As someone who enjoys crafting, you will have probably thought about investing in a sewing machine to help you achieve greater results.
However, you may be wondering where to start or what exactly it is that you need to look for. It can be a little overwhelming, to begin with, as there are so many options.
Within this article, we will go over some great options for a sewing machine that can suit a crafters needs, along with what you should be looking out for when considering a machine to purchase.
If you are keen to expand your sewing knowledge then why not check out our complete guide to sewing?
Top 5 Sewing Machines for Crafters
5. Most Popular
- 185 Unique built-in stitches: The HC1850 includes 130 sewing stitches including 8 styles of auto-size buttonholes, plus 55 alphanumeric sewing stitches
- Advanced needle threader and drop-in top bobbin: This sewing and quilting machine includes an advanced needle threading function that easily pushes thread through the needle with the press of a lever and a jam resistant drop-in top bobbin
- Included accessories: The HC1850 quilting and sewing machine includes a wide table, 8 feet, instructional DVD, manual and more
4. Budget Option
- COMPACT AND PORTABLE: The MX60 sewing machine is lightweight, portable, and perfectly suited for smaller spaces or on-the-go sewing. Its compact design allows you to easily transport it to sewing classes or store it when not in use, without compromising performance, making it ideal for both hobbyists and beginners seeking convenience.
- EASY FOR BEGINNERS: With preset stitch length and width, the MX60 offers an intuitive experience even for those new to sewing. Whether you’re looking to sew fashion pieces, piece together quilts, create fun craft projects, or handle simple mending, this machine is designed to make the process straightforward and enjoyable for all skill levels.
- 57 STITCH APPLICATIONS: Featuring 57 stitch applications, the MX60 gives you flexibility for basic, decorative, and creative sewing. Each application allows for various stitch techniques, offering a broad range of options to suit your specific project, from simple seams to more elaborate, eye-catching designs with ease.
- HEAVY-DUTY METAL FRAME: Built with a heavy-duty metal frame, the MX60 remains stable and ensures skip-free sewing, even when working with multiple layers of fabric. This durable construction gives you the confidence to work on a wide range of projects, knowing your machine will last for years to come without sacrificing quality.
- ADJUSTABLE TENSION AND EASY THREADING: The adjustable thread tension dial ensures balanced stitching, regardless of fabric or thread type. Additionally, simple-to-follow threading guides make both upper threading and bobbin winding a breeze, saving you time and allowing you to focus more on your sewing projects.
- CONVENIENT FEATURES: Equipped with 6 built-in stitches, an easy stitch selection dial, a front-loading bobbin system, and a reverse lever, this machine offers a seamless sewing experience. Plus, the LED lighting provides bright, long-lasting illumination for enhanced visibility during detailed work.
- INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: Comes with a accessory kit, which includes an all-purpose foot, zipper foot, buttonhole foot, darning plate, L-screwdriver, seam ripper/brush, 2 spool pin felts, a 3-pack of needles, and 4 SINGER Class 15 bobbins, giving you all the essential tools needed to kickstart your sewing journey.
3. Fan Favorite
- SPECIAL EDITION SEWING MACHINE: SINGER is featured on the popular MAKING THE CUT show, available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. The SINGER M3330 Making the Cut edition sewing machine is a cut above and perfect for any type of sewing.
- STITCH APPLICATIONS: 97 Stitch Applications for any fabric: basic, stretch, decorative.
- BUILT-IN NEEDLE THREADER: Quickly thread your machine with ease.
2.Editor’s Choice
- 37 UNIQUE BUILT-IN STITCHES: The Brother XR3774 includes 37 built-in stitches including blind hem, decorative and quilting stitches and a 1-step buttonhole
- AUTOMATIC NEEDLE THREADER AND DROP-IN TOP BOBBIN: This sewing and quilting machine includes an automatic needle threader that perfectly pushes the thread through the needle and a convenient, jam resistant drop-in top bobbin
- INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: The XR3774 quilting and sewing machine comes with a machine cover, wide table, 8 sewing feet, instructional DVD, and more
1. Must-Have Option
Buyer’s Guide: Sewing Machines for Crafters
How much will a sewing machine cost?
The price of a sewing machine can vary greatly depending on your needs and therefore what features you require from your machine.
Features such as additional features, computerization, or wider table can all affect the pricing of a product and so you should really consider what you need from your machine.
Most crafters will be looking at machines that are around $150-200 in price and for this, you will get a machine that is capable and can have some interesting features to help you in your crafting.
If you foresee yourself sewing very often then you might also want to consider spending a little extra to get a sewing machine with more features that will make the machine more appealing for long-term use.
What should crafters look for in a sewing machine?
There are quite a few things that crafters should take notice of if they want to get the most out of their sewing machine.
Many features that are offered by sewing machines could be of great use to crafters and help either speed up the process of crafting or provide the opportunity for greater detail or complexity within your crafting work.
What follows are a few features to consider when looking for your sewing machine and why these could prove useful to you.
Is stitch length important?
Stitch length can provide you with a few different things. For example, a greater length of the stitch to provide you with a different aesthetic as a greater the length of the stitch will display the stitch as more spread out.
Another reason for wanting a different stitch length could be that you want a shorter stitch length to provide whatever product you’re crafting with greater integrity.
A shorter stitch length will provide you with more points of contact and therefore give your crafted product more strength, whereas a longer stitch will be weaker.
Of course, if the strength of the product is not a concern then choosing a stitch length that looks nicer may be more important to you.
- 80 Built-in designs: The SE600 comes with 80 built-in designs and 6 embroidery lettering fonts for personalizing your projects.Maximum Embroidery Speed (spm) : 400. UL/CSA Listed Voltage : 110v.
- Automatic needle threader and drop-in top bobbin: This sewing and embroidery combo machine includes an automatic needle threader that perfectly pushes the thread through the needle and a convenient, jam resistant drop-in top bobbin
- 103 Built-in sewing stitches: This machine features 103 sewing stitches including 10 styles of auto-size buttonholes. Maximum Sewing Speed (Stitches per minute)- 710
Can I change the stitch length?
The ability to change the length of the stitch can be a great feature to have and can really allow you to have more control over how you make your products.
Most sewing machines will have options for you to be able to change the stitch length with the machine itself. This is a much better option than doing it by hand as it will help remove some of the human error.
Of course, if you have to do this by hand then of course be careful not the injure yourself and take care that you don’t ruin your work by rushing it.
Will I be able to change the type of stitch?
Another feature that can really open up your options creatively, is for the machine to include multiple stitches out of the box.
Having many different stitches to choose from will allow you to choose an option that will provide you with the integrity you need as well as a good looking design that can take your product up to the next level aesthetically.
Zigzag, straight, rolled edge, stretch and many more are all kinds of stitches you can choose to use and there is such a wide variety to choose from.
Take a look at what the sewing machine you have chosen can offer you in terms of stitches and if this is right for you to make sure you get the most out of your machine.
Should I get a Computerized or Manual Sewing Machine?
Computerized
A computerized sewing machine is simply a sewing machine that has some form of computer onboard that can offer you some extra functionality from your machine.
One way in which this can be used in some software that can allow you to add custom stitches to all your projects. One use of this is to add embroidered initials to your work that are added automatically by the machine.
If you make a lot of the same products often, you can also use the machine to do some of the most common lines of stitches for you and save you some time in the process.
Manual
A manual sewing machine is the usual type of machine in which the machine doesn’t take care of things like custom embroidery automatically.
Instead on a manual machine, you would add this embroidery yourself each time by hand. This is not to say that these machines do not have useful features.
Most manual machines will offer you a variety of stitches, pedals, and speeds to choose from. The lack of computerization just means that you won’t be able to let the machine carry out tasks for you.
So which is best for me?
In the end, if you feel like you would benefit from some of the time-saving features of a computerized machine, then you should consider purchasing one.
However, if you feel like you can work just fine with a manual machine then there are plenty to choose from and both kinds come in a variety of shapes and sizes with specializations for certain tasks.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, there are a whole host of sewing machines that would make a great choice for crafters.
With plenty of variety in features, build quality, and different ways to save you time, there is an ample range of choices for you to choose from to make sure you get the most for your money.
