The Best Embroidery Machines for Custom Designs
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Recently there has been an uptick in artists and crafters buying embroidery machines. With a plethora of options, and prices ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, picking the right machine for you can be overwhelming. When making your decision there are a few things you should keep in mind: what the largest sewing field or hoop size is for the machine, how fast it can sew, and how many needles it has. Let’s break it down and look at some of the best options out there for custom tees, hats, bags, and more.
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Our mission is to recommend the most appropriate artists’ tool or supply for your needs. Whether you are looking for top-of-the line equipment or beginners’ basics, we’ll make sure that you get good value for your money by doing the research for you. We scour the Internet for information on how art supplies are used and read customer reviews by real users; we ask experts for their advice; and of course, we rely on our own accumulated expertise as artists, teachers, and craftspeople.
Best for Beginners
The Brother SE600 is a good fit for the beginner sewist who is brand new to embroidery. The 4”x4” embroidery hoop is small, but it is enough room for small projects. You will have no problem with onesies, logos on shirts and other small scale projects. This machine is a sewing and embroidery combination machine, making it great for those who also want to sew, but don’t have space for two machines. It has 80 built in embroidery designs, 103 sewing stitches, and 10 buttonhole styles. The SE600 can sew 400 stitches per minute when embroidering. This makes it a great starter embroidery machine, and you can have a lot of fun sewing with it too.
Brother SE600 Sewing and Embroidery Machine, 80 Designs, 103 Built-In Stitches, Computerized, 4″ x 4″ Hoop Area, 3.2″ LCD Touchscreen Display, 7 Included Feet
Best Overall
The Brother PE800 is one of the most recommended embroidery machines out there. It has a 5”x7” embroidery hoop that gives you a bit more space to work with. It has 138 preloaded designs making it very easy to jump right into embroidery. The PE800 can sew 650 stitches per minute, and has a USB port that allows for you to easily upload your unique designs. Like the SE600, the PE 800 only has one needle. This means if you stitch an embroidery with multiple colors, you have to be there to change the thread color. Unlike the SE600, this machine only does embroidery.
Brother Embroidery Machine PE800, 138 Built-in Designs, 5″ x 7″ Hoop Area, Large 3.2″ LCD Touchscreen, USB Port, 11 Font Styles
Best for Quilters
For quilters the Bernette B79 is the way to go. Like the Brother SE600, it can sew and embroider. It has a large 10.25”x5.11” embroidery hoop, more features, and an overall better sewing experience. This single needle machine has an automatic thread cutter, dual feed for a smoother experience, and an automatic back kick function that ties off your thread by kicking your heel back on the pedal. It can stitch 850 stitches per minute. The Bernette collection is the more affordable line of machines made by Bernina, giving you access to the Bernina support team. The Bernette machines can be bought online, but if you’re the type of person who learns better in person you can find a local dealer who offers classes and a personal support experience.
Bernette B79 Embroidery and Sewing Machine
Best for Multi-Color Designs
A multi-needle machine allows you to thread more than one needle at a time and your machine will automatically switch colors while you do other things and stay productive. If you are looking to embroider designs with more than one color, and don’t have the time to change the thread for each color the Janome MB-4SE ($5,500) is a great fit for you. It has 4 needles and its largest hoop size is 9.46”x7.88”. It also has 50 built in designs, 10 different fonts, USB port, auto thread cutter, and can sew 800 stitches per minute.
Janome MB 4-SE Four-Needle Embroidery Machine
Best Non-Commercial Machine
If you are looking for more needles and not quite ready for a commercial machine try the Janome MB-7 with 7 needles. It has all all the same great features as the MB-4SE, but with 3 more needles.
Janome MB-7 Seven-Needle Embroidery Machine
Best Commercial-Grade Machine
Schools, small businesses and artists looking to really ramp up production will need a commercial machine. The Melco Bravo has 16 needles, a 12.6”x10.25” sewing field, 1000 stitches per minute, patented auto-tensioning and laser alignment. The Bravo easily sews through leather, vinyl and denim. It can run all day long and is built to last. This machine has all the bells and whistles you could dream of, making your embroidery go faster, smoother, and more efficiently. (Pro Tip: Melco regularly offers deals and special financing. If you are looking to buy one of these machines, wait until they run a good deal.)
Melco Bravo Embroidery Machine
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1. Brother SE600 Embroidery Machine
This reliable machine is a good fit for the beginner embroiderer who is new to the craft. The 4-by-4-inch embroidery hoop is small but provides enough room for little projects like embellishing baby clothes or adding logos to shirts. And it is a combination sewing and embroidery machine, making it great for those who also want to sew but don’t have the space for two machines. It has just one needle but 80 built-in embroidery designs, 103 sewing stitches, and 10 buttonhole styles, and it can sew 400 stitches per minute when embroidering. This makes it a great starter machine.
Brother SE600 Embroidery Machine
2. Singer Legacy SE300 Embroidery Machine
Singer’s machine, which can also be used as a regular sewing machine. It features a sewing field that measures 10 ¼ by 6 inches and can sew 700 embroidery stitches a minute. It does come with an impressive 200 embroidery designs, but you can view these only by downloading them onto a PC (Mac users, beware!). We also find that it has more of a tendency to jam than our top pick, but this will likely occur less as you familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of this machine. It comes with an automatic needle threader and two embroidery hoops in different sizes, and offers 250 built-in stitches including basic, stretch, decorative, and buttonhole.
Singer Legacy SE300 Embroidery Machine
3. Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
Another combination machine, this offering from Brother excels both at sewing and at embroidery. It features a large LCD touchscreen and a 5-by-7-inch embroidery area as well as 138 built-in designs. It runs quietly, sews steadily, and is easy to program. As a bonus, this machine comes with 10 built-in styles of one-step buttonholes, and you can even create your own custom stitches and save them to the machine’s memory. With free-motion sewing and quilting via the drop-feed feature, this machine does it all. An automatic needle threader and LED light round out the specialty features, and the machine comes with an array of necessary sewing accessories.
Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
4. Uten Portable Embroidery Sewing Machine
If you’re just coming to embroidery and aren’t sure if you are ready to invest in a top-notch machine, Uten’s model might be the right pick for you. It is relatively cheap for an embroidery machine and is also portable, making it easy to carry with you if you are taking a class. While you cannot load embroidery files into it, as it does not have a USB drive, it is very easy to use for free-motion embroidery and can also sew 100 letter stitches. The machine is stable and the needle doesn’t skip, moving smoothly and with precision. Like other options on our list, it has an automatic needle threader to get you started quickly.
