Stitches

anyone know which embroidery plus sewing machine is worth buying in a price range of 1,700?

I need a sewing and embroidery machine, but scince I don't know anything about sewing machines I don't want to get jerked around.

Public Comments

1. The Disney one at Walmart is a pretty good one. I have a Brother Pacesetter PC 8200 and I bought it second hand. I absolutely love it. I have hours of entertainment with it. Around here they tell me if they stay still I will embroider them.
2. Hi, If I were you I wld go on Ebay and search for embroidery machine - before you buy from anyone though I wld really look at their feedbck to make sure they are a good seller, possibly call t hem and talk to them in person if you can. A gently used machine is a good investment. I have had a Singer XL-1000 that I got for 1,000 dollars more than a decade ago and it still sews great and has had hard use since I have been in embroidery biz 15 yrs. I just use it to sew logos but it does sew up to a 6x10 hoop size so is not so limited as many of the very cheap machines are that only sew 4x4 inches. The XL-1000 has been discontinued so not a good choice for you now as parts are not so available. I also have a Viking Designer 1 that is getting up there in age too and it was pricier and no better than the Singer. We do have commercial machines now that we use mostly but when I have a big order of left chest logos I just start up the 2 home machines and sew on them too to get done quicker. Look for the Largest hoop size you can get for your money and the least sewing hrs. Good to know when the last time it was sewn with, and last time it was serviced. Joann's Fabric Stores used to have Viking dealers in their stores but do not know if they still do and you sometimes can buy used home embroidery machines there. A 4x4 hoop really doesn't sew a 4x4 design mostly. It sews about 3.5x3.5 as there is an area that is a guard against the hoop being hit by the needle so it can't utilize all the space and you will find very soon you will want to be able to sew larger designs, too. Also once you get your machine and are learning it, there are many Yahoo Groups that specialize in machine embroidery and in specific brand machines so there is a lot of help out there - so do not get discouraged - sometimes it is a lot to grasp when start out but really not so bad and the results are so spectacular!! I belong to lots and Hooked on Embroidery is my fav Yahoo Group for general embroidery questions. The Coates brand embroidery threads that Walmart carries are very nice and that is what I started with and still buy sometimes. Very shiny and run well in most machines. If you wnt to see what we do now - after 15 yrs - I listed our web addresses in the sources so you cld see we do lol know what we are talking about! Good luck! Jill
3. I have a Janome 1100 and it sews wonderfully as well as wonderful embroidery machine. Easy to get patterns from the Internet to the machine with some simple instructions. It has a 4X4 and 5X7 hoops and you can buy a extra large hoop and also a accessory to do caps if you are in the business. Make sure it has some repair time left. Just to make sure it runs smoothly. Julia
4. I am a massive fan of Husqvarna machines. I have the Quilt Designer 2 with the embroidery unit, software and card reader.writer. I agree have a ring around your local machine suppliers and ask them for a machine that will do both sewing and embroidery - some are designed to be standalone embroidery units. A good supplier would be happy to demonstrate the machine for you, most will offer a free 1 hour lesson ont he machine after your purchase also. Also, have a look on www.husqvarnaviking.com and you can see all the spec on their machine range :D Good luck in making your decision :D