Sewing Machines

If you are looking for a good sewing machine, for yourself or perhaps as a gift for a crafty friend, we have a few good suggestions.  The Internet is a wonderful marketplace for new, used, and vintage sewing machines. When looking for machines, keep in mind what you'll be using it for.  Different machines specialize in piecing, quilting, embroidery, and other tasks.  Make sure you check out different accessories for your machine, such as a walking foot for quilting, or a free-motion foot for, well, free-motion quilting.

We have a few favorite sites:  eBay, of course is one of them.  Allbrands is another site that carries a wide variety of machines at all prices.  Here are three new machines for your consideration.  (Purl has no affiliation with Allbrands, but we are very pleased with our class machines from Allbrands, the Janome Jem below.)

Janome Jem 660 Quilt Ensemble

This is an excellent first time machine at a great price.  We use it in the shop for our classes. It works hard for such a light weight -- it weighs only 12 lbs!  $249.00

Janome Hello Kitty 11706

Super cute! This machine is very basic, but can sew most simple projects.  It is not good for machine quilting, but for machine piecing, buttonholes, and other sewing projects, say Hello Kitty!  Only $109!

Juki TL98QE

This is a very good deal! A high speed machine with a long arm, the Juki comes with a walking foot and other accessories for quilting.  A great machine for committed sewers.  $699.99

Comments

[marielle]

I can vouch for that Hello Kitty machine - I bought it as a beginner machine, having not sewn a stitch since junior-high home ec, and it's been great!

[Cay]

would the Janome Jem be as good for sewing (clothes, household) as it appears to be for quilting? I probably do both equally.

[purl bee]

Cay,
Yes, the Janome Jem is very versatile.

[Alice]

I bought the recommended Janome Jem and it is too small to quilt king/queen sized quilt sandwiches. What tips do you have to quilt those larger sizes? Would you suggest I get a larger machine?

[purl bee]

Dear Alice,
I have not had this experience... I'm wondering if you can clarify, in what way is it too small for you? Are you have trouble getting the needle through the fabric, or is it rolling the quilt tight enough to fit under the machine's arm? I've quilted quite a few quilts on this machine, so I know we can get yours to work. Please let me know if there is a way that I can help you out. -Joelle

[sharen]

What is the best monogramming machine?

[kelly]

I know this is an old thread, but I am looking for a new machine. Do you have a suggestion for a machine that would be maybe one step up from the Janome Jem? One with perhaps more stitches etc... one around or under $300 would be great.

[purl bee]

Dear Kelly,
This one seems to have what you're looking for:
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp08032-0867.html
good luck!

[Julie]

I am thinking of buying the Jem and would need to be able to machine quilt queen size quilts on it. It looks like Alice had trouble with it...is this a good machine for queen size quilts or should I be looking for something with more space under the arm?

[Jacqui]

Posting on this old thread.

I have recently bought a Juki, similar model (Spur 25). I LOVE it. It's so fast that when I use my old machine I practically fall asleep waiting to sew down the seams. And it's got a lot of grunt. I sew bags, the machine has no trouble getting through the thick parts.
I don't quilt but I am tempted to try it. the machine does straight stitches up to 6mm long. Lovely for top stitching.

[Lisa]

I'm looking for a sturdy all-purpose, versatile machine that I can use to make clothes, pillows, simple quilts, appliques, and other projects as inspiration strikes.

It's been a couple years since this original post and these models are no longer available on the AllBrands site -- would you still recommend these machines now or are there newer models that you would recommend?

Thank you so much!!!

[c.s.]

I bought a new machine once and regret it. It sews fine, but Huskystar tried to be too "innovative" with the machine design and placed the presser foot lever in an awkward position, putting it off to the right of the needle instead of in the back (I've seen this on their sergers as well). Test drive, test drive, test drive. The machine I bought was "highly recommended" by a lot of people on the internet, but I hated it.

Craigslist has a lot of used machines posted daily around here, most under $100. A good number of them tend to be "I thought I wanted to learn how to sew but gave up and now it sits in the closet" so the machines will usually be almost new, complete with manuals, etc.

Personally, I would never buy another plastic machine like they make these days. Yes, lugging around an all metal machine from days gone by is a pain if you go to sewing classes/quilt alongs/etc., but they will last forever if you take care of them. They were simply built to last. My vintage Singer (503A, a Cadillac of its time) sews just as well (maybe even better) as any brand new, perfectly timed machine.

Lots of stitches don't necessaritly make a good machine. My Huskystar has 19 stitches, and I only use 3 (straight, zigzag, buttonhole). My vintage Singer has multiple cams for additional fancy stitches, but I don't use them either. Don't let the number of stitches be the deciding feature while comparing machines. For 95% of sewing projects, you won't need anything other than the basics you can get on any machine out there.

If you're hell bent on working with knits, get a serger. You can get by without one while working with most woven fabrics, since there are other ways to finish the seams, but look at your own clothes. Not a single t-shirt or other knit garment uses a lockstitch other than for button holes or seam binding. Side seams are all done with a 4-thread serged seam, while hems are a serged coverstitch. Serger stitches have natural stretch. A traditional lockstitch machine tends to stretch the fabric as you sew it.

[Michelle]

I ordered the Janome Sew Mini 525 from Hancockfabrics.com.... It is so cute, and I love it. Around $50. Straight stitches and zig zag only. I think I would have ordered the Hello Kitty instead, because it has more stitches, but I can throw this in my tote bag and take it to my class....weights only 7 lbs. For the price I love it. Seems like nice quality. I do have a few heavier machines at home, but teach sewing at adult school and wanted something to throw in my bag and take along.

[Beth]

A couple of things to keep in mind when purchasing a sewing machine that were not mentioned:
1. How easy is it to thread? One of the things I LOVE about my old Bernina 830 is that it is so easy to thread I can thread it in 2 seconds. I frequently have friends who don't sew often complain that they can't remember how to thread their machines.
2. Most new machines are free-arm, but not all used machines on the market are, and it makes a huge difference if you want to make clothes. If you have never sewn before, free-arm means that you can remove part of the sewing platform to sew round parts such as sleeves and cuffs.