What brand of embroidery machine do you own and are you happy with it? Pro's and cons? suggestions??
Hubby said to research, I think he is going to get me one. Mainly I want to be able to do lettering and maybe some scroll work...Im so excited but looking forward to your experiences. THANK YOU :)

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-103663-1.htm

This is what happened when I wanted one....

We got a Brother 2800D a couple weekends ago...haven't had it long enough to have a real good opinion but I like it so far.

I have a Bernina 630 Artista with embroidery module and I love it .You can add to a design rotate it any direction enlarge it or shrink it you can also flip the mirror image so you have a left and right.I did that on my moms pillow shams and they looked great.Mine has USB port which I like just plug in designs and your ready.Embroidery is alot of fun.

I have a Janome e350 like it....had a MB4 just tradewd in for a Melco Bravo....love it for the time I have had it.

Here is my humble opinion.

I have had two - A Babylock Ellagio (which I loved and sold) and a Pfaff 2170 which is fantastic. I wanted to be able to send designs from my computer directly to the machines and as I have 4D Software and it is compatible w/ Vikings and Pfaffs. I also sold Vikings for a time. All three of those machine are excellent choices but so are others such as Janome, Brother and Berninna. The Babylock had incredible stitches, not picky about thread and a fantastic display while the Pfaff has great stitches, is very finicky about thread(only like the expensive stuff), wonderful sewing IDT, better hoop size options and connects directly to my computer (I have 4D software). I also bought this 2170 used off of Craigslist.

My recommendations: First think about these questions -
1. How much do you want to spend?
2. How large of an Embroidery do you want to do? Some machines will only do 4x4 (this is really small and does not give you a lot of area), some can do 5x7 while some do really large and are very flexible.
3. What sewing features might you want on the machine?
4. How do designs get loaded? Some machines can load from a USB stick some connect directly to a computer and some use a machine specific card - which will require expensive software to load and are pricey to purchase preloaded designs.
5. Will you want "classes" and support? It is best to make sure that you have a dealer around to answer questions, have service and cleaning as needed even if you don't want classes.

Next go to every sewing shop that sells any embroidery machines near you and ask to play even if you do not intend to purchase that brand. You will learn a lot and be a better informed consumer (don't get sucked in to purchase until you play with a lot of them - even if you intend to purchase a low end machine in a box from a big box store play with expensive ones as well). If you have any questions about what I have suggested - fell free to PM me. Best of luck on this - they are expensive but fun. The purchase of the machine is only the beginning. There is special thread, hoops, stabilizer and designs which can all cost big $$.

I have a basic Brother SE 350.. my only complaint is I wish I had a min of a 5x 7 hoop... this machine will only go up to a 4x4.....

Suggestion: Buy as big a hoop as u can afford...

Mine was a gift and I knew nothing about them when I got it... I still love it.. very easy to use and I have gotten tons of designs free offline!

Vicking I love it. some day want the vicking dimond.

Too Funny!

Bernina 440QE and a Bernina 200 upgraded to a 730.. love em both

Very informative. Thank you so much. I just may have to pick your brain, when I start looking around. :):):)

I have a Babylock Ellisimo. I was lucky enough to be able to choose any machine that I wanted. I narrowed my choices down to the Bernina 830 and the Babylock Elisimo. I did alot of research before decideing on the Ellisimo. The biggest plus is that it was so easey peasey to learn on. I had never used an embroidery machine before. It came with 5 hoops from very small to rather large. It has on board tutorials and a really large display screen. I just love it. Go to the Babylock site and check out the video. http://www.babylock.com/embroidery/ellisimo

yes I do, have 3 in fact, Pfaff 7570's and I love love love them!!! IMHO the best machine ever made, and the best of Pfaffs, a real work horse! and I love the stitchs

I bought the Brother 2800D and I love it. It also hooks up to the computer or you can use the jump drives. I have 2 Pfaff machines and they are big ticket items that love certain types of thread and needles. The Brother makes Babylock. Like someone else said the big ticket items are thread, designs, programs, etc.

I have a Janome 350E and love it. I started out with a Brother 900 sewing/embroidery combo and within a week knew that I wanted to do more than what it was capable of doing. I moved to the Janome 350E because it was embroidery only, it uses up to 5"x 7" hoop. Most of the patterns are 4"x 4" and up. I liked having the larger hoop area. It has the USB port and makes it easier to import designs. I purchased a separate hard drive to use with my machine so that I wouldn't tie my computer up timewise. It is very easy to operate with the touch screen. I love the thread cutter and the warning for your bobbin when the thread is getting low. I know that there are all kinds of machines out there that even have their screens in color. You can purchase too many bells and whistles that you will never use or you can stick with what is really important to you.
Try out any machine that interests you as well as those that don't. You will find what you like. If you know what kinda of fabric you will be using the most to work with, take several swatches with you and try the machine out. I can also say that I have had no issues with thread. I like a machine who isn't too selective about what they will and will not use.

I have a Babylock Ellegante. Don't find a need to ever upgrade. Bought it as a display model and got a great deal at the time. I hated this machine at first,(a little intimidating)but now cannot live without her. "Ellie" has relieved a lot of stressful days (and late nights)over the past 2 years. The machine was used for classes so all the bugs were out of her by the time I picked her up. This machine does almost everything. Never picky about thread, needles, tension, or anything. Very easy to use. Does beautiful embroidery, even with a disk bought off Ebay that has 12,000 designs. No skipped stitches ever. Good luck in your search!

I have the Brother SE350, which I LOVE, because it is SO easy to use. I am not good with computers and I learned it....but it only does 4x4, an needed extra stuff to hook to the internet.
This weekend BFbought me a Brother Innovis 1200, as an early Bday present. LOVE it so far, but I am only learning!

Janome 9500. Has 4x4 and 5x7 hoops. Sews and embroiders. LOVE Janome. Also, consider where you will get service, how far is the nearest dealer or repair shop. I had a Singer Futura years ago and it completely turned me off of embroidery. It was loud, awkward, the progams were not the most user friendly at all. My dealer told me to give this 9500 a try this winter and I have been loving it ever since.

Here is a link to my first real project:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-105296-1.htm

You WILL love it!

I agree with Suebee. I had a Pfaff for 20 years that I put thru heck. It had a large sewing area and would sew at an super fast speed. I still have my Kenmore, but it is only for regular sewing. I is 15 years old and holding up great.
I wanted an embroidery machine, so I ended up with an Brothers Esante2, only 5x7 that I've had for years. It's very user friendly.
I would also like a machine that will send the designs directly to my machine. The digitizing program for Brothers sells for $1200.00 which includes the palette for transfering designs, too much money. Another digitizing program for around 600.00 is Embird. I just bought Embird about 3 months ago because I wanted to blend colors to make them more realistic. So far, I'm still learning. lol
Ask what will be new for the next years model.
Try out the machines.
Listen for nice hum on the machine, no clanging. lol
Buy what you want! Find a way to afford it.
Syl

Everyone seems so happy with their machines. Guess I'm gonna be the wet blanket here. My first machine was a babylock Esante (sewing & embroidery). Worked good for a while and I was having a good time with it. Then it started having problems after a couple of years. First time or two, the dealer fixed it under the warranty. But it still wasn't right and then they started in on they could fix it but the guarantee didn't cover that, etc. Mother board went out - several hundred dollars to fix and no guarantee it would sew because there could be other problems. Easy person that I am, I let the salesman talk me into trading for an Esante2. It has done ok but now it won't sew although the embroidery unit still works. Guess I will take it to a repairman soon. Definitely will not go back to the dealer. Don't want to change brands as I have a bunch of the embroidery cards that go into the machine. All in all, I'm very unhappy with my Babylock Esante experiences.

I Have Vikings, and have been very satisfied. In addition to beautify embroidery results, they will sew through ANYTHING. I can easily hem jeans. When you go to the dealers, you may also want to ask about machines they have received as trade-ins. They usually offer a warranty and lessons with the used machines. I would second the recommendation to get the largest embroidery area you can afford. Have fun!!!!

I have 2 brothers 270D and PS8500...best advice, get the biggest hoop capability you can afford...wish I had

I own two embroidery machines. My first is a Bennina 650. I have had it for years and invested a lot of money in software for it. It uses the PES format. The second machine is a BrotherPE-780D. I just purchased it several months ago. The first machine only did a 4x4 motif. The newer one will do up to a 5X7. They are very similar except that the new one can also be used with a USB stick. They are both the PES format. My older machine while being sold by Bernina was made with a Brother patent. Since Bernina no longer makes a machine that uses the PES format I needed to get another machine that did. Over the years I had invested thousands of dollars in software, additional hoops, a Magic Box, thread and stabilizers. While the newer machine uses the PES format and the design cards that fit the older machine it doesn't use the same hoops etc as everything is reversed. The magic box will not work with my newer home computer that has Windows 7. The only way I can use designs that I purchased or downloaded on CDs is by copying them on to a UBS stick. Hence the newer machine. My Bernina is also 20 years old and only takes the little design cards that are getting impossible to find. Beforae purchasing the new machine I spent almost $150 having my older one "tuned up" at the dealer. Ironically the new Brother machine cost half what I paid for the Bernina.

I have a Singer Futura - and I would no way buy it again. No way. I'm sorry I bought this one.

It has very low hours of actual stitching on it and the bobbin case got trashed because it was not being held properly in place. It's been replaced and the problem supposedly repaired, but I'm afraid to use it. I certainly couldn't rely on it to finish a project.

I keep thinking I will at least set it up to make quilt labels and little things like redwork blocks. That way, if it dies on me, again, I won't be in the middle of some big gift. ;)

My next embroidery machine will probably be a Brother that does embroidery only. I've got a couple dozen sewing machines around here, so an embroidery only machine would be just great. :)

I have a Pfaff and I love it. It's a 2144 with all the upgrades so it's the same as a 2170. It sews beautifully!

Janome 350E. Love having a stand alone machine so I can be sewing at the same time.

I've had an Ult.2002D for about 10 yrs.. I love it. Brother is very user friendly. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. as others have said, buy the biggest field you can afford. i don't know if the stand-alone machines go bigger than 5x7.

Hi,

I, too, have a Babylock Elegante 2 and I second everything you said......love, love, love, my machine! It's user friendily, has great hoop sizes, and it quilts beautifully and has tons of decorative stitches, too. I use it mostly for embroidery as I also have the new Babylock Symphony which I use for piecing and quilting. I also have a Babylock Ellure which I use daily for piecing quilts at the quilt shop where I work. It also embroiders, but doesn't have a lot of the features of the higher up ones.

I love my Babylocks!

Bev

I have a Brother 1200 Innov-is. I love it. Straightforward instructions and easy to learn (not much dealer help closeby) Never a skipped stitch.

My first embroidery machine was a Janome 9000 memorycraft. I love it for my quilting but don't use the embroidery on it. Have a Babylock Esante that I bought used & find it more user friendly. Last June I bought a new Esante & am really loving it!

I have a Babylock Elegante and I love her. She's sweet and even tempered, works for peanuts, never complains. She's just a real doll.
She goes in once a year for her annual physical, I clean her often and she just keeps on truckin'.

I have the Duetta from brother. Largest hoop is 7"x11" also the5x7 the 4x4 also a small hoop. You can use the brother cards or usb port or plug in straight to the computer. I also got the quilting package with it. I love my machine.

I have a Babylock Ellagio ESG3. It is a fantastic machine both for sewing and quilting. I have five hoop sizes and also purchased a separate giant hoop with electronics in it so I can do jacket backs and 14 X 14 inch embroideries. My daughter has a commercial Babylock and has had very good luck with it. They all do very good quality embroidery.

I have a Brother Innovis 2500 and love it. It does a beautiful job and is very user friendly. Also sews great but I seldom use it for just sewing.

I have the Brother 4500D which I love. It does more than I know how to do, connects to my computer if I want it to, sews like a regular machine like a dream. It is the exact duplicate of my daughter-in-law's Babylock machine except it was much cheaper. It isn't very noisy which is a wonderful feature because it is in the room with our most popular TV. I don't like to isolated from the family when i sew.

My fist one was a Baby Lock. It did what I wanted it to but the weight was all on the motor side and it got to be too difficult to pick it up and move it to my work area.

I ended up trading it in for a Pfaff CV which I dearly love. I figure it will be the last machine I buy ... other than my FW.

ali