BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Embroidery I want an Embroidery Machine

What kind should I get.

I want to be able to do machine embroidery at home and I would also like one that does the machine quilting. I am a single Mom and would like to also do it to earn a little money on the side as well as for my own personal use.

What kind of machine do you guys recommend. I understand they are expensive, I should imagine $5000 would be the max money I could spend. A family member is offering to purchase one for me so thats why that is even posible.

As I understand it, you can download patterns from the internet directly to the machine.

Any input you can give me would be appreciated. I do not currently own a machine like this so this would be a learning experience for me. I do know how to sew on a regular machine but as I understand it this is a totally different situation.

Hi Lisa

If you have a look at this article on Buying an Embroidery Machine it should assist you in making your purchase.

I'm not a machine embroiderer myself, but it's mostly those at the top end of the market that do quilting and machine embroidery. Most good embroidery machines can also be used for plain stitching, and all of them utilise digitised patterns - however they all have their own formats, which you have to be careful of when you download anything from the internet.

A warning about downloading - like any download it can be dangerous. Unscrupulous people include spyware and viruses in these patterns like they do elseware. DOwnload only from a reputable source - usually the manufacturer's website is safest.

You also need to ensure that your computer is compatable with the transference method into the machine. It's no use downloading, if you can't get them to your machine.

I hope the article helps - and I know that there are a couple of machine enthusiasts here that will, no doubt, help more.

I have said this before. The kind of machine you buy should be based on your wishes, but foremost on the basis of the dealer you have available. There are good dealers and indifferent ones. You want a good one who does his own service and maintenance.
A good European machine, Bernina, Pfaff, Husqvarna will last longer than a Japanese one. I do not know if Elna is still made in Europe or not. My wife has a Bernina that has done over 17 million stitches .The dealer said he has not seen anything like it before.
I doubt if a Japanese made machine would have lasted that long, but they also cost less.
If you want to earn money, you may be better off with a second hand commercial machine. They take up a lot of space, but they work faster.

I agree, Fritsau. You can't go wrong with a Swiss or German machine. My Elna is as old as I am (and weighs a ton - it comes from the '60's when they were solid metal and was the top of the line - able to do normal sewing and embroidery) and my mother's is older than me and both still run beautifully. In fact, my mum used hers as a professional dressmaker and in 1974 it spent 10 days 20 feet under water (the Brisbane Floods) and after a full service, still went on without a problem!

Elna is now made by Janome, and are still made in Europe, but they are all plastic now and don't have the quality.

I know that if I was to buy a new machine, it would be a Bernina or Huskvarna or Pfaff.