The Sewing Place

Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?

HappyCampers

Bit of a newb question, apologies I cant seem to find an answer elsewhere

Some of you may know we (my daughter and I) are looking to get a Brother A16/A50 "sewing" machine as our first machine for all manner of projects etc

Was looking for more info about the A16/A50 family and came across another family of Brother machines called "sewing and quilting" machines, eg FS70

Can someone help me understand the difference? The FS70 seems to offer more than the A50 for less money, unless I am missing something . . .

Iminei

Hi there

Looking at the Brother FS70 machine I would say that is no way a quilting machine as the harp space seems extremely small to me.

You can quilt on any sewing machine even an antique Singer straight stitch only.

Quilting machines are generally labelled as such because they have bigger Harp spaces (which means more room to the right of the needle) which is useful for the added bulk of fabric when quilting. Other useful features for quilting are a Needle up/down function and 1/4" seam allowance... None of these are absolutely necessary for a quilter but useful to have a setting for them. The 1/4" seam can be achieved by guiding the edge of your fabric along a line of tape or raised post its set at the correct measurement on the bed of the table

If specifically mentioned as a quilting machine they will probably have some quilting feet such as the 1/4" foot which has an edge which runs along the edge of your fabrics, Stitch in the Ditch foot which has an (non sharp) blade in the middle of the foot which you guide along the seams of your blocks, an open toed applique foot for ease of view when appliquéing and most importantly a Walking Foot which is, I consider, essential, making life soooo much easier when sewing on 3 or more separate layers of fabric.

You are doing a lot of research for your daughter (I hope shes helping you) and it can be very overwhelming at the sheer amount of machines out there. Has she tried out any machines? Do you have a decnt sewing machine dealer near you? Franklines are the ones I know of but there are many more.

Trying a machine out would be the absolute best way to get an idea of what feels good to her and dont, please dont Splurge out on an expensive bells and whistles machine straight off. A good solid entry level machine will suffice until your daughter discovers if she really likes sewing and what areas of sewing she enjoys the most.

With a decent machine you can always upgrade selling it to part fund the new one.


« Last Edit: March 15, 2022, 11:07:27 AM by Iminei »
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Ohsewsimple

I’d stick with the A16/50.  Yes the other machine has loads more stitches.  They won’t be necessary and I don’t think these machines are as good quality.  They sell them in places like Argos.   :thinking:

Iminei

Thats true ... Oodles of stitches dont mean you will use them ... The manufacturers just use them to seduce you to spend more money ... a bit like the Directors cut on a movie ... Now with an extra 4 minutes of footage!

I barely touch the decorative stitches on The Splurges although you daughter might use the Alphabet, as I did before of course Elvis and then Elvistoo came into my life.
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

StitchinTime

One thing  I noticed while searching for information on the FS70 is the FS- family machines seem to be available only from the likes of Amazon, John Lewis, Argos etc, whereas the sewing machine shops tended to stock the A-family machines.

If you were to go with the FS70 it looks as though you wouldn't get the support/training a specialist shop could offer.

HappyCampers

thanks folks - it seems the cheaper FS models aren't really any better and it was slightly concerning to see the FS70/100/120 sold in Argos etc, but not our local sewing machine shop, so it seems it may be of "lower quality". The cheapest FS in our local sewing machine shop was FS420, which seems to be a different beast

Having tried the A16/A50 its still our preferred option but as a novice I am still very confused by the marketplace - it seems almost everything from £100 to £400 is labelled "ideal for beginners" and the only differentiator seems to be stitch count or "minor" features like auto threader, auto lock stitches etc.

Very little seems to be readily available about "quality" or even power - comparing to stuff like cycling, photography, power tools etc where its quite easy to see the difference between £100, £500, £1000 and £2000+ products. Even the reviews I see are so generic they could have been written about any machine, because they don't seem to say anything . . . or is it just me?

Ouryve

My old machine is the fs60 and that line of machines is cheaper because they’re not that well made. I got it on sale when it was discontinued and it was a good machine for light use - the odd repair or alteration - but as soon as I started to use it more seriously, its limitations became clear. It was rattly, had a tendency to skip stitches or feed unevenly with anything but the most unremarkable, lightweight woven fabric and it couldn’t make a consistent buttonhole to save its life.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2022, 12:33:11 PM by Ouryve »
Janome M50QDC - "Jane" - Small, cute and hard working. Pfaff Quilt Ambition 630 - "Pfanny" - Pfickle. Bernina L450 - "Bernie" - Very hungry. Bernina 830 Record - "Becky"

Gernella

I read somewhere in the past, particularly with Pfaffs, that if it said Quilt in the description, the thread tension was set up differently.
Stash extension 2024- 6.1 meters
Left at the end of 2023 - 66 meters now (includes fabric found hidden out of sight)  Lining fabric not included

StitchinTime

The cheapest FS in our local sewing machine shop was FS420, which seems to be a different beast.

Confusingly, Brother also do a F series of machines which I think may be what you spotted in your local shop.

StitchinTime

comparing to stuff like cycling, photography, power tools etc where its quite easy to see the difference between £100, £500, £1000 and £2000+ products

Different features are not only associated with cost but also with the "series" of machines - you've already noticed the difference between the FS and F series machines.

Within a series of machines, an extra £50-100 can give you additional stitches and perhaps features such as a hard case, needle threader, automatic thread cutter, etc. The differences between series may be features such as fonts and/or different alphabets, a larger machine with more space to sew bulky items, adjustable foot pressure for different types of fabric, the option to mirror stitches, a more powerful motor, knee lift etc.

Have a look at the Brother machines on the Sewing Machines Direct website as they have a useful "compare" function.
If you select a £100 machine (for example, L14s or LX17), a £500 machine (for example, A80 or A150) and a £750+ machine (for example, NV1100) you will be able to see the different features associated with each series of machines.

If you've tried editing photos or working with a large document or spreadsheet on different computers, you will know that the task is made easier with a bigger screen and more computer memory and that some computers will struggle with the task or may crash. It is a bit like that with sewing machines - a basic machine will sew fabric (but may struggle with thick fabric) and extras will make the task that bit easier and more enjoyable.


Ouryve

Re: Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2022, 16:11:57 PM »
My £550 janome has fewer stitches than my old brother but has that more powerful motor, adjustable foot pressure and adjustable bobbin tension and is an altogether much sturdier machine and is usually pleasurable to sew with (Jane and I have our arguments but the fault is often mine!) . It's not a rolls Royce of a machine but it's a dependable Toyota to the Brother's Dacia!

I would have liked a machine from the Atelier range but don't have te space for a hefty machine, at the moment, so I opted for a machine that suits me.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2022, 16:14:18 PM by Ouryve »
Janome M50QDC - "Jane" - Small, cute and hard working. Pfaff Quilt Ambition 630 - "Pfanny" - Pfickle. Bernina L450 - "Bernie" - Very hungry. Bernina 830 Record - "Becky"

Ohsewsimple

Re: Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2022, 17:16:00 PM »
@HappyCampers you’re probably right about reviews as regard quality or power.  I’d also be wary of reviews as many may be written by beginners who know very little.  There is no substitute for trying the machine yourself…..or your daughter!   You can gauge how the machine feels.    That is important as we all have a preference and sometimes we have a preference for a particular machine depending on what type of sewing we're doing.  Yes it’s confusing.  But I think the Brother will serve your daughter well for a while.  And it doesn’t have to last a lifetime, it can always be sold or traded in at a later date.  I will say lots of students I know have used these at college and Uni very successfully.

One final note, some years ago the Which Magazine tested a load of machines.   Their Best Buy and recommended machine was one which we wouldn’t stick at the shop I worked at.  It was cheap, poorly made and if it went wrong wasn’t worth repairing.  Makes you wonder! 

Greybird

Re: Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2022, 12:47:27 PM »
@Ohsewsimple , years ago when knitting machines were still being sold new here, Which magazine did a test on them. Knitmaster and Brother were the two market leaders. Neither of these were included in their report. I don't remember what their Best Buy was but it must have done a disservice to a good many people who were relying on their recommendation. I have never bothered with anything Which recommended since.

Ploshkin

Re: Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2022, 14:41:15 PM »
Higher price dies not necessarily indicate more features.  I asked in a sewing machine shop why one Pfaff model was £700 while another which had pretty much the same spec on paper but a slightly larger harp space and a few more stitches cost £1500.  The man told me that they come off different lines in the factory and that the difference was in the superior quality of the build and materials used.
Life's too short for ironing.

So Chic

Re: Difference between "sewing" machine and "sewing and quilting" machine?
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2022, 15:15:02 PM »
I agree with Greybird that Which reports can be misleading as their final decision is very often based on cheapest price.  When I bought my first electric sewing machine Which stated that a Frister & Rossman was the best buy at £49.00 but when I visited the dealer he recommended a Necchi 512 which was a couple of quid dearer.  He said that the F&R needle only swung to the left and the Necchi swung both left and right which meant that it did easier buttonholes.  He was right and it's the only machine I have ever regretted not keeping but OH said it weighed too much to take to Iran.
So Chic
Bernina Artista 630, Bernina 800DL, Janome Cover Pro 1000CP and an elderly Singer Touch & Sew 720G as a back up