Japonica

Hi!

I am thinking about buying an embroidery machine for my crafting. I don't do "serious" quilting, only rag quilts at this point. However, I do plan on "diving in" this year (along with many other crafts I enjoy). Anyway, I would like to own an embroidery machine. Can anyone recommend a good one for starting out? I do know that I would like one with a USB port as I have done some reading and with the USB port I can download designs from the internet. Any suggestions would be helpful. Oh, and I don't want to spend a ton of money. I am retired and on a very fixed income. Thanks and have a wonderful day.

Dyan

Brother PE770, it has a 5x7 frame, used USB, and easy to use. Cost is less than 600 on Amazon

Nanamoms

Love my Brother PE700II but the updated model is the PE770 which has the usb thumb drive. Mine has the usb direct connection. Brother makes great embroidery machines and these 2 models are great entry (hobby) machines. You will outgrow the 4x4 hoop size on the smaller machines. A 5x7 is a good size.

There is a huge jump in price when you go up in hoop sizes.

Rose Marie

I bought the PE500 for $300. It is small with only a 4 in embroidery but I have done alot with it. I only quilt so designs for other things dont interest me.
I love this little workhorse Brother and it is simple to use. Of course you spend alot for thread and patterns but I downloaded alot of free patterns. I like redwork for quilting and have downloaded childrens patterns and decorative ones for quilt block centers. The 4 in patterns are good for up to a 6 in block.
It does enough for me. Embroidery can get expensive and is a learning experience. Stablizer is what Im trying to figure out now. Im saving money with the smaller hoop and useing only enough to back the design in the hoop.
I also had to buy Ped Basic to really download designs and that was $100. So be prepared for additonal expenses.
My machine uses a card to download design to. More expensive machines use disks.
So do some research. It all depends on what you want to do with embroidery.

mpspeedy2

Hi, I purchased my first embroidery machine at least 20 years ago. It was a Bernina Deco. With my employee discount it cost me at least $1800 at the time. Over the years I have purchased at least another $2000 worth of additional software for it and then a Magic Box so I could load additional designs onto a card that could be used in the machine. That Bernina was made from a Brother patent. When I upgraded my home computer several years ago there was no place to plug in the Magic Box. I ended up purchasing a Brother PE 780D so that I could still use the many design cards I had spent so much money for. The Brother machine also uses a USB stick. The Bernina machine was only a 4 inch field the newer Brother machine uses the 4 inch and a 5 by 7. What ircks me is that the newer machine are set up to hold the hoop on he opposite side and even the hoop fasteners are upside down compared to the Bernina. That guarentees that the additional hoops etc. that I purchased for the first machine won't fit the Brother.
Over the years I have done a boatload of embroidery on clothing, decorative items and linens. I have a large chest and more often than not food ends up landing there. The majority of my tops have embroidery on the front to hide the stains that just won't come out. My family always gets something with embroidery on it at Christmas time. I have made a bedsize quilt with something embroidered in every block. Over the years I have spent a of money on thread and stabilizers etc. I have learned that you can use a papertowel or even a used dryer sheet as a stabilizer. The machine will also work with ordinary sewing thread. I am not sorry I purchased either machine. I need to get busy and embroider some t shirts I got on a clearance for my granddaughters for Christmas.
The Brother machine cost me about $800.

mermaid

Rose Marie, you mention trying to use the minimum of stabilizer. May I pass along a suggestion a saleslady made to me when I bought my 1st--the Brother Snoopy machine. She told me to hoop my project tightly, and then just slip a piece of stabilizer underneat the hoop as I started the stitching. You can customize your need this way. And of course, you can glue stick a patch over the holes where you tear away...or zigzag scraps together to make lgr sheets. Unfortunately, when you need the WSS, there's no shortcuts there.

quiltnmom

I purchased the new Singer XL550 this weekend from HSN. I am so excited, it is supposed to come tomorrow. I have never used a machine for embroider so I don't know what sort of suppplies I will need. but I can't wait.

Rose Marie

Thanks mermaid.
But what is WSS?

mermaid

Water soluble stabilizer--looks like clear plastic but washes from the project's edg with wet/damp cloth, and any residual rinses away to leave a ''clean'' product. Wonderful for using over nappy fabrics to keep the nap from sinking with the embroidery.