If you like embroidery and want a home embroidery machine to try it out yourself, you may be puzzled by which type of machine is the best one for you. This depends on what you want to do with the machine as well as your budget, and the clearer you can be, the easier it will be for you to choose the best one.
Here are some of the essential features in home embroidery machines that make a difference in how you use the machine.
Combination Sewing And Embroidery VS Embroidery Only Machines
Some machines can only embroider. They cannot sew standard sewing stitches. This type of machine could be what you want if you already have a sewing machine and want an additional machine for embroidery, or if you don't sew but want to embellish ready-made items, crafts, or garments.
A combination machine which can both sew and embroider could be right for you if you want a sewing machine too, if you want to upgrade your old sewing machine, or if your space is limited and you want both functions in one compact machine. It's easy to switch between sewing and embroidery, but there is some disadvantage in having to set it up for one or the other.
Is It User-Friendly?
Look first at the buttons and control screen. Is it easy to select the design you want to stitch? How easy is it to import additional designs? Do the graphics and sequences make sense to you? Is it easy to understand the menus?
Many users report that they most love the utility capabilities such as automatic thread cutting, bobbin handling, and automatic threading that make stitching everything so much easier.
Maximum Embroidery Field Size
Embroidery machines stitch inside a field or frame. This size is a physical limitation of the machine and it can't stitch outside this area even with a larger hoop. Therefore, this is the largest design that you can stitch at one time.
Many embroidery designs are available for the standard 4x4 inch frame size, but some require a 5x7 or even larger field. You need to think about the types of things you want to embellish and how large they are. Of course with a larger frame size, you can embroider larger projects such as jacket backs. But these machines also are more expensive.
Importing Embroidery Designs
Sooner or later, you'll want to stitch designs that aren't built-in to your machine. There's a wealth of designs available both for free download from the Internet and to purchase in various places. Different machines have different ways of downloading extra designs.
Many older machines only have a memory card slot for importing designs from special embroidery cards. Even better are machines that have USB ports. You don't need extra software to write the cards. You just use your computer's regular software to copy embroidery files either to a USB thumb or flash drive, or directly from your computer if the USB port is only compatible with a USB cable.
Value For Money And Your Budget
Home embroidery machines cost anywhere from less than 500 dollars to many thousands of dollars. The high-end machines perform more functions, are faster and/or heavier duty. But you may not need or want all of these functions - some will be more important to you than others. And nowadays, some of the more affordable machines offer a surprising range of features for the money.
If you need a high-end machine costing thousands of dollars, you need to find a knowledgeable dealer that offers good support and training, and test-drive all the machines.
Here are some of the essential features in home embroidery machines that make a difference in how you use the machine.
Combination Sewing And Embroidery VS Embroidery Only Machines
Some machines can only embroider. They cannot sew standard sewing stitches. This type of machine could be what you want if you already have a sewing machine and want an additional machine for embroidery, or if you don't sew but want to embellish ready-made items, crafts, or garments.
A combination machine which can both sew and embroider could be right for you if you want a sewing machine too, if you want to upgrade your old sewing machine, or if your space is limited and you want both functions in one compact machine. It's easy to switch between sewing and embroidery, but there is some disadvantage in having to set it up for one or the other.
Is It User-Friendly?
Look first at the buttons and control screen. Is it easy to select the design you want to stitch? How easy is it to import additional designs? Do the graphics and sequences make sense to you? Is it easy to understand the menus?
Many users report that they most love the utility capabilities such as automatic thread cutting, bobbin handling, and automatic threading that make stitching everything so much easier.
Maximum Embroidery Field Size
Embroidery machines stitch inside a field or frame. This size is a physical limitation of the machine and it can't stitch outside this area even with a larger hoop. Therefore, this is the largest design that you can stitch at one time.
Many embroidery designs are available for the standard 4x4 inch frame size, but some require a 5x7 or even larger field. You need to think about the types of things you want to embellish and how large they are. Of course with a larger frame size, you can embroider larger projects such as jacket backs. But these machines also are more expensive.
Importing Embroidery Designs
Sooner or later, you'll want to stitch designs that aren't built-in to your machine. There's a wealth of designs available both for free download from the Internet and to purchase in various places. Different machines have different ways of downloading extra designs.
Many older machines only have a memory card slot for importing designs from special embroidery cards. Even better are machines that have USB ports. You don't need extra software to write the cards. You just use your computer's regular software to copy embroidery files either to a USB thumb or flash drive, or directly from your computer if the USB port is only compatible with a USB cable.
Value For Money And Your Budget
Home embroidery machines cost anywhere from less than 500 dollars to many thousands of dollars. The high-end machines perform more functions, are faster and/or heavier duty. But you may not need or want all of these functions - some will be more important to you than others. And nowadays, some of the more affordable machines offer a surprising range of features for the money.
If you need a high-end machine costing thousands of dollars, you need to find a knowledgeable dealer that offers good support and training, and test-drive all the machines.
About the Author:
If you want an affordable home embroidery machine that offers a lot of value for the money, check out the Brother SE400 which is a 4x4 inch, combination sewing and embroidery machine with cable USB port or the Brother PE 770 which is a 5x7 inch, embroidery-only machine with USB thumb drive port.