Very Best Sewing Machines You’ll Wish You Had
The best sewing machines are ones that are indispensable tools that almost anyone can put to good use. A sewing machine will greatly increase your creative potential, whether you need to shorten your pants or curtains, make baby blankets, or just play around with fabric. Even though there are machines aimed at beginners here, with proper maintenance and care, a sewing machine can endure for decades. “All machinery, no matter what, will need to get repaired at some point,” says historical costumer and anesthesiologist Christine Millar, echoing the sentiments of several of the specialists presented here. “You might want to know who in your neighborhood can truly service your equipment because that’s extremely crucial,” one customer said.
Award categories could include “best overall,” “best for beginners,” “best all-purpose,” “best upgrade all-purpose,” “best serger,” “best splurge,” “best antique,” and “best vintage.”
Buyers Guide to the Very Best Sewing Machines
Style of Machine: Numerous types and brands of sewing machines fall under this umbrella term. Each machine has its own unique set of capabilities, and together they allow for hundreds of distinct stitches and uses. Conventional sewing machines typically employ two threads to complete a straight stitch and provide a limited repertoire of decorative stitches, such as straight, zigzag, and smocking stitches. (Some machines include extra features beyond the basics, such as the ability to make buttonholes or execute simple embroidery.) Often featured are embroidery-capable sewing machines and sergers, also called overlock machines, which employ three or four threads to trim and finish the raw edge of fabric in a single pass.
The category will tell you what your machine is designed to accomplish best and what it will perform frequently and with the most ease. There is plenty of crossover within these types; for example, my sewing machine has an option meant to simulate an overlock stitch. Like the purchase of many other appliances, settling on a sewing machine requires weighing its general utility against the potential benefits of a more specialized model. According to Millar, a basic sewing machine with a variety of practical stitches is a fine place to start. “You don’t need the fanciest machine in the world to perform most home sewing,” she adds. A dedicated machine may be worth the investment if you have a specific goal in mind, such as quilting or creating a finished garment.
Improvements in lifestyle quality: Features that make repetitive activities easier, especially threading needles, were recommended by several of the experts we spoke to, even though they aren’t absolutely necessary for a well-functioning machine. Maayan Zilberman, founder of the confectionery firm Sweet Saba, believes that beginners require a machine that is “very easy to thread,” because otherwise, “each time you get a jam or need to switch color thread, it’s another excuse to give up on the project.” Also, Jessie Randall, creator of the Loeffler Randall shoe line, gushes over the auto-cut feature on her machine, noting that it “saves so much time and thread, which is vital for someone who is always sewing and wants to be frugal with materials.”
Some contemporary sewing machines are computerized, providing for greater flexibility in customizing than would be possible with a mechanical, microchip-less machine. However, many of the specialists we talked to favored mechanical devices because to their relative ease of maintenance and repair. Bryn Taubensee, Vaquera’s designer and co-founder, argues that “digital machines can develop a mind of their own.” “A straight and zigzag stitch is all you truly need; you don’t need one with bells and whistles.”
superior in every way
Janome Sewing Machine HD1000, Black
Sewing Machine, 14 Stitches, Black Janome HD1000, $295.00 | Mechanical
Tracy Ma, a graphic designer and avid home seamstress, received this straightforward yet powerful Janome machine from her husband as a birthday present. She explains, “My mother-in-law Susan is a professional quilter, and her quilting pal spoke highly of this machine.” Ma praises the machine’s “extremely hard-wearing” aluminum build and its “compact footprint.” She explains that it’s ideal for New York apartments since it folds up so little that you can store it in a closet. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it for me. Over the years, I’ve recommended it several times to people who have never sewn before.
PURCHASE ON AMAZON FOR $295
The best machine for a novice is $400 at SewingPartsOnline.com.
Arctic Crystal Janome A Simple Machine for Sewing
The Arctic Crystal Janome Simple to Operate Sewing Machine
15-stitch mechanical sewing machine for $200
Writer at The Strategist Kat Gillespie notes, “What convinced me was the accompanying YouTube tutorials seemingly intended for youngsters wishing to hem their Depop jeans.” Gillespie said that the blue Easy-to-Use machine she purchased in 2021 was the best purchase she made that year. She appreciates that it can be turned on and used immediately, and that it is “neither over- nor underloaded with functionality,” an ideal trait for newcomers.
Discounted from $214 on Amazon to $200 at JOANN
Highest-rated universal sewing machine
A Portable Computerized Sewing Machine, the Singer Quantum Stylist 9960
Digital Handheld Sewing Machine Singer Quantum Stylist 9960
Sewing and quilting machine with 600 stitches | Computerized regularly $500 now $450, a save of 10%
The founder of Loeffler Randall, Jessie Randall, has a Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 that “sits right at my dining table, like a sixth member of my family.” The machine “can do so many things, including quilting, embroidery, making hundreds of various stitches, and gathering fabric,” she says, and it has stood up well following repeated usage on a variety of projects. She has used it to make cushions, quilts, Halloween costumes, scrunchies, prototypes of Loeffer Randall slippers, and over 1,200 cloth face masks during the pandemic. As an added bonus, it has an automatic thread cutter, which is one of Randall’s favorite features: “When you are done sewing, you can click a small button and it cuts the thread really near to the fabric… Extra thread tails add up quickly while I’m making 30 face masks at once or quilting.
Amazon Price: $450
The most advanced, versatile sewing machine is only $340 at WALMART.
Electronic Sewing Machine, Brother Pacesetter PS500
Automatic Sewing Machine, Brother Pacesetter PS500
Stylish computerized sewing machine with 100 stitches, just $800
Angela Wolf, a pattern designer, suggests the Brother Pacesetter PS500 as a versatile computerized machine because it “provides outstanding high-end capabilities at a mid-level budget,” such as automated reinforcement stitches and one-step buttonholes. (She also suggests the $150 Pacesetter PS100 as “a more budget-friendly model for truly new novice sewing.” )
The best serger is the Juki MO654DE Portable Thread Serger Sewing Machine, which can be purchased for $800 at Walmart or $1,060 through AUSTIN Sewing Machines and Quilting.
Thread Serger Sewing Machine, Portable, Juki MO654DE
Mechanic Sergeant | 369$
Designer and heavy-duty serger user Rhi Dancey owns a used industrial machine by the cult Japanese brand Juki, which she describes as “really, really, really wonderful” and uses “all the time” in her studio. Taubensee is particularly fond of the native MO 654DE model: Two of them are still going strong after seven years of use, according to her.
Overstock: $369 | Amazon: $369
Excellent luxury sewing machine
The QE Bernina 770 Needlework Equipment
The QE Bernina 770 Needlework Equipment
$6,999
Embroidery and sewing machine with 991 built-in stitches and a custom stitch designer interface | Electronic
Three of the experts we spoke with recommended the Swiss manufacturer Bernina as a desirable brand for those willing to splurge on the sports car of sewing machines due to the devoted following the company has garnered for its unwavering quality and dependability. Zilberman’s mother gifted her with a Bernina sewing machine when she was a senior in high school, an act she likened to “[receiving] a spacecraft so that I could go to a local college.” Zilberman was “very overwhelmed by all the many features that it had,” but now she agrees that once you get used to it, it’s the greatest.
BERNINA: $6,999
SEW MUCH MORE PRICED AT $6,999
Vintage sewing machines are the best.
The Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine
Start at $525 for a Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine
Picture of a straight-stitch only retail sewing machine | Mechanical
“Having an ancient Featherweight is virtually a status symbol,” explains Millar. These machines, which were made from 1933 to the 1960s, have a devoted fan base among seamstresses thanks to their durability and longevity. It’s a very potent tool. It’s so powerful that you can use it to sew leather. It produces a very precise stitch. Millar claims that the machine’s “ridiculously long” lifespan makes it simple to locate spare components and accoutrements. This cast-aluminum device weighs about the same as comparable sized plastic devices on this list, at around 11 pounds.
The Featherweight’s design is another reason for its widespread appeal: “it’s incredibly cute, fits into any New York City apartment, and has a pretty cute packaging,” as Millar puts it. Millar cited the firm Sew Serious, which sells painted-to-order Featherweights in 30 different hues, such as candy pink or forest green, in addition to sites like eBay, where there are numerous online vendors who specialize in old Featherweights.
STARTING AT ROXANNE QUILTS $525, HIP STITCH $1,169
The finest old sewing machine
Sewing Machine, Singer 401A
The Singer 401A Sewing Machine
$601
Storefront Display
machine that sews; can do a variety of stitches, including zigzag; mechanical
Taubensee suggests looking into purchasing a vintage machine, which she like due of their sturdy metal design. The Singer 401A, which was produced from 1956 to 1961, is her favorite sewing machine since it is both “wonderful vintage” and “very solid” even after all these years. Because of their mechanical simplicity, virtually anyone can figure out how to maintain and repair them. It was fascinating to learn how to disassemble, clean, and service my equipment by following a video on YouTube, as Taubensee reports. To this day, she has the machine repaired by a professional, and she, like Millar, notes that the 401A’s widespread production means that replacement parts are easier to come by than for certain earlier models.
Sixty-one dollars at ACME Revival
We’ve written extensively about the Singer Beginners Sew Kit, but here are some other sewing tools:
This is an excellent starter sewing set.
At Amazon, you can get this for for $13!
Fiskars Acrylic Ruler, 6×24 Inch, $16 (at JOANN)
Ruler made of transparent plastic that “simplifies fabric work.”
$20
MAKE YOUR PURCHASE ON AMAZON
A Contoured, Cordless, Multi-Directional Steam/Dry Iron from Panasonic with 1500 Watts of Power
An inexpensive iron for creating a polished finish on sewing tasks.
$100
MAKE YOUR PURCHASE ON AMAZON
Our Professionals
Jessie Randall, founder of Loeffler Randall; Bryn Taubensee, designer and co-founder of Vaquera; Tracy Ma, graphic designer; Kat Gillespie, writer and strategist; Christine Millar, historical costumer; Rhi Dancey, fashion designer;
Designer Angela Wolf and Sweet Saba creator Maayan Zilberman.
