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pfaff, babylock, or brother machine for a beginner: need HELP!
needledee Member since 11/16/12 Posts: 3	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/29/12 9:17 PM I am not a sewer (although I envy those who have the skill) and am looking to buy a sewing machine for my 25 yr. old daughter. She has taken classes and has fallen in love with sewing. She would be using the machine to make clothes. So after reading lots of reviews and talking to local dealers, I thought it would be the Brother Innov-is 40 ($499) or Baby Lock Grace ($499). But today I found the Pfaff ambition essential ($599). What do I do? Knowing absolutely nothing about sewing, I feel overwhelmed. Is the Pfaff a better machine to justify the extra money? Should I consider something else? I appreciateany advice and have found this site quite helpful already. Thanks in advance.
sewplenty   Advanced WA USA Member since 4/1/12 Posts: 156	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/29/12 9:57 PM A Pfaff with IDT for $599 is a great deal. The Pfaff is a wonderful machine and your daughter will be very happy with it. She can learn to sew on any machine. For that price I would get the Pfaff. It is a step above the others. ------ Brother PC420 Brother 1034D Singer SESQ6700 Singer Signature (New One) New Home Combi DX Singer 319 Singer Featherweight 221
needledee Member since 11/16/12 Posts: 3	Login to reply to this post In reply to sewplenty << Like this post Date: 11/29/12 10:02 PM Thanks. There is so much information available to read that sometimes it gets overwhelming.
LynnRowe   Advanced BC CANADA Member since 3/9/09 Posts: 7008	Login to reply to this post In reply to needledee << Like this post Date: 11/29/12 10:10 PM The Pfaff Ambition Essential, hands down. The IDT alone is worth every penny of the price, and will enable your daughter to easily sew slippery fabrics and knits. ------ I heart Panzy, Pfaff Creative Performance, the sewing machine love of my life! And Rupert (Pfaff 2023), Baby (BL Enlighten), Victor (BLCS), Ash (Bernina 350SE), Pal (Bernina 530), Kee (Bernina 750) and the Featherteen Flock! Most of all, I heart Woo (HimmyCat). Until we meet again, my beautiful little boy. I love you.
a7yrstitch   Intermediate TX USA Member since 4/1/08 Posts: 4474	Login to reply to this post In reply to needledee << Like this post Date: 11/29/12 11:32 PM I haven't tried any of the machines mentioned. I have a Pfaff with IDT that is about thirty years old. I have a much newer sewing/embroidery machine that is loaded with features including built in dual feed (IDT but with a different name). If I could only have one feature on a sewing machine I would choose the IDT - over embroidery, auto cut, needle threader, fancy stitches, built in cameras, anything. ------ I have no idea what Apple thought I was saying so be a Peach and credit anything bizarre to auto correct.
gneebee   Advanced Beginner SC USA Member since 8/30/11 Posts: 110	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/30/12 9:03 AM We bought a Babylock Elizabeth ($800) last Christmas for our 28 yr old daughter-in-law (a joint gift from us and our son). She was living with us during our oldest son's deployment and was learning to sew for our granddaughter. We took her to the dealer's and let her try out different machines. We'd already given the dealer our budget so she only showed our DIL the machines that were within our price range. She loved having a machine that was intuitive to use with some of the extra perks... thread cutter, for example. She also gets free training on the machine and access to their many fun classes and seminars with a discount. Our dealer has a decent sized staff who are always just a phone call away to answer questions. Our dealer sells Berninas, Vikings, and Babylock. The only other dealer in town sells Janome, but isn't very consumer-friendly. If you are purchasing a new machine locally, I think having a friendly, helpful dealer is important when issues arise with the machine. I know the older Pfaffs and Singers are wonderful machines, but I understood that Pfaff had been sold to SVP (Singer, VIking, Pfaff parent company) and that the newer PFaffs weren't the same quality as the ones originally made in Europe 10+ years ago. We don't have a Pfaff dealer nearby for me to compare.... so I'm only mentioning this as something I'd read on other forums. I'd LOVE to have a machine with the famous Pfaff IDF (integrated dual feed) and there are many Pfaff-lovers on this web site who can testify to their experiences. I only own Babylock and Bernina machines. Jeanie ------ wife, mom, nurse, grandmother, sewing/embroidery hobby from SC with a BL Ellisimo, new BL Enterprise, Bernina 180 & 1090.
JanyceR   Advanced CO USA Member since 2/3/07 Posts: 1073	Login to reply to this post In reply to needledee << Like this post Date: 11/30/12 9:53 AM My vote would be for the Pfaff. I think the IDT would be an immense help for her. ------ Pfaff Performance 5, a few Berninas, several vintage multiple manufacturers. Love all my machines!
clt3 Intermediate OH USA Member since 2/6/06 Posts: 783	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 11/30/12 12:27 PM Are you, by any chance, my friend Shelly's friend? She just asked me about these exact machines for a friend's daughter who is just learning. I just replied to her. The Brother and Babylock are basically the same machine. While I have a Brother 6000D, I never bonded with it for sewing. I don't like the position of the foot or the markings on the plate. It is, however, an awesome embroidery machine. A couple of months ago I was switching from machine to machine trying to complete a bag. My 20 year old Viking was balking at it. I told my husband I wish I had a machine that just sewed well. Great guy that he is, he told me to go buy one. When I asked him if he knew how much they cost, his reply was, "do you know how much I spend on golf?" I went out that day and looked at Janomes and Pfaffs. Like the others have said, the Pfaff has the built in IDT. Worth it's weight in gold. The foot is in the right place and the markings on the plate are much more what I'm used to. The additional presser feet that you can purchase are also much nicer than the Brother or Babylock. I believe that deal for the Pfaff expires today. For the $100 difference that's what I would go with. ------ Singer 66-16. Singer 600e, Kenmore 158.1913 , Viking 1100, Brother 4000D, Brother Quattro, Bernina 930, White 634DE, Babylock Evolve, 2 Featherweights ,Pfaff Creative Performance,Janome Coverpro 1000CPX
needledee Member since 11/16/12 Posts: 3	Login to reply to this post In reply to clt3 << 1 member likes this. Date: 11/30/12 1:01 PM Yes, I am Shelly's friend. I really appreciate the advice. I am going to get the Pfaff today. I think it is very funny that we actually found each other on this board!
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 5223	Login to reply to this post In reply to needledee << 1 member likes this. Date: 11/30/12 1:53 PM Quote: needledee I am not a sewer (although I envy those who have the skill) and am looking to buy a sewing machine for my 25 yr. old daughter. She has taken classes and has fallen in love with sewing. She would be using the machine to make clothes. So after reading lots of reviews and talking to local dealers, I thought it would be the Brother Innov-is 40 ($499) or Baby Lock Grace ($499). But today I found the Pfaff ambition essential ($599). What do I do? Knowing absolutely nothing about sewing, I feel overwhelmed. Is the Pfaff a better machine to justify the extra money? Should I consider something else? I appreciateany advice and have found this site quite helpful already. Thanks in advance. Since you know nothing about sewing or sewing machines, let your daughter choose the one she would like. The dealers will let her try out any machine in stock before she decides. And, she does not have to decide until she has tried all the different brands and models. Make a day of it. Visit, take notes, do lunch and then visit again before making the final decision. ------ “I don’t give them Hell, I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s Hell.” — Harry Truman

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