described, I'd go with an embroidery machine. I've heard good things about Janome, I had a Viking that I liked, but I love my Babylock that I traded in for

[Hulamoon]

That's a hard question for me to answer because I love my serger! I have an air threader. One trick for threading is to tie your new color and run it through so you don't have re thread, just the needle part gets cut. I use it mostly for clothing.

Embroidery is so much fun! If you get a good one that's two machines in one. I have a Babylock Ellegante . I was only using it for just embroidery but discovered quilting and the free motion foot came with it. lol . Most machines you can find extra feet for though. If you decide on an embroidery machine get one with the biggest hoop size you can afford. My Viking only had a 4'' and while I dearly love the machine I never used it for embroidery. Plus it takes cartriges instead of a usb download.

[K. McEuen]

You already have a Brother, so you are familiar with their machines. Brother and Babylock high end embroidery machines are made by the same company. My sister's Babylock dealer told me that when I commented to her that the embroidery machine looked like the Brother. I think the Brother machines might be a tad less expensive.