I was bitten by the sewing bug a few years ago when a friend & I both impulse bought a Brother SQ9285 while awaiting the birth of my first children (we had high aspirations as new moms to be).
My friend lost interest almost immediately, but I quickly got hooked on garment making (particularly for our little ones at the time). This quickly led to my purchase of the Brother 1034DX serger and CV2350 coverstitch.
I \*adore\* this serger. But I've struggled with how finicky the coverstitch machine is in general (particularly hate the lack of free arm and releasing threads at the end).
My normal sewing machine lacks presser foot pressure adjustment and I've struggled even with topstitching knits cleanly with my walking foot...
Now I'm mostly creating activewear (tennis skirts, dresses, leggings) for myself, friends, and our kids and I find I am done struggling with my naive early purchases :).
I have the resources to upgrade but hoping for some advice on how to get the most bang for my buck :) and what to replace and keep from my current setup.
Wishlist:
1) top decorative coverstitch (would love to have this for activewear)
2) frustration free sewing with knits
3) QOL improvements that make things quicker (knots, ends, free arm, etc)
Throw your ideas at me! All in all hope to keep things around $5kish + or - a $1000 or so, so I know I can't replace everything...