Replies to This Post

Permalink Reply by Tara on June 20, 2009 at 1:47pm

I could be wrong on this, but I don't know that any of the less expensive machine will let you create your own design on the machine itself. You would probably want to get Embird or something similar. There is also an add-on for Embird that will let you use any TT font to create designs.

My price range when I was looking was $1000-$1500 (hoping for the lower end of that.) I got a Janome 350e, which come with a 5x7 hoop and can use the Giga Hoop too, but that is embroidery only. I looked at the Brother Innovis 900D, which is sewing/embroidery combo, but it lists the max. size as 4x4. Personally, I haven't done much yet that I wouldn't be able to use the 4x4 hoop for except for embroidering names in a bigger font size.

If your price range is higher than $1500, there are probably a few more machine in the Janome and Brother lines that will give you want you want.

Hope this helps!

-Tara

Permalink Reply by Robin on June 20, 2009 at 2:07pm

Tara - thank you. I was thinking of using designs that are on my computer - and either using a disk to put it on the machine or a direct link between the machine and computer via (usb?) cable.
def.not over the $1500 mark... ouch! This is for personal use - not planning on selling items.

Permalink Reply by donna on June 20, 2009 at 11:22pm

I have a Babylock Ellegante, its a combo machine. There might be some used ones out there.
This comes w/ 4 hoops bigger than the 5x7 size hoops.
The Babylock and Brother machines are user friendly machines, easy to use. There also the Janomo machine's combo. to look into.

Look on there website to look at the different machines that they have.
This way when you go to look at them in person, you will know a little more about the machine you're interested in.
Here's there website--

www.brother-usa.com

www. babylock.com babylock has some vidio's on there machines.

Hope this helps a little.

There's also Bernina- They have different price range and some used ones if your interested.
www.berninausa.com

Donna

Permalink Reply by Janet Hayes on July 5, 2009 at 12:52pm

Hi Robin,
I had a Singer Futura that I was not happy with at all, so you may want to steer clear of those. :( The bobbin housing kept trying to come up through the top of the machine. Also, the thread kept bunching up underneath. It's not like I'm an inexperienced embroiderer either. I've worked in the commercial embroidery industry for 15 yrs. My niece just bought a Husqvarna machine that she's very pleased with, and it has a larger embroidery area. She'd also owned a Singer Futura that she finally just gave up on. If you want to try your hand at digitizing, Embird lets you try out their program before buying it: www.embird.com . Good luck with the new machine!

Janet

Permalink Reply by Jo Connolly on July 21, 2009 at 9:20am

Hi, Robin,
It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the machines out there. If you have a dealer that's local, start there and get a feel for whether they're a good fit for you. All the top brands offer good machines these days, so if you're new to embroidery, a good dealer is key. They'll be there to teach you to use it and to service it as needed.
To be able to create your own designs from scratch, you'll need what's called "digitizing software". It creates the files that your machine will "read" to run the design. There is a learning curve, so again, a good dealer is important. You might have heard that you can easily turn a graphic or photo into a design file, but there is a bit more to it than that. You need to understand what a "good" embroidery design involves - things like density, underlay, stitch type, registration, running order... so lessons will be a big help. Embroidery digitizing software isn't cheap. And sometimes a dealer might lead you to believe that you need THEIR company's software to run THEIR machines. Not true...just so long as the software you get "writes" in the format that your machine "reads". I run a Babylock Ellegante and 2 commercial, 15-thread machines off of Bernina V5 software because I love it. It's "written" by one of the top 2 commercial software companies so it does everything I need it to. Someone mentioned Embird and that's a great software and one of the most reasonably priced around, based on the firepower it gives you :)
Be careful if you're thinking of buying online as dealer support of the machine might be hard to come by.
All that said...you will LOVE it once you get started!

Permalink Reply by Lauren Youngs on August 7, 2009 at 8:44am

I have the babylock ellageo Esg3 and love it. It is a discontinued machine and I am sure you could get a used one for a great price. Lots of people trade in great machines and from the dealer you will get a warranty on the machine.

Permalink Reply by Lauren Youngs on December 29, 2009 at 9:11am

I would say Babylock and Brother are the best choice, since I have had both and Brother makes
Babylock. Brother is less expensive than Babylock and every year they offer a rebate, this year it was $500. A used machine from a trusted dealer would be a great start for you. Good Luck. Lauren