Sewing Design

I'm thinking from quilting hobby and a necessity, ……?? buy my first sewing machine

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what machine would be good one for a beginner? I have read a few books on the subject and they all say, a pretty machine is not necessary, only one with a good straight back down. I am interested only machine quilting, and live in Australia. Thank you! I should probably add that I have experience sewing clothes, pillows, clothing, etc but do not quilt.

Any decent work for machine quilting. How have you been told, all you really need is a straight stitch for piecing. Though It is much easier to maintain accurate seam allowance, if you have a quarter inch foot, which is not always standard. It is also helpful to take a walk on foot (for straight lines Quilting have) and an open toe cap or free motion foot (for hand quilting). You might want to add a "pin down" to your wish list function. This means that if you stop to sew, the machine stops automatically with the needle down into the fabric. Standard machine with the needle to stop up, this is Great for clothes, but annoying for quilting. And of course, if you're going to stuff a whole quilt under the machine, you want as much space as possible under his arm. If you go to a new machine to buy, it's still worth a bit more money to get a good brand, like Janome, Bernina, Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking or Babylock. For a basic machine, they all offer similar quality and features. Find out what dealers in your area – it is equally important to have debugging easy access to your dealer for repair, and training. If you do not want to spend too much money, look for an older machine used workhorse – each brand, but also old singers are good (the new not so much).

Janome sewing machine (Australian ad, 1989)