The Graphics Fairy

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A Sewing Machine Comparison with 5 Top DIY Bloggers!

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Well it’s a new year and I’ve been wanting to learn some new things. At the top of the list is Sewing! I actually did sew years ago. Back in the day…we were required to take Home Economics at school, where we learned all the important skills of keeping a home, like sewing,
cooking and setting a proper table. I remember I liked to sew and I even made a dress for myself for 8th grade graduation, using my Mom’s machine. After I got married I had a cheap machine, that didn’t work well at all and I remember spending many frustrating days, just trying to make a pillow with some trim on it! I finally gave up and put the machine on a shelf, where it’s been for at least 14 years. I have no desire to try to sew with that thing again! But I would like to get a machine that’s easy to use and see if I can get back into the swing of things again. I decided the best way to research my new machine, would be to ask some of my friends about the sewing machine’s that they use and what they like about them. I also thought you guys might be able to use this info too, so I decided to write a post about it. I’ve included some links so that you can get an idea of the prices of the machines, in some cases the particular model used, is no longer available, so I tried to find the closest one to it. Sooooo let the comparison begin!

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission, you can find our privacy policy here.
 Jennifer Hadfield from Tatertots and Jello

My Machine: Brother LB-6770 Embroidery & Sewing Machine

I taught myself to sew a couple of years ago and finally bought a machine. My machine has a lot of fun stitches and even embroiders, but I mostly use it for straight stitching and easy sewing projects. I have really enjoyed it so far. I’m really excited to see what other machines people use and why they love them!! Thanks for including me and my machine in your series Karen!!

Amy Bell from Positively Splendid
My Machine: Brother SE-350
I have been sewing with this machine for three years now, and it has worked great for me! The top-loading bobbin is extremely easy to use, and winding bobbins can be done at the touch of a button. Although I enjoy the digital functionality of the machine, I like that it gives you the ability to decide between a digital/button operation or a standard pedal operation. There are many different stitches to choose from, and the button-hole function is extremely easy to use! Although it isn’t a workhorse like other more high-dollar machines, I have pushed this machine to its limits in sewing many tough materials (leather, vinyl, and many layers of heavy fabrics, to name a few) and it has performed admirably. The machine is lightweight and easily stored away for those without a permanent sewing space, and because it is a sewing and embroidery machine, it gives you dual functionality at a relatively low price point. I also love that new components for the machine (feet, parts, etc.) are very reasonably priced.
 Gina Luker from The Shabby Creek Cottage

 My Machine: Brother – Project Runway Model

My machine is a Brother Project Runway Model, and I bought it at Walmart for about $150. I love that it’s inexpensive, but it does an amazing job of handling whatever I dream up, and with 79 stitch options, I can dream big! It’s easy to maintain and really is a great budget friendly option for those that may not need a high end machine. I actually have 2 of them, and I’ve been using them over 4 years, and still love them as much as the first time I bought it.

Heather Valentine from The Sewing Loft

My Machine: Baby Lock Ellisimo

What can I say, Ellie is my right hand girl in the studio!  Her auto threader always saves the day when I can’t find my glasses and the auto cutter keeps my projects neat and clean.  

But seriously, this machine does it all.  She is always ready for anything from standard stitching to full on design embroidery work.  Her features range from a large sewing bed/workspace which is perfect for monster projects like quilts to the crazy amount of built in decorative stitches.  Simply by adding one of the many decorative stitches to my smaller projects adds that personal handmade touch.   Crazy as it may seem, the knee lift is my personal fave!  It allows me to take the “all hands on deck” approach when working with smaller pieces.

ps- did you catch that she has a name?  Silly, I know but I name all of my machines.  
Jade Harrington from Jaderbomb.com

My Machine: Singer 7422

Hey Graphics Fairy readers, my name is Jade and I blog at Jaderbomb.com. Today I will share with you my favorite craft tool. I have used many sewing machines in my life and this one is by far my favorite. I love my Singer advance for the simple fact that it’s a completely electronic machine. The variety of 30 different stitches are handy when you want to add that flare to your sewing project. The stitch buttons are also push buttons, super convenient.  My sewing machine has a 6 second threading system which makes it thread quickly. This machine can be used by a beginner or someone advanced, it’s really that easy to use. I hope you enjoyed learning about my favorite sewing machine. Have a great day! 

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I hope you enjoyed this comparison of my some of my friend’s machines. I’ll let you guys know what I end up buying. If you sew and have a machine that you love, please let me know in the comments, I would love to get some feedback from you guys too! 



*This post contains affiliate links

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Comments

  1. Suzan says

    I am a pretty serious sewer and I have a variety of machines. My favorite for quilting is my Janome 1600DP and my favorite for everything else is my Brother CS6000i. The Brother was pretty inexpensive from Amazon but it has every feature (needle down, feed dogs that drop, snazzy stitches and LOTS of feet) that I was looking for in a new machine. For the price of the machine, I don’t think you can go wrong with a Brother and there are so many from which to choose!

    • Anonymous says

      I’m also a big fan of Brother. I have 2 Brother machines (one strickly for embroidery), a Babylock and a Juki serger. FYI… Brother also makes the Babylock machines. They are just marketed under the Babylock name.

  2. Anonymous says

    I have the Bernina Aurora 440, which I bought used on ebay, two years ago. The bernina shows how many hours the machine has been used (mine was used only around 100 hours). It is a GREAT machine, a real joy to use. It is expensive new but less than half price used.

  4. The Prudent Homemaker says

    I have a Janome DC3050. I am very happy with it. I sew a lot several days a week.

    Make sure the machine you get has the stitches you want. I had a few specific ones that were very important to me.

  5. WLWK4FD aka The Faux Fae says

    I’ve been using a Sear Kenmore 10 Stitch for over 20 years and with regular maintenance (cleaning and oiling) it’s still running strong! Very reliable machines. Downside – no fancy electronic doodads but I seem to get by without them! LOL

  6. jenn says

    Hi, Karen, I have an older Singer sewing machine that I just love. I mostly sew the basics so it’s perfect. Recently my bobbin winder stopped working on it and I did check around for a new machine, but there was so much negative feedback on new machine purchases, that I decided to keep my old one for now and just buy a separate bobbin winder. Works great.

  7. Anonymous says

    I don’t sew a lot compared to some people, but I hate, absolutely hate, machines that “hide” the bottom bobbin, they can be such a pain to load. just my opinion!
    Jeanette

  8. Anonymous says

    Perfect timing! Your story is mine to the letter and I want to tackle sewing as well. I appreciate this post so much!

  9. Anonymous says

    I sew on a 40 year old White machine that was my paternal grandmother’s. Still works great. Very similar to this one: http://www.riverwater.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/oldfaithful.jpg
    This past Christmas I purchased a new machine for a 12 year old young lady just learning to sew. This is the machine I chose for her: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-LS2125I-Easy-To-Use-Lightweight-10-Stitch/dp/B000EOX28E/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1359651979&sr=1-3&keywords=brother+sewing+machine
    It is a very basic machine, easy to learn on and so far, seems to be just the ticket.

  12. pipigirl says

    lol… you and me both. many moons since home ec. i also enjoyed it. after hi school, itook my little brothers tops and pants, used as a pattern, and made summer jammys. actually turned out rather good i must say. bought a white barely used about a yr. ago for $25.00 hope i did ok. havent used yet, but feeling the urge to. thanks for the info. hope my machine is a decent one. i always thought they were better. we’ll see i guess.

    • Karen Watson says

      Thanks Pipigirl! One of the other commenters above has a White, that she loves, so it must be pretty good! I know they’ve been around a long time, I have lots of old graphics with their ads on them.

  14. JoJoand Eloise says

    I have a total of 5 Machines all Janome.. I Love sewing with them. I started out with a inexpensive Singer and used it maybe 4-5 times and got some advice from an experienced sewer that said Janome is one of the best. I haven’t used anything else since. Love all the comparisons.. Looks like Brother is pretty popular 🙂
    xo
    Angelina

  15. Anonymous says

    Hi Karen!
    I recently bought a Brother Dreamweaver, and boy, does it do it all! It sews, quilts and embroiders. It is a dream to use, and it has so many different features. I just wish I was a little more computer literate, so we could make beautiful seams together. lol Also a Karen.

  16. Lola says

    I’m a Husqvarna Viking fan! I have two machines, the basic Emerald 118 and I just bought an embroidery machine in December. They’re awesome work horses! I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl and learned on my mom’s Kenmore from the 1970s and I still love that machine. I have a Brother serger (bought on Amazon) and that’s a good machine too. I’ve been told by a couple service shops to stay away from the Walmart Brothers and Singers since they cost more to repair then to buy a new machine. Its best to stick with the Vikings, Janomes, Berninas if sewing is your passion. 🙂 I’ve never had issues with my Viking and I’ve put my Emerald through her paces! I blog at http://www.thetreasurehunts.com or on FB http://www.facebook.com/thetreasurehunts

  17. Anonymous says

    In a “former” life, I used to sew for a living – not little things but serious couture stuff and my mother used to be a movie costume designer. Now I just sew now and then but we BOTH swear by Bernina! Mine is 20+ years old, their 1010 Anniversary Edition (just saw one on EBay for $350 ish) I sew everything from silk to upholstery and it makes a decent buttonhole. Don’t think you’d ever use a machine with ooodles of stitches – this has enough and you just don’t usually use anything but straight, zig-zag and an occasional scallop. Hope this helps!

  19. Jann says

    At one point in time I had 5 sewing machines in my sewing room.My favorite is the Brother NX600. Love this machine. I kept the Brother XR65 as a back-up machine and gave away the other 3 machines I have. I don’t think you will be dissapointed with a Brother.

  20. Susan D says

    I have a Kenmore Mini Ultra. It was my mom’s and I love it just for that reason. It is very easy to use and I mostly use it for straight stitches for pillows, curtains, hemming and I also did a sofa slip cover with it. Definitely a good machine for a beginner like me.
    Susan
    sunflowerhugs.blogspot.com

  21. 20 North Ora says

    I sew several hours each day and for years made pillows for designers. I have a Husqvarna Viking, a Janome and a Singer. The Viking is definitely my all-time favorite (all metal, never needs oiling) and the Janome is my second favorite. There’s things I like about both of them. The newer Singers are not what the old ones were. But, I have to have spares in case of an emergency.

    The Vikings are a little more expensive but I don’t think you’d ever wear them out.

    Good luck!!

    Judy

  22. Melissa says

    I actually work at a family owned sewing store. My advise go talk to your local sewing dealer, not a big box store. If you talk to a knowledgable dealer about what you are wanting to do and spend they should be able to give you some good choices. Dealers also get different models of machines then the big box stores do. Most dealers will also show you how to run the machince so you go home knowing more! 🙂

  23. Sherri says

    I do slipcovers and I love my White 1788 Heavy Duty. Apparently it was originally destined for a Home Ec class so I figured it would be sturdy enough for me. It’s not electronic and just has basic stitches, but it easily does everything I need it to. I paid around $300 13 years ago. Sometime I’ll save up for a proper industrial machine, but for now this works great!

  24. Pendra says

    I’ve got a Kenmore Model #385.19153 and I just love it. All the stitches are pre-programmed you just hit a button. It came with all the bells and whistles and I don’t think there isn’t a thing I couldn’t do with this machine. I can even monogram. The buttonholer is great, you just put on the buttonhole presser foot and slide the button you are using into the back of it and it sews the perfect size you want. Our family has had Singers and Kenmore’s for probably 45 years and have NEVER had a machine break on us… with regular (at home) maintenance I think they will probably outlive me! Good luck hon!
    Hugs,
    ~Pendra

  25. the teacup incident says

    This whole discussion with comments has been so helpful! I’ve been using my grandmother’s 1974 Singer for sewing and paper crafts. Its a real workhorse but only has two stitches – straight and zigzag. The bobbin is also “hidden” which is a pain to deal with. I mostly sew simple fabric projects (pillow covers, napkins, table runners, bunting) but I want to explore more unique projects such as purses and applique. Its great to hear what other people find useful. Thank you for posting this comparison of various lower cost (and used) machines 🙂

  26. Anonymous says

    I have been sewing for 40 years and have made about everything; my wedding dress, a tailored wool coats and jackets, drapes, heirloom smocked dresses, kid clothes, etc. I have a Viking 1+ and it is an amazing machine. The Vikings are made by Husquavarna and are sturdy workhorses that need very little maintenance. If I could, I would buy one of the older 46 Series of Vikings, which came out 30 years ago and are still going strong.I have heard it said that Vikings are the Cadillacs of sewing machines and Berninas are the Rolls Royces.
    I would NEVER buy a machine from a big box store. Your local sewing machine dealership is your friend, and should take the time to show you all of the features of each and every machine. You should bring every kind of fabric you can think of to sew on, and they should provide lessons after purchase to show you how to use your machine.
    If money is an issue and you possibly can, buy a high quality used machine at a dealership. You will be getting much higher quality than if you bought a new machine for under $500. The older, non-electronic machines were wonderful and rarely wore out, like any Singer before 1960 (when they started going down in quality). The old machines are metal and may not look as pretty, but they are tried and true. I had a sewing teacher who collected, used, and swore by older, mechanical sewing machines; he had 28, all set up to do his shirt tailoring tasks perfectly.
    You will do more straight stitching than anything else, so make sure your prospective machine can do that perfectly. Believe me, you will not need the 207 diffferent stitches that some machines feature. You will need forward, backward, and zig-zag; anything else is gravy.

    • Anonymous says

      Agree the old Singers are best. I swear by my Singer 401A which was the model used in MY Home-Ec class. All metal, basic stitches plus a few “fun” ones. But then, I’m old-school (pardon the pun) and have no desire for computerized, programmable stuff. Worked at a sewing store through high school and I had to make all my clothes to work there.

      Singer 401A’s are always in demand on eBay which is a testament to this model. Around $200ish depending on what accessories are included. Good Luck and thanks for your wonderful graphics!

  27. Laura Strack says

    I use to sew on my Mom’s machine, taking her worn out pillow cases and I’d make new linens for my barbies! I would use the pillow cases that had pretty tatting/crochet on the edges or 70’s pattern prints. My Barbies had beautiful beds! That was a long time ago and I too want brush up on my skills. This post is perfect timing for me. as well. I can’t wait to see what you choose.

  28. Beverly Ritch says

    Thank you for such a perfect topic!

    Your post fits me to a T also. Except I really wanted to take Shop instead of Home Ec! haha

    I have a very large, beautiful material that I am going to have to tackle soon. It is destined to be our dining room curtains. I have to admit that I am terrified. I will be using my mom’s sewing machine, that I doubt I have ever laid eyes on. Think I better practice before I try the curtains tho!

    • Karen Watson says

      You’re welcome Beverly! How sad that you couldn’t take Shop class, but that’s how it was then, things are so different now! Good luck with your curtains!

  29. Deb says

    I taught myself how to sew about 24 years ago on an old Singer my mom gave me. It didn’t have a bobbin winder so I had to wrap the thread on the bobbin by hand…I guess I really wanted to sew! I now own a Bernina 730 which is a monogram machine also. I love that it can be connected to my laptop and I can import designs from a CD. Still learning how to use all the fancy things it does but enjoying every minute.

  30. Quilt Junkie says

    Great (and possibly controversial) topic Karen! I have a fleet of sewing machines; my “favorite” depends on what I’m working on and where I’m working on it. For a beginning sewist who doesn’t want to spend a ton of money while learning, I can recommend the Brother Project Runway edition from Wal-Mart. I’ve been incredibly impressed with this machine! It does nearly everything my high-dollar machines do, and weighs less than my vintage Singer Featherweights, making it perfect to take to classes and such. It’s a little workhorse and I’ve been extremely impressed with it.

  31. Anonymous says

    I chose JANOME MAGNOLIA ….I had a Baby Lock for 15 years, that I loved, but when the Bobbin winder knob froze up I wanted a new one, so I did a TON of research & listened to people’s comments on Amazon about the brands to choose from. Jan. 2013 I finally choose a Japanese model, JANOME Magnolia #7318 for $250.00. I did not want complicated digital features and I am SEW in love w/it now. The instruction manual is very clear& it has a 25 year warranty. It is simple to operate and I feel so confidant using it now, I’m even teaching my 7 y/o Grndtr. to sew on i. Check it out.
    Regards,Sherry.

  32. Shabby Pink Stamper says

    Hi Karen,
    I have quite a few sewing/embroidery, quilting, embellishing and serging machines. Yes, I am addicted to creating! I just wanted to share my favs. The Viking Husqvarna SE machine is quite the work horse. I am able to sew through 7 layers of fabric. I made slip covers out of canvas and it made it so easy. It also does embroidery beautifully. My lastest machine is the Baby Lock Ellisimo and I just love it! It really makes the sewing experience so much more enjoyable. I love the automatic threader and the large screen. It has way too many wonderful features to name. Hope you check them out. Thank you so much for your awesome downloads and tutorials! I so enjoy all your stuff!

  33. Brian and Ami says

    I agree with all the Janome love. My mom worked in a sew & vac shop for years and got to try out many sewing machines. She agreed that Viking was the high end but that Janome was another great option. I bought a Janome DC1050 off of ebay for $300 about two years ago. It was a little more expensive than a big box machine but has been worth every penny. It is easy to use and sews smooth. I am not a professional by any means but I have been able to sew kids costumes, pillow cases, curtains, holiday crafts, and a quiet book for my kids. The warranty is also amazing.

  34. Erin S aka Nanasrcool says

    Hi Karen,

    Like you, prior to almost 2 years ago, my only sewing experience was in Home Ec in high school. Didnt really care for it then to be honest. I became completely disabled April of ’09. Having worked my whole life while raising 5 children, finding myself not able to work and all but one of my children grown and on their own, I was seriously losing it! I decided to make window treatments for my home.

    My mother bought me a used Singer 7426 for my birthday. I had a friend come over and show me how to thread it and sew with it. I then decided that for my window treatments, I wanted them to be pieced with a stained glass window effect. Also, I wanted roman shades instead of panels. I read all I could find online and watched every tutorial I could. That lead me to quilting. I fell in love with ALL of it! Now I sew all the time!

    I fell OUT of love quickly with the Singer. It was just so LOUD and the vibration was very bad. Not sure if this is because of it being used or what. I purchased a used short arm quilting frame & machine. I got such a great deal on it. It came with the original Inspira Frame & a Viking Mega Quilter with the 9″ throat. This machine is almost identical to others made by Pfaff, Juki, Janomi and Brother. All I have been told by many dealers are almost identical. It also came with a stitch regulator. This was too good of a deal to pass up. She had barely used it and upgraded to a AQPS set up. The whole thing cost me only $1000.00. After a year I still think it was the best deal EVER!

    Because I hated the Singer so much the Viking became my primary machine. I loved how it sewed. Very smooth! Great stitches and no, or very very little vibration. It had the features I really wanted such as, needle up/down, knee lift and thread cutter. It is only a strait stitch machine, but I actually never used any other stitches so that wasn’t a problem. I still wanted to buy another machine though. I wanted to keep the Viking on the frame. It is a very heavy machine. Moving it back and forth was a real pain & not something I could do alone! After reading review after review, taking what I had read as well as cost into consideration,then adding in the features I really wanted. I chose the Juki HZL F400. For all it has on it as far as features, it is MUCH less expensive than comparable machines. It sews like a dream! I do a lot of free motion quilting off the frame & found that the Juki does this as well, if not better than the Viking did.

    My suggestion to anyone buying a machine, do your research! If you are considering a particular machine, talk to people that are using it and have used it for a while. You will learn if it is quiet (a HUGE thing for me), smooth, picky about threads, has tension problems and other things that you need to know going in. Sewing machines have become major purchases. Some are VERY major purchases. I spent months doing my homework when I bought my Juki. I knew it would be my primary machine and I needed it to fill all of my needs and be something I enjoyed using, unlike the Singer which I wanted rid of almost immediately! I just had NO experience sewing and therefore no clue what I needed and wanted in my machine. I would also never buy a high priced machine if you have never sewn before. You will find that when you get into it, a certain type of project will be what you enjoy doing and will probably do almost exclusively. Such as some enjoy making clothing, others home dec stuff or quilting. Different machines have features for different sewing styles. Be relatively sure of what you enjoy and find a machine that matches that, instead of finding one that has tons of features you just do not need and will never use!

    Hope this helps!

    • Erin S aka Nanasrcool says

      I wanted to add,
      I love your blog! My comment may be long, and I apologize. I have lupus and bad brain fog. I have found the hardest thing for me to do is say what I need to say briefly. Finding the words is so hard for me so I am sorry if this is long. However, this is something very important to me and a lesson I learned the hard way!

  35. Eva says

    hello
    ,I have been sewing for 40 years and if I had my wish I would spend all my time creating something on my sewing machine.I have and still enjoy a Riccar machine I bought in 1973 It is all steel inside and out and I have never needed anything but a simple clean and oil.It’s a work horse and sews everything from fine silk to leather and canvas It has stretch stitches,100 embroidery stitches and decent buttonholes, what else do you need?..I also have a very old and beautiful White Treadle machine that sews nicely.if all you need is a straight stitch.I think you should buy the best quality you can afford as cheap machines can lead to frustration with breaking thread,bad tension and really take the fun out of learning to sew which is very discouraging.I have sewn on most machines.The basic Janome is a good model and held up well in a class setting of beginning sewers over a 4 year period with few problems.I agree that the Bernina and the Viking-Husqavarna are the cadilac and the rollsroyce of machines.

  36. Joanne says

    I’ve read all of your comments and have a wealth of info. This is a major investment for me, as I started quilting and need a machine to handle bulk. My old singer is a workhorse but I need something for quilting. Also, thank you for the interesting stories that made me smile! I will let you all know what I decide on.

  37. Liz says

    We get a many of the Singer 9960 Quantum Stylist 600-Stitch for repair in our shop. Our customers love this sewing machine.

  40. Roxanne says

    Thanks for the sewing machine comparison, was helpful to me.

    I am thinking of buying Janome DC3050 from Amazon, I also read reviews it seems a good sewing machine, what will you say?

  43. Tony Woods says

    Hi Karen Watson,
    The idea of Comparing different blogger is awesome. Now we can understand each perspective very well. so that we can make a best choice form ourselves. Different people have different mind settings. Really very good and helpful blog.
    thank you

  44. Kevin Rogers says

    All of the bloggers are really great. the post of them are also very helpful for the DIY. Really great comparison with them all.

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