Meet My New Best Friend

Isn't she fabulous?

We went back up to San Jose this weekend so I could take a look at the sewing machines again. I was going to forgo giving you all the pricing details because I can't believe that I ended up spending so much on a sewing machine. But, it ends up making a much better story, so I will.

On our way up there I was fully expecting that I would NOT choose to get a machine because I had three options and none of them were perfect.

Option 1: Used Viking SE for $3,500. Although this is a fabulous deal and it's much more sophisticated than the Topaz, I thought it was too much money and machine for me.

Option 2: New Viking Topaz 30 for $3,000. The issue with this one is that the price included a trade-in, which I was unwilling to offer. This may seem silly, seeing that I've seen my machine on eBay for about $50 and the trade-in value was $700. But, I love my machine! It's the first machine I bought and I think it will be a great starter machine for the kids because it's so simplistic.

Option 3: Used Designer 1 for $1,500. This was immediately out as an option as it came with a floppy interface, not USB. It would cost $600 to upgrade it to USB.

The machine that I really wanted was the Topaz 30 because the surface space is much bigger than the other machines. It actually has the same body size as the Designer Diamond, which sells for $7,000-$9,000, depending on where you get it. The Designer Diamond is an upgrade from the Designer SE, the size of the work surface being one of the major improvements. I think that the Designer SE is more of an embroidery machine, while the Topaz is more of a sewing/quilting machine with embroidery capability. So, I was thinking that the Topaz was a better fit for me.

I got to the sewing shop and met one of the owners, Gordon. I had been helped by a worker named Rose last week and had been talking on the phone to his wife, Kim, during the past week. He said they all discussed my situation (originally not wanting to spend more than $1,200, but now wanting to get into embroidery, and also not wanting to trade-in my Viking Daisy) and they thought they came up with a great deal for me. Gordon also mentioned that Rose and Kim really liked me. Maybe they were heartened by all my enthusiasm at being able to embroidery things for Ana. :)

I could buy the floor model Topaz 30 for $2,499! He said it had been used for demonstrations of course, but they use the Designer SE and Diamond much more for demonstrations, so the Topaz hadn't been used that much. And I still get the warranty and the free classes. Being nearly 9 months pregnant and a bit out of my mind, I had to go find Shane, who was walking around with Caleb in the neighborhood and see what he thought.

When I told Shane the offer he said, "I'm surprised you haven't gotten it yet!" So, we went back and got it! Gordon even gave me a Snoopy embroidery CD for free!

Normally, I'd be a bit nervous about buying a used machine, but they were all so helpful with helping me to get the right machine, I'm not worried about them helping me if something goes wrong with the machine. Also, they are a dedicated Viking dealer, so I'm confident they know these machines very well.

I haven't had a chance to sew on it yet, as our weekend was so busy. But, I will find some time today to start a quilt top. I was feeling a little overwhelmed when reading the embroidery section of the manual, so I think it's best if I just concentrate on the sewing portion for now. There's so much more to it than my Daisy. It has some amazing features! Like it threads the needle! And sews with a push of a button, I don't have to use the foot pedal! And it ties a knot, so I don't have to backstitch!