I am looking to buy a embroider machine and I want to know what machine would be the best to buy and also should you always wash your material before you sew it? Is there a smaller machine that can embroider and quilt?

What embroidery machine to buy is a personal choice--based on your needs, space and money.

The question of whether to wash your fabric first has been discussed at length many times on the board. Here are a few threads to read to get your started. You can search "washing fabric" or "prewashing fabric" and find more threads.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-34282-1.htm

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-28012-1.htm

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-31223-1.htm

There are a few members on the QB who have embroidery machines. You could write to them and ask what they like about theirs and what they don't. I know that in planning to buy a sewing machine, I always recommend to make a list of "must have" features. You may want to do the same for the embroidery side of things.

Best advice is to determine what you can afford first (these machines can be 10k new for a high end one) and how large an area you need/want to embroider. Then, if you have never done this before, go to every local sewing machine dealer and look, play and ask LOTS of questions. The answer to your last question is yes. Piecing and free motion quilting can be done on almost any machine. Almost all embroidery machine (except for a few small specialty machines) are sewing/embroidery machines. Good luck on you search!!

MadQuilter is right. Make a list of what you are planning on using a emb machine for.
How small of a hoop would you consider to be ok? (many of the "small" sized designs now are 5" X 7"...when I bought mine they were 4" X 4" or 4" X 6")
How large of a hoop are you wanting.
Do you want one that can only be hooked up to a computer to sew a design?
Do you want one that solely uses a card reader?


I would research the different brands and their functions, print them out as well as their price. When you get your list whittled down a little try to find dealers so you can go and actually test drive them :D:D:D

thank you for all your inputs, this has helped me out a lot

The best advise I recieved on buying any new machine is go to several different places and test drive. That way you can start making a list of what you want in a new machine. Best advise i can give from personal expereince is try to get one locally, as in a dealer close to you as they could become your new best friend when you are learning the machine and when it needs service.
be sure to let us know what you decide.

It will depend on what you are looking for.

My Janome dealer suggested a Janome 350E for me. It is an embroidery machine ONLY - not a sewing machine. My sewing macine is the 6600P and I love all it's features. If I were to buy the 11000 which is a sewing/embroidery machine, the sewing machine part wouldn't have the features on it that my 6600P has. Also, I can run my emmbroidery machine and my sewing machine at the same time if I were to get the 350E. If you already have a sewing machine, you might look into buying a machine that is embroidery only.