Just thinking or dreaming
 

http://www.brother-usa.com/HomeSewin...idery-machine/

I have never used an embroidery machine. Those who have, what do you think? Too simple?

I love my Brother Ellure plus sewing/embroidery machine!! It takes a while to get the hang of it but then I didn't take any classes to learn. But I have never regretted that purchase and enjoy using it to embellish clothes or to make themed quit tops. I would say go for it if you have the chance.
Debbie in Lodi

I have a Janome 9000 embroidery machine and don't use that feature all that much. However, lots of people here do make quilts with lots of motifs embroidered on them. Went to a quilt show recently where the featured quilter did some awesome work with that kind of thing. This machine on your link only hase a 4x4" hoop, though. If it doesn't do anything larger, I'd hold out for a bigger capacity if I were buying again. I use mine to quilt as well, but small hoop has to be moved so many times, I only use it on very small hangings.

My mom and I share a simple brother embroidery machine. (4 x 6" hoop). It's great for small size projects or small quilt as you go projects. My mother picked it up as a trade in machine at a very reduced price. And we do have fun on it, but, when it goes, we will let it go. We just don't use it enough. It's quirky. Thank god the manual is excellent. It just isn't in our budget to get a really nice one. So, we'll just enjoy what we have for now. Good luck to you. I hope you get lots of helpful feed back.

for this machine and what it features, that's a great price! as the others have stated, you might find the 4"x4" hoop somewhat limiting...

I have a Brother 350. It does embroidery & regular sewing. I mostly use it for embroidery and that is what I got it for. It may as well be embroidery only. I have other machines I use for sewing/piecing/quilting. The price on the 500 is better. Brother has another 'embroidery only' machine that does a larger design, but the cost is twice as much. I would have concidered this one if it was available when I got mine.

They can be lots of fun to use but it makes it easier to buy from a dealer and take classes. You can get as hooked on embroidery as quilting. :)

I have the Babylock Ellure Plus and love it. It is very user friendly. I would recommend that you purchase a machine that has a usb hook up to your computer. There are a multiple sites that offer free designs. You can do so much with these machines. They are not just for decorating towel. I just did a little denim jumper and jacket with Snow White and the 7 dwarfs for my gd. I am just completing a quilt for her with love bugs embroidered around the borders.

When I first started using my machine I used my 4" hoop and put designs on the pockets of shirts, small towels, etc. Then I moved up to the medium hoop and now I seldom use anything but my largest hoop. I really couldn't advise anyone to buy a machine that only had a s mall hoop as you will outgrow it quickly.

go with a bigger hoop size 4x4 is limited

I have embroidery on my sewing machine, but the dealer only showed me once how to use it. And then I didn't go home and practice. I need to go back and take another class and come home and practice, practice, practice.

Did you get this machine to behave properly? It seems that you are/were not alone with having problems with it.

That Bernina 830 looked intimidating to me! I would needs lots of instruction to make it do even 'some' of what it is supposed to be able to do.

I bought an embroidery machine last fall and even though I spent a lot I'm so glad I have it. I knew that I'd get bored really fast with a 4x4 or even a 7x7 hoop so I wanted more. Even though I was just starting out I wanted a machine that would be waiting for me to grow into instead of me growing out of. Mine does so much more than alot of machines. This past week I took a class for the cutwork needles where the special needles go back and cut the fabric from the design to make the lace or cutouts. If you've ever seen the Viking dress that has those gorgeous flowers with the cutouts that's how they are done; machine, not by hand. Check out a few and even though it's tempting to make the price the biggest factor it can't be the only one because you'll start off excited and the get frustrated with all that you can't do as you learn more. Good luck on your choice. They are a great thing to go with the quilting.

I have a machine with the 4 x 4 hoop....it sits unused because I have found that what I want to do requires a larger hoop.

The dealer I bought from didn't carry anything smaller than the 780D. That's the one I got, it has the 5x7 hoop. I've had it two weeks now and just love it. With a few minutes of instructions, and one weekend of playing, I am producing things I never knew i could do. It's great!! My machine is embroidery only. I love it that way because I can be sewing while it is working. I do not regret my purchase. So far its done all I've wanted. The software for creating monograms was more than I wanted to pay, but I did it anyway. Figured, If I was going to do it, do it. Now i just have to study to figure the software out. Shouldn't have to upgrade for a while. I just wanted to be able to compliment my quilting with some embroidered blocks every now and then!

I want to make my own labels. I think this would be perfect for them. I cannot get the wal mart site who sellsthen to take me to check out. Will try later.

I agree with those who say to go bigger than a 4 x 4 hoop. I had a Janome 9000 and now I have a Janome 10001. It came with 4 hoops ranging from 2 x 2 to 10 x 10 and I LOVE it. I quickly found that the small hoop severely limited what I could do. Even if you only want to make labels, you will be pushing it to get much in a hoop that small. I would go for the big one!

I have a Singer Futura CE200 which has a 5X7" hoop and also a 4X4"...I love it, although a lot of people don't. I have never had a problem with mine and would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Ditto what LynnVT said about the size of the hoop. That is the smallest available and you probably will want to make larger designs. I know I could not be happy with that size. Before you buy checkout the Singer Quantum Futura machines. They cost in the $700 range, but they can do so much more. Check out www.Singer.com and take a look at least. I have no affiliation with Singer but I have the machine and I love it. It is my workhorse!

I ordered this machine from Wal-Mart yesterday. I would love a bigger hoop one---but the reality is that this is what I can afford. I donated 80 quilts last year to charity and know that I can make a suitable label using the 4 x 4 size. I worry that a handwritten one will fade with time and many of the Quit Of Valor ones I donated are destined to become family heirlooms.

Don't know what you plan to spend on the single needle maching. My thought is if, you have the means look into a multi-needle machine. If your looking at a Brother, they make some nice multi-needle machines.

I have two Brother ULT's a 2001 & 2003 and I use them for embroidery only but I have used one for regular sewing. I started out with the Brother 150 and wanted to do biger then the 5x7 hoop so I had a chance to purchase these machines. I really like them. I go in spells of doing embroidery. I love to do freestanding lace and RedWork.
Go to a dealer and you could probably get a good used one because people are always wanting to step up to the newer model. They will give you lessons also and that does help.

I received the PE500 a couple of days ago. So far I LOVE it. I do not mind the smaller sized hoop as I mainly bought it to make labels. It was easy to set up---easy to learn----and works great. I had a little trouble retrieving the letters I had saved, but finally figured that out. I have made 5 labels so far.

This is what I can afford and I am very happy with it so far.