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Been thinking about buying a embroidery machine but don't know how much I would use it. What would be a good inexpensive one to buy. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have the 350e Janome embroidery machine and love love it not problems and now thinking of upgrading to their new coming out 500......I was unsure when I bought mine wondering if I would make good use of it and I have used it quite a bit...I seem to go in spurts with embroidering....but I'm glad that I did buy it...I also mainly purchase my designs from Embroidery Library....love love that site......
Mine is a cheap Brother that only does a 4 in design. It was around $300.
So it depends on how big you want the embroidery to be.
It is a great machine but would like a bigger design so I can quilt a quilt block by block. Using a redwork type design.
Ive made a baby quilt with teddy bear designs Have blocks made for a round design in a 6 in block and a bunch of blocks done in mother goose designs.
Not interested in clothing embroidery, just quilting.
The cheap ones usually have such a small hoop. It is a bigger investment with all the threads you will want for your projects. I have had two friends get one and they didn't realize how many spools of thread you need (or want). Not to mention the interfacing.
A Good Friend, like an old quilt, is both a Treasure and a Comfort
I use the Brother LB-6800 and have had no problems at all. I bought the Project Runway package which included a ton of thread....I do wish I had bought a machine that can accommodate larger patterns. Mine can only go up to a 4 x 4 and I'm hoping to upgrade to one that can accommodate 5 x 7 patterns.
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I have a lot of quilting friends who swear by Brother embroidery machines. And they tell me to buy the larger hoop size, 5-7 inches not the 4 inches for a starter machine. Machine embroidery is not cheap. The expense is not the machine it's the supplies. One of my friends wins awards for her machine embroidery and she uses up to five layers of tear away stabilizer. No puckers and her embroidery stays soft. The others are too cheap to use a lot of the supplies and their work looks like it. Some are so stiff they won't bend.
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This is the one I have. I bought it years ago and use it often. The reason I suggest this one is it comes with everything you see in the photos. I am still working on the box of ready made bobbins. I save them when emptied and put the matching color of thread I am using on a project like making lace items.
It seems like a lot of money upfront but everything you need to get started is all in one box.
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Embroi...brother+pe+770
I also bought this hoop set:
http://www.amazon.com/Elipse-Embroid...0_SR160%2C160_
Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.
I have already committed my felonies, so people don't have to worry. (Russell Means)
I swear to you, I am guilty of only being Indian. That's why I am here. (Leonard Peltier)
“If you can’t see a mistake from 12 feet away, it doesn’t exist, and there are no perfect quilts and that helps a lot,” .......Greg Biornstad
I have the Brother PE540D. Although I really like it I wished I would of bought one with a bigger embroidery space. Mine is only 4 x 4. I thought this would be a great starter but you outgrow it quickly. My GD & I have had a lot of fun with it. I do recommend the biggest hoop size your budget allows though.
My friend has the Brother PE770, she loves it. She bought it on-line, so it did not come with any lessons. She also bought the additional hoops that fit. She has a hard time getting any help from the local dealer. There are a lot of lessons on-line for free. I have the Husqvarna Topaz 20 - I bought the floor model so got a great deal, and it came with lessons.
The biggest thing to me is the computer program that helps you put the designs together is what is very important. My dealer did not tell me about the programs (probably because he doesn't sell them). Depending on what you want to do with your machine, will determine the program you want to buy. My machine came with a very basis program, then I did some exploration and found out there were more out there. I bought my program at the Road to CA quilt show, the dealer didn't spend much time with me to explain the difference between the programs, so some of what I wanted was in the next program up. But I am happy with what I have, just wish I had more.
Just take your time, don't be too hasty, because once you get into it, you will want to do more. We have a Brother dealer in town, they don't sell the additional software because they know it scares people off, but can teach people the ins and outs of the basic machine too. I really recommend talking to a dealer.
My DH gave me a Brother he bought at Hancocks for three hundred dollars and I love it. It uses the smaller hoop but it is just what I need and I can hook it up to my computer and buy all the patterns I need.
I have a small 4x4 hoop, Brother 7050E. It's okay, but I sometimes wish it had a 5x7 inch hoop. But, I do make large
projects. It's all a "learning curve" experience. Sometimes trail and error....but, I have found an excellent source for
thread. It's Metrothread.com. They have a lot of colors and variegated ones too. (I am not affiliated with this company)
just like to pass on savings when I find them. Their mini spools are less than a $1.00 a spool....
I have a PE 350 Brother Machine It has only a 4 inch hoop. Do labels, T shirts, and have done a quilt with it. I use any thread I have and often do outside of the colors suggested. Brother Machines are easy to use inexpensive and mine was up and working within 30 min out of the box.
I've got a Brother PE770!
I have 2 Brother embroidery machines. One only has 4 inch design and is a fantastic machine. I wanted the 7 inch so I bought the 780D because I could do Disney. The learning to use them was easy. I have never regretted buy either one
I have a Brother PE770 as well; I've had mine about 2 years now, I think. I don't use it really often but so far I've had zero troubles with it, only operator errors (wrong stabilizer, etc.).
It gets most use around Christmas - last year I did a whole bunch of embroidered kitchen towels for family members and they all turned out really nice and were very popular!
I purchased mine on Amazon, and I was a little nervous about not buying from a dealer but in the end I have no regrets. It arrived safe and sound and ready to go right out of the box. I haven't had to adjust or change anything at all. It just works.
My only gripe is the screen is not very high resolution and is small. It can be really hard to tell what pattern you are selecting. I get around that by only loading the pattern or few patterns I will be immediately using onto the thumb drive, so it's easy to make sure I'm picking the right pattern. But when I look at what I would have to pay to get a better screen, I am content with what I have!
I have the Brother PE770 with additional hoops also. I love it. I bought mine from Amazon also and paid a little less then the link Chasing Hawk posted, but I didn't get all those accessories with my machine. I'm glad I can use the 5x7 hoop with mine, as well as the 4x4. I've never used the really tiny hoop and rarely use the longer hoop. I have had a thread breakage problem with the machine, but the second time I took it in the repairman showed me what was happening and why and I was able to devise a cure for the problem so thread no longer breaks. I really enjoy my machine. I am just finishing a quilt with embroidered 6 inch blocks, and I've started a crazy quilt with machine embroidered blocks.
I bite the bullet and buy Madeira thread online. It's more expensive than some threads, but worth it and I can buy individual colors, not thread sets. I also buy most of my designs from embroidery library and their color change sheets are done in madeira colors so I don't have to guess what color to use unless I want to. I've bought my threads a few colors at a time so I now have a pretty nice, though not a huge, collection with the colors I use most.
Last edited by ShirlinAZ; 10-09-2015 at 06:50 AM.
Shirley in Arizona
Babylock is a very user friendly machine and can be used for regular sewing as well. The one here is advertising the Elligao for 60% off. You might want to check it out.
Here are some pictures of my fix for breaking thread on my Brother PE770. I've done quite a bit of embroidery since doing this, and I've not had any thread break. I will add that Brother and Babylock are made in the same factory, but the company quit selling single purpose embroidery machines under the Babylock name. I like having an embroidery only machine as I often piece with my sewing machine while my embroidery machine is doing its thing.
Shirley in Arizona
I gave a husquvarna, love it!!!!!!!!!!!! I really got into using the embroidery function, easy and fun. Embroidery machines do grow on you.
Thank you Shirley for posting the pictures. I am going to check my machine and possibly do the repairs.
Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.
I have already committed my felonies, so people don't have to worry. (Russell Means)
I swear to you, I am guilty of only being Indian. That's why I am here. (Leonard Peltier)
“If you can’t see a mistake from 12 feet away, it doesn’t exist, and there are no perfect quilts and that helps a lot,” .......Greg Biornstad
I have a Bernina 185 that I have had since 2005. Great machine...
I bought a used Husqvarna Designer SE and have had a great time doing embroidery. I was a bit put off by the cost of the software and did some research and found Embrillance Essentials and it does everything that I have needed it to do. The cost was great compared to the price of the software offered for the specific embroidery machines. It pays to look around .....Love using this embroidery machine - and I am thinking of upgrading in the future - incorporating embroidery to quilted projects adds so much!!
Enjoy whatever machine that you choose - play with the designs and have fun!
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