I finally decided! YEA!

Once I decided I was going to purchase a new sewing machine using my tax refund money, all I could think about was choosing the right machine for me.  That meant keeping it in my budget without giving up all the bells & whistles I knew I wanted.  Of course Bernina was at the top of my list because I have been sewing on one since the 70's.  It has been a gem and works great to this day.  Thus my trust in their reputation.  But, because of that reputation, they are rather pricey.  I did find a couple of models in my price range and that were new not used. I tried sewing on some and loved the feel of the machine.  The only thing that concerned me was the sewing bed was only 6".  My old machine has 7 inches.  So something just kept telling me to keep looking.  So I did.

I searched the internet, craigslist, ebay, I sent emails asking for suggestions, and the more I searched, the more confused I became.  I contacted people selling used machines asking questions and why they were selling the machines. (like they would tell me if it was a bad machine)  One guy tried really hard to make me fall for his scam.  You know that phrase, if it sounds to go to be true, it probably is!  Well that is what happen. Wanting me to pay by Western Union, that was the red flag #1, plus he was in Canada.  So beware!  Oh yea, he still has his listing in several states!

One of the emails I sent and received, someone suggested I look at Vikings.  Well I had heard of them but didn't know anything about them so I just never researched them until this time.  Well let me tell you, I thought I fell in love!  Husqvarna Viking machines now come with a 10" bed for sewing.  That is alot of room to quilt on.  I looked at different models and decided on the Sapphire 835 or 855.   I called several dealers in the area asking them to tell me why I should buy their machine vs the internet. They said I would not received the warrenty or training.  So Lauren and I went to Morganton Saturday morning to the nearest dealer. I sat and sewed on the Sapphire 830 and asked questions. Of course I really liked the sewing/embroidery machines and all those stitches.  Do I need that? no Would I like it? YES!  I didn't want to do the wrong thing, so we left and went to the Carhartt store so Lauren could look and I could think.  I called Husqvarna customer service line and they would honor the warranty if I purchased a new machine online.  So we left, me without my machine and Lauren with a new Carhartt jacket! 

I came home started looking for alot of machine and a little price tag. I came across a store in NJ that sold just about every brand of machine.  He had an older embroidery model of Viking but it said call for pricing.  So I called. I told him what I was looking for and he told me I didn't want a Viking because they are now made in China and not the same quality as the older models. I told him I wanted the larger sewing bed and he said that I needed the Janome MC6500!  It has 9" across the bed and well built for quilting.  He also had them on sale for $899! ( listed $1199 on the website)  He offered 30 days full money back refund if I didn't like it and he would even pay to ship it back. Also comes with 2 year full warrenty!  I told him I would call back!  My first thought was that this was a win-win situation for me!
Try it for 30days and if I didn't like it, he would give me a full refund and pay to ship it back!

I quickly did a search for Janome 6500 and found out many good things. (I didn't want to read anything negative) They were rated high on consumer reports and listed all over the place for $1199 and up! So I called him back and BOUGHT IT!  He is shipping it out on Monday and I should have it on Wednesday!  I can't wait!  I am so excited!

I feel so relieved!