The Best Sewing Machine for You, Depending on Your Needs
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You’ve likely noticed when shopping for a sewing machine that there are endless options. There isn’t one machine that is perfect for everyone. Artists, quilters, crafters, designers, and students all have different needs, and some have multiple sewing machines that serve different purposes. When deciding what machine to buy, ask yourself what you need the machine for. Will it make your craft easier? Do you have the space for it, and does it make sense financially? To help you decide if you have the best machine for what you want to sew, or whether you should add another machine to your sewing room, this roundup reviews different types of machines and whose needs they serve best.
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The Brother SM1400 is lightweight, sturdy, and great for beginners and crafters. Weighing only 12 pounds, this machine is highly portable, whether you’re moving it in and out of a storage closet or taking it with you when traveling. The SM1400 has 14 built-in stitches including a buttonhole, automatic bobbin winding, and a backstitch lever. It has all the basic features one looks for in a beginner machine—and it’s affordable. (If you are just starting to sew and shopping around for the right machine, check out our article on the best beginner sewing machines here.)
Brother Sewing 14 Stitch Sewing Machine, White
The best machine for students and crafters is the Singer Heavy Duty. It is a workhorse that can sew through thick layers, and it won’t break the bank. And it’s versatile, sewing not only through denim and canvas but thinner fabrics as well, thanks to its adjustable pressure foot. At 15 pounds, the Heavy Duty is light and portable. It has 22 stitch options including a buttonhole and a backstitch lever, and if you need to sew quickly, this is one of the faster domestic sewing machines out there, throwing down 1,000 stitches per minute.
SINGER Heavy Duty Sewing Machine With Included Accessory Kit, 110 Stitch Applications 4432, Perfect For Beginners, Gray
The Brother PE800 is great for artists, crafters, and small businesses. This single-needle embroidery machine does one thing only, embroidery, and is one of the most recommended machines of its type out there. The 17.6-pound PE800 comes with 138 preloaded designs and a USB port to upload your own designs. One of the most important features to think about before purchasing an embroidery machine is the hoop size; make sure your artwork will fit into the 5-by-7-inch hoop workspace. (If you require more space, read our recommendations for a broader selection of embroidery machine here.)
Brother Embroidery Machine PE800, 138 Built-in Designs, 5″ x 7″ Hoop Area, Large 3.2″ LCD Touchscreen, USB Port, 11 Font Styles
The professional sewing machine category lies somewhere between lightweight domestic models and heavy-duty industrial machines. Professional machines are great for designers, artists, and quilters. There are some great options in this niche category, but the Juki TL2010Q is one that stands out. It sews only a straight stitch but can handle heavy layers, making it great for crafting bags and quilts. The TL2010Q weighs 25 pounds, heavier than our first three recommendations but still portable. It has adjustable feed dogs and adjustable speed control, perfect for all the free-motion stitching of your dreams. It sews fast—1,500 stitches per minute—and has automatic thread trimming, knee-lift presser foot, and automatic needle threading. The TL2010Q comes with a walking foot and extension table.
Juki TL-2010Q 1-Needle, Lockstitch, Portable Sewing Machine with Automatic Thread Trimmer for Quilting, Tailoring, Apparel and Home Decor
The Juki DDL-8700-H is a powerful industrial machine that is great for designers and professionals looking to easily sew through anything including leather, canvas, and upholstery-weight fabrics. It is also impressive for garment making, can work around the clock, and sews much faster than the other machines on this list, achieving 5,500 stitches per minute. The DDL-8700-H has an automatic knee-lift lever and a separate automatic bobbin winder on the side. This machine is attached to its own table and weighs 57 pounds; you will not be moving it around easily!
Juki DDL-8700-H Industrial Straight Stitch Sewing Machine, K.D table & Servo Motor DIY
If you are looking for your first overlock machine or you want to keep multiple sergers threaded in different colors, the Janome MOD-8933 is a great choice. It fits the bill for students and designers but can be used by anyone who wants the seams on their sewing projects to last longer and look professionally finished. The Janome MOD-8933 is affordable and easy to thread. It has a metal frame, quick change rolled hem, a retractable upper knife, and 3- and 4-thread stitch options. Wavy, uneven seams on knits will be banished because the Janome MOD-8933 has differential feed. This also means you will be able to create scalloped, lettuce-edge finishes and gathers when desired.
Janome MOD-8933 Serger with Lay-In Threading, 3 and 4 Thread Convertible with Differential Feed
The Baby Lock Regent is a longarm machine for quilters looking to streamline their process. Longarms are very specialized sewing machines that load all layers of your quilt together and topstitch everything efficiently. (Yes, you can do what a longarm does on your home sewing machine, but the larger the quilt, the harder this becomes.) The Baby Lock Regent has an 18-inch throat space, a max sewing speed of 2,200 stitches per minute, external bobbin winder, and customizable speed control. Its LCD touch screen has a low-bobbin warning and a stitch counter and allows you to runs diagnostics. If you don’t have the budget or space for this costly, specialized machine, you can rent time on one at your local quilt shop or send your quilt out to be finished.
Baby Lock Regent
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Brought to you by the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world, ARTnews Recommends helps you make the choice that suits you best from products in hundreds of art and craft supply categories. Our offerings are based on intensive research, interviews with artists and craftspeople, and the accumulated experience of the site’s editors and writers. We provide trustworthy and helpful advice about materials to artists ranging from beginner to professional.
1. Singer 4423 Sewing Machine
This is a machine that will satisfy most seasoned sewing machine users and will give beginners a lot of room to grow. It’s the most capable midrange one we found, offering 23 built-in stitches and automatic features such as a needle threader and one-step buttonhole maker. But what makes this machine really stand out is its powerful motor, which can reach impressive speeds of up to 1,100 stitches per minute. Combine this with a presser foot that can be lifted extra high, and you’ve got a machine that can rapidly move through multiple layers of thick fabrics with no skipped stitches. Weighing about 14.5 pounds, this might not be the ideal machine to tote around, but its solid body helps reduce vibrations for greater stability. Its exterior is made of plastic, but its heavy-duty metal interior frame means this Singer will be one that will last you years.
Singer 4423 Sewing Machine
2. Reliable Barracuda 200ZW Zig Zag
In our book, this machine is the very best option for users seeking a practical and fuss-free machine rather than something that can complete a lot of decorative stitches. Perfect for everyday fixes or small and easy projects, this Barracuda can glide through a wide range of fabrics, including thicker material like denim and canvas, and it has a built-in speed reducer to provide extra torque to get through tough jobs. This machine doesn’t feature an auto needle threader, but it is very easy to thread; adjusting tension is also a breeze. Its minimalist dials also make it incredibly user-friendly. Speed-wise, this Barracuda can accomplish up to 800 stitches per minute—far from an industrial standard, but perfectly good for a hobbyist. Made entirely out of metal, this hefty machine weighs 34 pounds but comes with an attached handle should you need to move it.
Reliable Barracuda 200ZW Zig Zag
3. Singer Start 1304 Sewing Machine
All of the machines on this list are great starter machines, but Singer’s 1304 model is a particularly good choice for beginners on a budget. It is a rather basic machine, offering just six built-in stitches (including zigzag, blind hem, and scallop), but this limited choice allows users to focus on sewing foundations without getting too overwhelmed. The stitches also have pre-set widths and lengths to take the guesswork out of setting up individual stitch patterns. This is also a relatively slow machine, with a maximum speed of 400 stitches per minute, but it can be helpful to curb one’s speed when just starting out, to focus more on the process rather than the results. While not self-threading, this machine offers an automatic bobbin winding system and auto tension control. Finally, weighing just 10 pounds, this Singer is the perfect machine to carry from your home to classes and workshops.
Singer Start 1304 Sewing Machine
4. Juki HZL-F300
Want to take the second guessing out of the sewing process? A computerized machine might be what you seek. Offering automatic stitch settings, speed control, and other features to guarantee precision, these devices can present a slight learning curve even if you’re an experienced mechanical machine user. This Juki is one of the more affordable models from the Japanese brand’s household sewing line, and it can do a lot—as long as you spend time learning about all its functions. Highlights include its library of 106 built-in stitches, a seven-point feed dog to maximize contact with your fabric for greater evenness and precision, and of course, lots of auto capabilities, from one-touch needle threading to sewing lock stitches. Its maximum speed is an impressive 900 stitches per minute, and you can even use it for quilting.
Juki HZL-F300
5. Brother GX37 Sewing Machine
This Brother is another reliable metal machine that we recommend especially for beginners, although it can also serve as a decent, straightforward one for experienced sewers. It is a highly user-friendly machine that you can use virtually straight from the box but also really grow with. It offers five needle positions, whereas the Singer 1304 has just one, and 37 built-in stitches—14 more than our top pick. These are also adjustable, unlike the 1304’s preset ones. Capable of reaching a maximum sewing speed of 800 stitches per minute, the 15-pound GX37 can also work through a range of fabric weights, from chiffon to denim. It does have a few flaws: The built-in LED light is a little dim, and the foot pedal is made of plastic, so we would be wary of pushing down too hard.
