Best Sewing Machine For Beginners – Ultimate List

The ultimate list of 35 best sewing machines for beginners. Complete buyer’s guide on brand selection and features. Recommendations based on performance and durability.

Best Sewing Machine For Beginners

Finding the best sewing machine for beginners is a tough task. It takes reading a lot of reviews, asking friends, asking family members etc etc. In the beginning me myself had a hard time finding a good beginners sewing machine. I am a kind of person who really don’t like the idea of visiting dozens of websites and reading reviews to make a choice. So I decided to do a one stop buyer’s guide for those who are looking for the best sewing machines available in U.S market. This is a long article, I will try my best to bring all the information required to make a buying decision. But still, you know what is best for you, I am just trying to help you out.

Understanding Your Requirements

The first and foremost thing before starting the search for the best sewing machine for beginners is to understand your requirements. There are thousands of sewing machines available both online and in the stores. If you are not sure about your requirements, it will be like shooting in the dark.

What Projects Will You Be Working On

The kind of projects you plan to work with your sewing machine is an important factor. If you are a person who want to sew a lot of thick fabrics like denim, you will be better of buying a heavy duty machine with a strong motor. If you want to do a lot of fancy stuffs and embroidery, a sewing machine with a lot of decorative stitches is what you need.

Computerized or Mechanical Sewing Machine

There are two types of sewing machines available in the market, computerized and mechanical. I personally recommend computerized sewing machines for beginners, simply for the ease of use. Computerized machines will have a lot of automated features which will be great help for beginners. Features like automatic needle threader, automatic tension, automatic stitch length and width, programmable needle up/down are the ones you have to look out for. Computerized machines generally have an LCD display where you can view all settings.

The main advantage of mechanical sewing machines over computerized machines is that, mechanical sewing machines generally last longer. Computerized machines with all those electronic parts can misbehave at times. Durability is one factor, you will have to take into account if you are shelling out more than $200 on a machine. Below $200, you really don’t have to worry about durability as those machines are not expected to serve you over 5 years. If you find a manufacturer who claims that a sewing machine under $200 will last for 8 years, sue them ! You can have a look at the list of Top 10 Sewing Machines Available In U.S For Under $200.

Customer Service Location

Brands like Brother, Singer and Janome have the most service centers in U.S. You don’t want your machine to travel 100 miles to get it repaired. Of the three above said brands, Brother has the best service in U.S.

Portability

Portability is not a huge factor unless you want to take your machine to sewing classes. A typical beginners sewing machine weigh around 17 pounds. There are some lighter machines that weigh 10 pounds or so, but I really don’t recommend such machines. Because those machines come with more plastic parts and they won’t last that long. Nowadays you can’t get 100% heavy-duty machines, at least look for machines that come with heavy-duty metal frames. You can read our list of Best Heavy Duty Sewing Machines Under $300 For Beginners.

Quality And Budget

Higher the price, better the quality. Most people think that way, unfortunately that is not the case always. I have seen some low cost sewing machines that are of better quality than some expensive ones. One such machine is the Brother CS6000i, which to me is the best sewing machine for beginners. It is affordable, has all the latest features and its performance is right up there with high end models.

Best Brand For A Beginners Sewing Machine

As far as entry level models are concerned, Brother, Singer and Janome produce the best machines, at least in the U.S. So you will be better of buying a machine from any of these three manufacturers.

Top 10 Beginners Sewing Machines From Brother

Brother is the most trusted brand for beginners sewing machines. They have a wide range of low-medium cost sewing machines.

1. Brother CS6000i

If you ask me, which is the best beginners machine, I will say Brother CS6000i all day. It is a computerized sewing machine. It has quite a lot of features at an affordable price. It is also listed among ‘Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut’. If you want to analyze the pros and cons of this machine, Read Full Review.

Features

  • 60 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use
  • Noiseless
  • Excellent price

2. Brother XL2600I

Looking for a sewing machine that costs well under $100? Brother XL2600I is the one to consider. It ranks second in the list of most sold sewing machine models in U.S. This is a mechanical sewing machine. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 25 built-in stitches
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use
  • Low price

3. Brother Laura Ashley CX155LA

Laura Ashley CX155LA is an underestimated sewing machine. People are not quite aware of this model. It is a quality sewing machine. It is more of an upgraded version of Brother CS6000i. It works well with any kind of fabrics. It is a computerized machine. Read Full Review.

Features

  • 155 built-in stitches
  • Extra wide table
  • Needle up/down
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use
  • Perfect stitches

4. Brother LS2125i

Another low cost sewing machine from Brother. It is the cheapest sewing machine available from Brother. It doesn’t mean that it is a low quality machine. It is highly rated by customers. It is the king of basic stuffs. If you are looking for a basic machine to gift to your 4-8 year old daughter, this is the best option. It is not expensive and has all the essential features of a beginners machine. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 10 built-in stitches
  • Automatic 4-step buttonhole
  • Inexpensive
  • Easy to use

5. Brother CE7070PRW

It is an excellent computerized sewing machine. The only problem is that CS6000i comes in the same price range. So this model loses out to  CS6000i. Otherwise it is a quality machine and has 10 more built-in stitches than CS6000i. Read Full Review.

Features

  • 70 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • 7 Automatic 1-step buttonholes
  • Extra wide table
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use
  • Affordable

Other quality beginners machines from Brother are:

6. Brother CS5055PRW

7. Brother XR9500PRW

8. Brother HC1850

9. Brother XL-3750

10. Brother DZ2400

Top 5 Beginners Sewing Machines From Singer

Singer isn’t the Singer that it used to be. During the good old days, Singer machines used to last at least 15 years. Nowadays, the quality is not quite there. Initially I was thinking of doing a top 10 list, but I couldn’t find many quality machines to fill the list. So I decided to trim down the list to 5.

1. Singer 7258 Stylist

By far the best beginners machine from Singer. It has also won the Women’s Choice award for the best home sewing machine. It will work well for beginners and intermediate sewers. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 100 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Needle up/down
  • Easy to use

2. Singer 7256 Stylist

This one is the lower version of 7258. The main difference between 7256 and 7258 is that, 7256 doesn’t have needle up/down and Start/Stop button. Both are similarly priced, So I recommend Singer 7258 instead of this one. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 70 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use

3. Singer 4423

One of the best low cost heavy duty sewing machines available in U.S. It ranks first in the list of best heavy duty sewing machines published by Sewing Machine Reviews. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 23 built-in stitches
  • Heavy-duty
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic 1-step buttonhole
  • Drop-in bobbin
  • Easy to use
  • Inexpensive

4. Singer 1507WC

A highly underestimated, low cost sewing machine. It doesn’t have a lot of features, but it does what it is supposed to do. A good machine to consider in the under 100 category. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 8 built-in stitches
  • Low cost
  • 4-step buttonhole
  • Value for money

5. SINGER 2259

Another low cost machine. A reasonable machine, but not highly recommended by Sewing Machine Reviews as there are better alternatives available. Read Full Review.

Some of the features are

  • 19 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • 4-step buttonhole
  • Quiet
  • Inexpensive

Top 10 Beginners Sewing Machines From Janome

Janome machines tend to be very expensive as they use more metal parts for construction. You can see that Janome machines generally cost at least $100 more for the same features from Brother or Singer. Over the years, Janome has made some quality machines. I guess most people are not familiar this brand. Moreover Janome has more mechanical sewing machines in beginners category than any other brand.

1. Janome 2212

The best mechanical beginners machine from Janome. Like all Janome machines, durability is something that you can trust this machine for. It doesn’t have a lot of features, but it is a quality machine. Read Full Review

Features

  • 12 built-in stitches
  • Manual thread cutter
  • Durable
  • Perfect stitches

2. Janome HD1000

Undoubtedly the best heavy duty machine available in U.S. It has very little plastic parts. If you are looking for a sewing machine that can serve you for at least 8 years, this is the one. The only problem is that it is slightly expensive. Janome HD1000 is a mechanical sewing machine. Read Full Review

Features

  • 14 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • 4-step buttonhole
  • Solid machine
  • Workhorse
  • Consistent stitches

3. Janome Magnolia 7318

This is another quality machine from Janome. It is also priced high but not as much as HD1000. Read Full Review

Features

  • 18 built-in stitches
  • 4-step buttonhole
  • Extra-high presser foot lift
  • Sturdy machine

4. Janome 8077

This is a highly rated machine. It has some more features than other Janome machines introduced so far. The biggest difference is that, it is a computerized sewing machine. Read Full Review

Features

  • 30 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Portable

5. Janome Jem Gold 660

A super light weight sewing machine. It will suit those who want to take their machines to sewing classes. Read Full Review

Features

  • 12 built-in stitches
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Lightweight
  • Durable

 

Other Janome machines you can consider are

6. Janome HD3000

7. Janome DC2011

8. Janome Sew Mini

9. Janome 7330 Magnolia

10. Janome DC2011

Conclusion

This concludes the list of Best Sewing Machine For Beginners. If you ask me which sewing machine brand is the best, I would say Brother for ease of use and Janome for durability. About Singer, as I have said earlier, Singer is not what it used to be. There are some high quality models from Singer, but not all are of the same quality. There are some poor machines as well. I personally don’t recommend any machine from Singer other than the models listed here.

Now, I am going to rank all these top sewing machines in one list. So that you can make a choice irrespective of the brand.

1. Brother CS6000i

2. Brother XL2600I

3. Singer 7258 Stylist

4. Brother Laura Ashley CX155LA

5. Brother LS2125i

6. Singer 4423

7. Janome 2212

8. Brother CE7070PRW

9. Janome HD1000

10. Janome Magnolia 7318

11. Singer 7256 Stylist

12. Janome 8077

13. Singer 1507WC

14. Janome Jem Gold 660

15. SINGER 2259

I hope this article has given you some idea about the best sewing machines available in U.S. Happy Sewing!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *