My new Sewing Machine - Brother Innovis 50

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 It came yesterday morning.  Although the old machine is fairly new i.e. 3 1/2 years old I figured it's about time I got a computerised sewing machine.  I wanted some features that my old Singer Inspiration 4205 was not capable of.  After all it's a basic model without bells and whistles.

And since I'm doing so much sewing, I thought I'd make it more enjoyable.  And I was looking for some features like needle down, speed slider, drop feed dogs, etc.  I narrowed it down to 2 sewing machines.  The other was the Singer 988 Computermatic.  Frankly, I 'm quite partial to Singer since their pretty old hands when it comes to sewing machines.  But this model just did not feel right.

For one, there was hardly any write-up / reviews of this model on the internet.  Singer USA does not carry this model.  Although I am aware that certain models are only available regionally, the Singer 988 is nowhere in Singapore or Thailand either.  It's only available here in Malaysia!  I emailed the Singer regional manager in Singapore and he in turn passed the buck to the local sales manager.  It's been 7 days and no return email from either of them.  In fact a Singer dealer recommended another lower priced model when I enquired about the Singer 988.  She said the Singer 988 had some inherent problems.  Something is seriously wrong

Nevertheless, I tested the machine in a Singer shop nearby.  To their credit the sales people were quite obliging and knowledgeable.  They even opened a new box to demo the machine to me. It had all the feature of the Brother Innovis 50 (Innovis 80 for you people in the USA) and then some.  It had a throat space of 7 1/2"  which is wonderful. But after trying it out the upper thread tension was out of whack even when adjusted. 

I decided on the Brother sewing machine without testing it.  I read up on the reviews, website, forums, videos and made my decision based on that and of course the price being lower than the Singer 988 surely helped.  I've been playing with it and it's really looking good.  I want to explore the FMQ capabilities of the machine. The throat space of this model is 6 1/2", still better than my old one.  It has a built-in 1/4" feature for seams when piecing.  I had a good discount even with the extension table from a reputable dealer JP Doshi.  The service was good and the delivery prompt.

 Friendship Stars blocks still a work in progress.  Piecing these blocks were a breeze with the new machine :)

The Cheddar Bow-Tie quilt top is completed.  Love it to bits. It's 12 1/2" x 18 1/2". And it goes into the 'to be hand quilted' basket!