I am thinking about getting another sewing machine. However, I would like to have one that can do embroidery also. I was wondering if anyone has a suggestions as to brands? I am looking for something under five hundred, I don't need it to do the dishes ;P I sincerely appreciate any information you can share with me, thank you so very much!

I have a Brother SE400 and I am enjoying it. Joann's has it listed for $599 but you can get it at Amazon.com for $369

hope you find a great machine

I think Brother makes some that might fit your bill. Good luck! The embroidery is really fun!

Have you played with the Embroidery much? How is it?

keep in mind you will have a limited embroidery field. I had a Pfaff 7570 for years (4"x 4" sewing field) and as I got more comfortable with the machine I also got more frustrated by the limitations. I now have a Bernina 830 and am Loving it! I would like to have the jumbo hoop someday. But for now I am a happy camper.

I also have the brother 400. I got mine on ebay for $325.00 free shipping /new. I love it, and it can be hooked up to my computer for pattern down loads.

whatever you get... get one with the biggest hoop you can afford. Trust me, you will be glad you did.

I have a Janome 9500. LOVE IT! I like Janome and also have 1 dealer (my favorite) 25 miles away and another dealer (super nice) 50 miles away. Got it used and traded in 3 or 4 machines I had. Kinda nice, did a little cleaning and got a new to me machine!

My husband blessed me with a Singer Futura CE-250 for Christmas. I am not sure, but I think it was near 8 hundred for it. It was a gift so I only know the appoximate I saw in Joanne's one day. Even though I love this machine, I would not recommend it to anyone who does not have a computer or technology geek readily available. The lady that sold the machine to my husband suggested that he not get the machine because it was difficult to set up and use. She was not kidding when she said you have to be computer savie to make this machine work. If it were not for my husband knowing how to go in through the back door so to speak, my machine would have gone back to Joanne's. Making it sew regular was a snap. It's the embroidery part that is difficult. It's difficult to find the computer driver's for it. It's picky about what computer operating systems it will work with. And as I found out one day while my husband was not available, the customer support at Singer was next to nonexistant. They tend to do updates that causes the machine to have to be reset up every time. And they don't warn you in advance of any changes to their software or drivers. You just know when you start to embroider and you get a ton of error messages. Since Christmas, my husband has had to reset it up three times. I don't know what I will do if my machine ever starts to mess up and I don't have my husband for technical support. I love the machine and have embroidered a lot of things. Everything turned out really pretty. I have learned a long the way that the machine was picky about the patterns it would accept. It doesn't matter if they are in the correct format, designed just for singer or not. My husband spent a lot of time figuring it out and making them work for me. Needless to say, I am touched by the time and effort my husband put into turning this into a great gift for me. I seriously recommend some hands on preview of any embroidery machine before you purchase it. That way you can ask questions and get to know what it is going to take to get you up and keep you running. Good luck. Can't wait to see some of the designs everyone is working with. ~ Carol ~

Try to choose a machine that has a hoop size 5" X 7". Many designs today start at that size and go larger :D:D:D

I would almost suggest that you wait and save your money up to get one of the "higher end machines" I have a Husqvarna Viking Designer Se Le. Now while my DH ( it was my anniversary gift) was able to get the floor model that had only like 30 hours on it (nothing for these machines) he did still end up paying close to 3600 for it. However, My dealer also had a "pre loved" machine of just the Designer Se for 1800 bucks...which had all the kinks worked out and such.
I love love love love my machine. And i am glad that I decided on it. I think i have put close to 30 hours on it myself doing the embroidery ( i have only had it since Aug) yes there are tons of bells and whistles, some i still don't even know how to use, but it is a breeze to sew and quilt on, does beautiful embroidery and my dealer is always there to answer my questions. ( oh and the machine never has to be oiled lol)
Hope this helped =)

i would say 5x7 too

This is a good beginner machine, but after about 3 to 4 months you will wish you had the one with the larger hoops. How do I know this, I did. I purchased the SE400D because it was cheap and had disney built in, but after I saw the limitations, I upgraded to another Brother machine that has larger hoops and paid a couple of thousand and now I love my machine.
I have embroidery everywhere and it's as addictive as this quilting board. hahha

Get the best machine you can afford and from a local dealer. That way you will get lessons too, very important! Yes, I agree that the minimum hoop size is 5x7. Most designs can be done this size and some larger. Very few are smaller.

I have two machines, both BabyLock and they are great. I got the first one as a pre-owned to see if I would like it and then bought the Ellegante several years later. Wow, what a wonderful machine even if it is pricy :-P

This is just my opinion. I wouldn't get a combo machine. If one portion of either breaks down, you are now out the other portion. I would get a nicer emroidery machine. I have a brothers PE700II, I love it. I get that going and still use my sewing machine at the same time!

I have 2 brothers, a big 8500 and a 270D that I take to classes etc...the 270D is a cheaper one I got one Overstock..com for less that $300 and their shipping is great...only does a 4x4 but if you want bigger you need to pay more....hope this helps

I had the Brother SE 400 for one week. After using it, I realized I wanted a larger hoop area. I returned it and got the Brother PE 770 with the 5 x 7 hoop. I love it!

I have played some with mine and have been amazed. I fuse my fabric, put it in the frame and touch a few buttons and the machine does the rest. Prompting me when to change colors.

The instructions on changing it from sewing to embrodiery are clear and straight forward. I am playing with it again today :)

I agree it only does 4x4 but I wanted it for accents.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! It sounds like I need to stay away from the Singer Futura, I currently use a Singer now, that I got from Hancock fabrics, a basic machine and the Singer customer service is definitely not there at all. I know that I will want to do bigger embroidery. I think I will call up a local sewing machine repair shop and see what he currently has available. Heard he sells his for what he has in them as far as repairs. Very good idea also on perhaps saving up and purchasing a embroidery only machine, perhaps I can get more 'bang' for my buck. I sincerely appreciate all of your advice and experiences!!!! it sure has helped me a lot on directing me on the right path.

It is also available at Walmart for $369, free shipping from site to store. -- understand it only has a hoop for a 4" design. If you want something bigger you will pay more. It does have computer access through usb, for downloading patterns.

Time to sell some stuff and get some more cash to get me a new machine! :)