I'm new to quilting, but I just bought a new Janome Memory Craft 6600 which I love. It was highly rated by Consumer Reports, and the sales person from whom I purchased the machine (an experienced quilter) has and loves the machine herself. It retailed for about $1,500. Best of all, you can purchase a table that fits it perfectly that measures 17"x48", if I remember correctly. It has many different stitches that are supposed to be good for knits or stretchy fabrics. It has many features which are really new to me - needle threading, visible bobbin (so you can see when you are getting close to the end), needle up or down when you stop, thread cutter, locking stitches, knee lift for the presser foot, etc. I have been having an absolute blast with it.

The only negative that I know of is that it is not a free-arm machine, but I seldom need that feature. Good luck finding just the right machine for yourself.

It also has a 9" harp.

The Janome I looked at is the Horizon 7700 QCP with an 11" table.

Another store had a Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 with a 10" table.

The reviews I found listed problems with the 1/4" foot with both of them. Neither machine worked well without starter fabrics, the Janome didn't have a true 1/4" with it's foot and the foot wandered a bit. Both had complaints about the stitch quality on cotton/poly blends.

If I needed one and if I could afford the Janome Horizon 1200 it would be the machine I would buy. I love the features that is has. I have a 9000 which I think is a great machine but use my Baby Lock most of the time.
I am surprised that you don't find a good stretch stitch on the Janome. I have had 2 and both have had a good st. st..
If I were interested in sewing on knits why not investigate a serger. I love the results using mine with knits.

I have a serger, but I've never really learned how to use it. It is fine for straight seams but doesn't do curves well.

nanajayne, I couldn't find the Janome Horizon 1200 on the Janome website.

The only machine I want is the sit down 16" HQ (or a George!) so I can do more FM quilting. But it doesn't even have feed dogs so it would not be the machine you're looking for.

marti8a- I have a Pfaff Quilt Expressions 2048. It sews beautifully, but only has a shorter throat & one light. The replacement was the Quilt Expressions 3.0 & more expensive 4.0 which has had some sort of computer problem, which I believe upgrades fix these earlier problems. I bought the 2048 at a tremendously discounted price because it was no longer the current model.I am very happy with it.
Using a single hole needle plate improved the stitch quality, and takes care of the need to use leaders. The wide slot in the needle plate is what causes the fabric to jam in the beginning. The wide slot is required for the decorative stitches.
I read your other post - you really cannot compare the low end $200-$300 range to the upper end machines. My Pfaff dealer and I talked about this last week. They are trying to capture the market share they are losing to the "Walmarts" by offering entry level machines that are made elsewhere to be competitive. I don't think you are comparing them, I just wanted to encourage you not to keep the cheaper machine you bought on impulse if it does not fit your needs. I guess I'm trying to say your buyers remorse is justified. Hard decision.

Thanks magothyrivergirl. I think with the old machine, it was emotional as much as anything else. It was the first machine I bought for myself, the one I used to make all my baby clothes and decorate the nursery, our first house, my first quilts, etc. It definitely had a problem and I'll miss it, until I pick up this new one and can actually lift it with one arm. I know I'll appreciate that part in 10 years.

The 1200 is being introduced on Oct. 1st I think. I got the inf. from them a while back. It may not be in the listings yet.

I too have the Janome 6600 and it is an amazing machine. It does stretch stitches beautifully....I have sewn baby clothes made with the knit fabric with no puckers. With the 6600 you can move the needle to any position, right or left, with most any foot and attain a 1/4 seam allowance. Like loisf, the only thing I found lacking on this machine was no free arm but a small price to pay for so many other wonderful features. And I don't need that anyway.
I urge you to check it out. With the new Horizon coming out this week (I think), you may find some real bargains on trade in machines.
Murphy

Oh and if I could buy a new machine, it would be a long arm!

I love my Janome Memorycraft 9700. It has a lot of great features (including the quarter inch foot). And with proper machine training (which my shop is wonderful at) you can do a lot of stitches.

If I had the money, I'd buy the new Horizon 12000. Talk about a cadillac. I love it already.

If you don't mind paying LESS, I bought a Juki Exceed HZL-F600 and I love it. It has a wide, deep throat. This is Juki's first foray into the home quilters' market and they did it fairly well. It has over 200 decorative stitches, of which I've used a few. Lots of feet. Knee lift which is great on curves. I've had it over a year now and have found that any problems are generally mine. I'm still learning FM, so I can't blame the machine that my stitches aren't perfect yet. I paid $1100 and got a $200 gift certificate from the dealer. There is a local dealer, so I got to test drive before I bought. I would have bought locally if he'd been able to come within even a couple of hundred dollars of the on line price, but he couldn't.

One of the things that helped me make a purchase decision was going on line to a site called PatternReview. There's a whole section in there where people post their experiences about different models of machines. It was very informative!

Kay

I love my Janome it was my first 'top line' machine! As long as I use the same thread in the bobbin and top and keep it clean it is happy lol!!!

I would love to have a quilting system but at this moment can't justify spending the money for my hobby. I can still dream lol!!!

Rosa