Sewing machine recomendation

[Piglett]

With a birthday and Christmas looming husband has given me a budget of £500 for a new sewing machine (current is very basic). The machine will be used for basic dressmaking, soft furnishing and in the future some quilting. It needs to be able to do buttonholes, free embroidery and I like the idea of alphabet. Anyone got any recommendations? I will go to John Lewis but am conscious that you only really get to know the bad habits or bits you like on anything when you get it home

Janome or John Lewis.

GO to John Lewis, spend a good hour there trying out machines. Take fabric with you if you like, ask them to show you how they all work (they're very good)

if you buy it from JL and hate it, I'm sure their legendary customer service will help you out...

(contrary to popular belief, I don't work for JL)

thanks, wasgoing to go to JL but wondered whether anyone had actually got a machine that they recommend or not as the case maybe!

this is mine and I love it.

Heavy duty enough to do thick curtains/several layers of denim but pretty easy to use

This is mine. I chose it to have a reasonable amount of functionality, and to be able to cope with thicker fabric and layers.

I particularly like the drop-in bobbin for the bottom thread. This sounds a peculiar thing to be geek-snobby about, but it is is much easier to load (I am a bobbin butterfingers), and on this machine, there is an outline of how the thread should run, printed on the perspex cover of the bobbin compartment! Fantastic.

My Brother (I think it's a BC2100) has the drop in bobbin with perspex cover with directions too!

I haven't really used enough different machines to know what's normal and what's good about mine though.

I bought it as it was recommended as a beginners machine in Which. But it's not disappointed as I've moved onto more complex stuff either.

It does buttonholes, buttons, has some embroidery stitches, freehand quilting, will take twin needles etc.

OP, have you thought about getting a better machine but maybe mid range and a serger as well? I think that's what I would do if I had a budget of £500

Thank you. I sort of think I've been given too big a budget and now look like the girl in the sweet shop - far too much choise. My old singer has drop in bobbin so def would want to ensure that, also think a serger would be a good idea. Off to John Lewis soon... will report back... watch this space....

Janome are marvellous - I utterly love mine. Pfaff are also good but pricier...

I recommend these folks for good discounts sometimes: www.sewingmachines.co.uk/

Got my overlocker from them and was really happy with the service. I got a brother 744d & rate having a free arm.

The page of your machine didn't load earlier, Jareth, so I hadn't realised it was the same one!

I have been using mine this evening