A lot of people have owned a machine for sewing but modern demands have shown that when buying a new one, the demand for a sewing and embroidery machine that can do it all has increased. Part of this is down to the quality of the products but this surge in interest has led to some low-quality products entering the market, even from reputable brands.
This is why we have created the following buyer’s guide. It details everything you need to know before you buy so you are left with a machine that is well balanced and can be used for a variety of stitches an embroidery designs.
Built-In Stitches
Because they often cost more money than a regular product, sewing and embroidery machines should offer you a lot of sewing options. The best products will come with plenty of built-in stitches so don’t settle for anything less than 100 if your budget will permit. It opens up more possibilities so you can stitch with flair.
Also, it often means you are getting more fonts for monogramming and personalization. This is the perfect way to finish an embroidery design, especially if it is a gift.
Built-In Embroidery Designs
Even if you can download more, you still want to get a sewing and embroidery machine with as many designs included as possible. This will save you time searching and money so the more you have from the first use, the better.
Frames
To add a little pizazz to your embroidery, look for a product that comes with a variety of frames. Some brands are more generous with this and you can find a product with over 100 to offer so you don’t have to use the same ones all the time.
Included Hoops
Some people might say the more hoops you get the better but sometimes it is the size of the hoop that matters the most. For larger projects, you will want a sewing and embroidery machine that comes with a 5 x 7 hoop. This opens up more possibilities and will often mean you also get the regular 4 x 4 as well.
An elite machine might give you several options that makes it easy to embroider all different design sizes.
Embroidery Field
The large the field the machine has, the greater the number of projects you can start. If you only have a small embroidery field it limits your choice so this might be one of the first things to check before you buy.
Color LCD Screen
All embroidery machines should come with a bright LCD color screen and anything over 3″ is a decent size. However, some of the budget options do not have a color display. This isn’t a deal-breaker necessarily but it can make it more difficult to customize your designs.
Preview Function
This leads on from the LCD screen as what it is capable of does make a sewing and embroidery machine more desirable. Some have tutorial functions but the ability to review your designs is what we like to see. This makes it easy for you to select the right colors to fit your needs before you commit.
Stitches Per Minute
This is more important for the sewing function as it means you can use the machine for quilting at a higher speed than usual. The total stitches per minute shouldn’t be below 700 and the more expensive models should be capable of offering more power.
Autopilot Functions
As this name suggests, these are the functions that make life easier. With everything from the automatic thread, easy thread cutting, automatic thread tension, and automatic embroidery. This is because it can be challenging to get manual embroidery right.
How you upload designs depend on the brand. The simplest way of uploading new designs is via USB. Almost every machine capable of embroidery is going to come with a USB port so you can easily upload your designs.
The main thing to look out for is enough storage space to out your designs once you have purchased them. Some products can connect directly to the internet which is simple but will inevitably push up the price of the machine.
Some products only come with built-in designs. Avoid these as once you have used the same ones a few times you’ll grow pretty tired of the lack of variety.
To put it simply, a sewing and embroidery machine is a great all-rounder that takes away the manual strain of sewing and embroidery,. It makes it possible for you to choose a design and create it much faster than you would by hand. Embroidery is the art of decorative stitching and patterns and using a machine makes quick work of what can be a time-consuming hobby.
These products can be described as combination machines as being able to automatically sew and embroidery saves a lot of time. They are more expensive than the machines only capable of either function.
Because you usually have to pay for new designs, you don’t want to have to delete them to make room for other new ones. This is why you need a sewing and embroidery machine that has enough storage to keep up with your demands.
There is always going to be an upper limit as to how much space it has so over time you might find yourself letting go of some of the designs you no longer use. However, the machine should have enough storage to make sure you don’t reach this stage for some time.
There are a few places that people go to for new embroidery designs and as long as the machine you choose has space, you can find lots of new designs to work with.
The most popular place we find it iBroidery.com and there is just about every design and theme you can think of for your embroidery needs.
A common question that people ask when looking for a sewing and embroidery machine relates to the best hoop size. There is no right or wrong really and there are some excellent machines that only have a 4 x 4″ hoop size and embroidery field.
Still, the serious embroider or those with the budget to allow it will prefer working with 5 x 7.
This will always depend on what you are looking for in terms of how many features you want, and built-in designs and stitches. If your budget allows you can end up spending between $2,000 – 5,000 on a professional level product.
If you don’t have such a large amount to spend on a new machine then you can pick up a quality product for around $800 – 1,000 that still has plenty of features and freedom to create many unique designs.
Those on a budget will find that $350 gets them a long-lasting product that has fewer built-in designs but with the potential to download more, this isn’t a problem for most people.
