Dolphyngyrl

Brother PE770 comes to mind, it is about 600 dollars

romanojg

Don't limit yourself on hoop size. I know you say you aren't into elaborate emb but it is addicting. I started two yrs ago and have never used my 4x4 hoop at all. I will do mulitple designs on each hooping if I have extra space. Then this past yr I traded my Viking Ruby in for a Viking Diamond Deluxe because it has so many features and the largest hoop out there. Check out dealers in your area and try out different machines to see what is a good fit. I love Vikings, others love Berninas and Janomes or Brothers. They all have advantages and disadvantages. Once you see all of the options out there that is available then make your decision. One thing, even if you don't get yours from a place that offers classes, check around and you should be able to find some, they are great. My Viking shop welcomes all makes of machines into the classes, you learn so much

mighty

I so agree do not limit yourself with hoop size. I have a viking diamond also, love it. I have had other Viking emb.
machines over the years and they have all been wonderful.

plmokn

I own the Brother PE770. I had the Brother Disney combo SE270 that I bought 6 yrs ago at Walmart which only had a 4"x4" hoop. I love the PE770 with the 5"x7" hoop & USB port. Brother has made such advances since my old machine. I would highly recommend this machine. i purchased mine from AllBrands. Brother machines are so user friendly.


Marilee

bigredharley

I bought the Brother PE500 because it was a) cheap and b) could do Disney designs - only had it a short time, but love it. I bought a program off Amazon that included a card that can be used in the machine to load 8-10 additional patterns on, and is re-writeable. That was ~$95 more, but sooooo cool. check out iBroidery.com for the Brother patterns you can buy for it. Back in the day my mom had the top of the line embroidery machine that you had to keep buying discs for (before internet downloading) and it died recently. She paid a fortune, and I was determined not to go that road.

sarahspins

I also just got the PE-500 last month because it's cheap, I only paid $219 for mine from Amazon My primary intent was to be able to embroider quilt labels and maybe small stuff for my kids. 4x4 is more than fine for that. I do have the larger 4 x 6 3/4" hoop so I can stitch out a larger "area" without re-hooping if I split the design, which is mostly useful for stitching out names. If I really wanted to stitch out something larger my mom has a TOL machine with a huge embroidery field that I could use if I ever feel like doing anything bigger (which is really not too likely).

I already had a registered copy of Embird or that would have been another expense to add to the cost of the machine.. I need digitizing software for the things I want to do, but it seems that my impression is that most people really don't learn to use it when they have it... there's a learning curve involved with digitizing and some people give up on trying before they get very far with it, even if they do take classes.

Really what you need depends on what you want to do... you could feel horribly limited by a 4x4 field or like me you might find it's perfect for what you want to do. Then again you could get a 5x7 machine and immediately want even more space than that. You could even get a machine and decide that it's not for you at all.

Boscobd

This thread inspired me to look into the Brother PE500. I had been thinking about an embroidery machine for a while so I could make nicer looking quilt labels. So, I ordered one n Sunday and it arrived today - nice surprise when getting home from work as the original ETA was June 3! Anyway, I have been playing with it all evening and really like it. Tomorrow is an off-work day, so guess I'll just have to go to JoAnn's and get some basic embroidery thread colors and such (can't think of anything better to do on a no work day than shopping for sewing stuff!). I am really impressed with this machine so far!

Yarn or Fabric

I would suggest going a little higher, not much, and getting the Brother 770. You can get it on Amazon for under $600 and it has the 5x7 hoop. I just downsized to this machine. It's a nice one. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-PE770-...ds=brother+770

I think you would outgrow a 4x4 hoop very quickly. The versatility of having the 5x7 hoop is huge compared to the 4x4 hooop - and with no tax or shipping charge, you can't go wrong with the 770 on Amazon.

Angel Bear

I have the Janome E300 which you can get for under $1000. It's a quality machine with many hoop sizes and a stand alone embroidery machine. I've had mine for nine years and have used it a lot. I really think you'll be sorry if you limit yourself to only a small hoop. I'm sure you could find a used one for well under $1000. and you'd have a great machine.

0tis

Thanks for all the replies - I am really leaning toward the Brother PE 770 after reading your recommendations and then researching on the internet - just talked to my husband and he is all for it. Now to find the best price and free shipping. Woo hoo.