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by Jane
(Illinois)
I started learning to quilt with an older model Janome machine approximately 2 years ago.
I quickly decided there were some features, like the needle up/down, that would be great to have. I stayed with the Janome brand because of two things: 1) The specialty feet I had purchased for my old machine could be used on the new one; and 2) There is a very nice dealer in my city who I had used before.
This is my first electronic/computerized machine and I was careful to stay in my budget, since I was new to quilting and didn't yet know if I would stay with the craft. Now that I am a couple years down the road and a few quilting classes smarter, I would say this was a good solid purchase for a beginning quilter. This machine does everything I need it to do without a lot of fancy extras. I have definitely acquired the quilting bug and am slowly building a quilting area in my home.
I am pretty content right now; but, if I were to look at a new machine the number one feature on my list would be a machine with more room to the right of the needle.
Happy Quilting!