Stitch Picks: The best sewing machines for textile art
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A sewing machine is a useful part of a textile artist’s toolkit. But with so many brands on the market, how do you decide which is the right machine for you?
The best place to start is to consider what you actually need a sewing machine for.
Are you interested in free machine embroidery or working with water soluble fabric? Stitching appliqué, or creating seams and hems? Or adding texture, quilting and other heavy duty stitching?
The market is changing all the time so, rather than a list of machine models, we thought we’d get some advice from the experts on the best type of machine to buy within your budget.
We talked to five textile artists working in a variety of styles and asked them about the machines they love to use. Free motion embroidery experts Meredith Woolnough and Sue Hotchkis, quilt artist Clara Nartey, and mixed media artists Bobbi Baugh and Katie Essam employ a variety of sewing machines.
Here’s some great guidance from these artists to help you choose and use a sewing machine for your textile art adventures.
Katie Essam
Katie Essam uses a Janome Horizon Memory Craft 7700 for free motion embroidery, with the feed dogs down. She also still uses her very first machine, a Bernina Activa 220.
For stitching large works, she recommends using a heavyweight machine, as it is stable and smooth to work on. The downside (or perhaps the upside!) is that it’s a bit of a workout if you want to take it out and about to in-person workshops.
‘The Janome 7700 has a long arm and large base, perfect for stitching large bits of fabric.
Katie Essam, Textile artist
Its needle up/down button is great, but the best bit has to be the thread cutting function – the sound it makes as it cuts is so satisfying!’
Katie advises that most machines can do free machine embroidery with minimal adjustments so you may not have to splash out for a brand new machine. You can use any machine, as long as the feed dogs can be lowered (or a needle plate cover can be placed on top of them).
You’ll need to source a free motion embroidery foot with either a C-shape (open toe), which helps you see what you are doing, or an O-shape (closed toe), which is best for couching and textural stitching.
Katie Essam: ‘I learned to sew on my Mum’s Bernina from the 70s. The older machines were built to last and without the digital bits, it seems like less can go wrong. The weight of the old style metal cases help with stability.
‘I’m a fan of weighty machines. With free motion embroidery, it’s best to have the machine as still as possible while you work – a heavy machine and a sturdy work surface help to achieve this. However, if you need (or already have) a lightweight portable machine, it can also be used for free machine embroidery.
‘If you are looking for a new machine, a brilliant feature to look out for is the thread cutting function, as well as a good sized working area. A sewing table attachment can be useful, although they can make changing a front loading bobbin a little tricky.’
Katie Essam’s useful tips
Katie: ‘If you do a lot of free motion embroidery, don’t touch the tension! I learnt this the hard way. And when stitching through lots of layers of fabric, change the needle regularly and go for a thick heavy duty needle, which won’t bend or snap so easily.
‘Make sure you are as comfortable as possible, that your table and chair are at the right height and distance apart, and that your machine and pedal are the right distance away from you – your forearms should rest comfortably on the table.’
Katie Essam is a mixed media textile artist based in Bexhill, UK.
Katie loves the freedom and enjoyment of experimenting with different media. She is the author of Free Motion Embroidery: Creating Textile Art with Layered Fabric & Stitch (2022). ISBN 9781800920484
Website: katie-essam.co.uk
Instagram: @katiejeany
Clara Nartey
Clara Nartey uses a range of techniques to make her art quilts, including embroidery, quilting, appliqué, digital painting and digital printing. She currently uses a domestic sewing machine by JUKI TL-2010Q and a Moxie mid-arm quilting machine by Handiquilter. Her domestic machine allows her to complete detailed sewing and precision embroidery work, and the mid-arm machine is for quilting and overall embroidery.
Clara Nartey: ‘The JUKI 2010q is a workhorse. The machine I had before this was a computerised embroidery machine, but I needed a machine that gives me the flexibility to use it as an intuitive drawing tool. With this machine, I can take control of the direction of the stitching the way that I want it.’
Having found it difficult to create larger art quilts, Clara acquired a mid-arm sewing machine, which would help her manoeuvre heavier and larger pieces. The mid-arm machine has a 38cm (15″) throat space giving her much more room to work.
‘All the fancy stitches that many sewing machines offer were not important to my style of embroidery. I went for a simple straight-stitch sewing machine with lots of power to support the heavy stitching I do.’
Clara Nartey, Textile artist
Clara Nartey’s useful tips
Clara: ‘My recommendation for getting a sewing machine for embroidery is to focus on what you need. What does your style of embroidery require? My style of free motion embroidery requires two things: the ability to drop my feed dogs and to do straight stitches.
‘Also, when you’re buying a sewing machine, look for one where you have local support. Machines break down sometimes and it’s frustrating not to have a service company nearby to fix your machine for you.’
Clara Nartey is based in Connecticut, USA.
Clara tells visual stories of Black women inspired by her African heritage and her work is held in private and public collections including at Yale University. She is the author of Drawn with Threads: What a textile art exhibition can teach us about our creative potential (2019). ISBN 9781733250207
Artist website: ClaraNartey.com
Instagram: @ClaraNartey
Facebook: ClaraNarteyArt
Bobbi Baugh
Bobbi Baugh creates collaged textile artworks, using original painted and hand printed fabrics, collaged with glue and then stitched. She works most projects in smaller sections, then joins these together using machine-sewn seams.
You might be surprised to hear that both of the portable sewing machines that Bobbi uses are over 30 years old. One is a Pfaff Hobbymatic 875 and the other a Pfaff Select 1536, and she uses both for all her construction and quilting.
Bobbi Baugh: ‘I purchased the first one when I had my first home, wanted to sew drapes, and needed to upgrade from the Singer I’d used since high school. I had never heard of art quilting at the time and it was not a well-researched purchase. I just told the salesperson I needed to sew through heavy fabrics without the timing and tension going haywire.
‘I was told that the Pfaff machines have a good motor, almost never require adjustments to the tension, and switch readily from one fabric type to another – that has proven to be true. Like my car, which is over 20 years old, I hope these two sewing machines keep chugging along for me forever.’
‘It suits my temperament and philosophy of artmaking to use materials and equipment that are as simple as possible to get any given task accomplished.
Bobbi Baugh, Textile artist
Bobbi Baugh’s useful tips
Bobbi: ‘To take care of your machine, take it for a service and cleaning at least once a year. When I tell my very reliable and faithful local repair serviceman the kinds of fabrics I sew, he just shakes his head and scolds: “Paint and glue on fabric! Really?”. But he keeps my machines running smoothly.’
Bobbi Baugh is a mixed media textile artist based in DeLand, Florida, USA.
In 2023-24, Bobbi’s work was shown in six SAQA Global Exhibitions, at Q=A=Q at the Schweinfurth Art Center, Art Quilt Elements in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and at numerous other regional and national exhibitions.
Website: bobbibaughstudio.com
Facebook: bobbibaughart
Instagram: @bobbibaughart
Meredith Woolnough
Meredith Woolnough uses free motion embroidery in combination with soluble fabric to create her ethereal sculptures inspired by nature. She uses a Bernina Q20 for most of her work, switching to a regular domestic machine for zigzag stitches or if she’s travelling or teaching a workshop.
She finds the Bernina a comfortable machine to work on, but she stresses that you only need a regular domestic machine for free machine embroidery. Several years ago she wrote a post on her blog explaining why she mostly uses her Bernina Q20.
As for buying a machine, Meredith recommends: ‘Purchase the absolute best machine you can afford at the time. View a sewing machine as a long term investment. Second hand machines can be a good option if your budget is tight.’
‘Get a good machine, take good care of it and it will serve you faithfully for a lifetime.’
Meredith Woolnough, Textile artist
Meredith Woolnough’s useful tips
Meredith Woolnough: ‘Clean your machine regularly. For basic machine maintenance that you can easily do yourself, a few drops of strategically placed oil and a quick brush of the bobbin compartment is key. Your sewing machine manual or a quick Google search will tell you what you need to do – so no excuses! Your machine will thank you for it.
‘Secondly, make sure you have the right needle for the job. Fresh needles can fix a lot of stitching problems but, in my opinion, choosing the right needle from the beginning is even more important.
‘Choose a needle to suit the type of work you are doing, in a size to suit the thickness of your thread. I work with standard weight machine embroidery thread and find that a size 90 Jeans needle (sharps needle) works best for freehand embroidery on water soluble fabric.’
Meredith Woolnough is based in Newcastle, Australia, and is known for her sculptural embroideries inspired by nature.
Meredith has exhibited widely and her work is held in collections in Australia. She is the author of Organic Embroidery (2018), ISBN 9780764356131.
Website: meredithwoolnough.com.au
Facebook: meredithwoolnoughartist
Instagram: @meredithwoolnough
Sue Hotchkis
The Bernina 1008 is the machine Sue Hotchkis uses the most to create her artwork. She also has a Bernina 730e, which is a computerised sewing machine with an embroidery unit attachment.
Sue Hotchkis: ‘The 1008 is sometimes referred to as the workhorse because it’s very strong and can take a lot of rough treatment because it’s not computerised. There are no fancy needle threading options. With my artwork, I often sew through several layers of fabric and it doesn’t struggle.
‘The Bernina 730e lets me draw my own design on the laptop and then turn it into a stitched design. This model is old now. I bought it at a good price when a newer model came out.’
‘The Bernina 1008 is a very straightforward sewing machine and it’s great for free motion stitching.’
Sue Hotchkis, Textile artist
‘The Bernina 1008 is great for free motion stitching and has interchangeable feet – my favourites are the cording foot for creating cords of several strands of thread wrapped in satin stitch, and the tailor-tacking foot which creates a decorative loopy surface stitch. If you want to make creative textiles with unusual materials then this type of Bernina is ideal.’
Sue first encountered Bernina sewing machines while studying embroidery at university. She bought her first Bernina, a 1001 model, over 30 years ago – and it still works! Sue found a secondhand one on sale recently for the same price she originally paid in the 1990s.
Sue Hotchkis’ useful tips
Sue uses her machine with a custom Sew Steady extension table, which helps when working on a large artwork. She explains: ‘The fabric doesn’t drag and pull on the needle when stitching and the table takes the weight and allows the fabric to flow’.
Sue Hotchkis is based in the Highlands of Scotland, UK and creates printed and stitched abstract wall art.
She was awarded the Silver Medal at the 12th Scythia Textile Biennial in 2018, and an Award for Excellence at the 11th Lausanne to Beijing International Fiber Art Biennial in 2021. She is a member of QuiltArt and Edge Textiles Scotland.
Website: suehotchkis.com
Facebook: SueHotchkisTextiles
Instagram: @suehotchkis
Glossary
- Bobbin – A small spool of thread that sits inside the machine to supply the bottom thread.
- Extension table – An accessory that attaches to the machine to provide a wider working area, useful when working with large pieces of fabric or a large embroidery hoop.
- Feed dogs – The teeth located under the presser foot that evenly feed the fabric through the machine.
- Free motion embroidery – Where the stitching is controlled freehand, like a drawing, and the feed dogs are lowered or covered so the fabric glides easily in any direction under the needle.
- Free motion embroidery foot – A specialised presser foot that allows the fabric to glide around for freehand embroidery work.
- Long arm machine – A sewing machine and frame, with an extra large working area of over 45cm (18″) and rollers to help manipulate large quilts.
- Mid arm machine – A sewing machine with a wide throat space of 30cm – 45cm (12″ – 18″).
- Needle plate – The metal plate through which the needle and bobbin thread pass during stitching.
- Needle plate cover – A plastic cover that sits on top of the needle plate, allowing free motion embroidery in a more basic machine where the feed dogs cannot be dropped.
- Presser foot – A metal foot that presses the fabric down to the needle plate during sewing.
- Throat space – The working area to the right of the needle, between the main body of the machine and the needle plate.
- Zigzag stitch – An automatic stitch setting for creating z-shaped stitches.
Key takeaways
If you want to invest in a new sewing machine, here’s what you need to know:
- Focus on your needs – do you need just basic straight and zigzag stitches, or a machine with complex or programmable stitches?
- Will you be doing free motion embroidery? You’ll need to be able to lower or cover the feed dogs and fit an embroidery/darning foot.
- Would you prefer a lightweight machine that’s easy to move around, or a heavier one for stability and steady stitching? Check out the machine’s weight specifications.
- Research the best machine you can buy that’s within your budget. Consider good value second hand options, too.
- Working with large pieces of fabric or lots of layers? Try a denim needle to stitch smaller sections together, or search for a mid-long arm machine with a larger throat and bigger working area.
Featured brands
Brands mentioned in this article:
Photo of Katie Essam with her machine by Search Press. Photo of Meredith Woolnough with her Bernina 710 machine by Joerg Lehman.
Are you looking for information about hand stitching rather than machine stitching? Then check out our list of The best hand embroidery reference books.
Do you have any other tips for using a sewing machine for textile art? Let us know below.
I agree in the adoration of Bernina and if I were buying a machine for free motion embroidery alone, I would choose a Bernina or Irish industrial, they go on for hours, are fast and strong and rarely break down. What’s not to love?!
However, I’m surprised Husqvarna Viking didn’t make the list. Their embroidery machines for domestic users are superb quality. Their Diamond Deluxe machine is fabulous – I had the chance to play on one (sadly out of my present price range) – but for versatility, smoothness of stitching, excellent embroidery output and capacity for digitized embroidery on a domestic scale I think nothing else beats it – not even the Brother PR. One of the advantages of the Husqvarna Diamond is that it can be used for general sewing, quilting and pre-programmed stitching etc not just for embroidery. That’s why I think it’s better value for money than a pure embroidery machine like the Brother PR – which has a comparable embroidery field size. And no Husqvarna didn’t pay me to say this!
I agree — Husqvarna is the best! I own the Sapphire Quilting Machine and the Ruby Deluxe Embroidery system, and they are topnotch. I can do anything on these machines, and they have so many features I am always learning something new to try with them. I think the only limitation with a Husqvarna is your imagination.
I like the needle to finish down when I’m free-machining. My oldish Elna, excellent in all other respects for this task including having the possibility of by-passing the tension in the bobbin for thicker threads without having to bother with the screw, always finishes up ( a selling point when it was new because I think many machines just stopped and you had to turn the wheel to make sure you didn’t catch the needle when removing fabric).
I have a Bernina 730 found in a skip and and 830 traded for a piece of work. Love the mechanical qualities so am with Carol N on this. Now if I could only find me an industrial version!
cas
I have a Bernina 530-2 that is my favourite workhorse: all metal apart from the cogs that determine the stitch. I also use a Bernina 700. Both were bought second-hand & are used for everything including free maching. The latter is good to take to workshops as it weighs fractionally less!
I, myself is fond of embroidery but not as good as these designers! But I would really love to know what they think of the Singer Futura as a machine to do the job. It’s what I currently use.
I use a Bernina 1008 and it just goes on and on. When it sounds a bit rough I just oil it and its smooth again. However I have owned an Irish industrial for a few years now, had it completely overhauled and am embarassed to admit I have never used it. I’m a bit afraid of it and would love to watch a tutorial about how to use it. Does anyone who reads this know where I might find one?
Embroidery is definitely my next project!
I’m loving Toyota’s oekaki renaissance sewing machine its perfect for embroidery especially for beginners.
I’m loving using my Toyota Oekaki Renaissance for free machine embroidery . For cable stitch with thicker thread on bobbin I just bypass the bobbin tension. It works really well.
Embroidery sewing machines can add beauty and themed detail to anything I sew. I love flower themed for my fabrics a lot.
Great page! We share almost the same opinion on the best sewing machine for beginners. My personal favorite is Bernina Industrial 950.
I am not a professional tailor. I want to buy one mini sewing machine to stitch only old cloths. Please tell me which brand is good?
I have never had the chance to try a Bernina, need to get my hands on one soon.
Very nice roundup of beginner sewing machines. I own the Bernina Industrial 950 and it is an outstanding machine.
This article helps me to get bird eye view. This is the gist of all.
Check out the website Patternreview.com They have an extensive list of sewing and embroidery machine reviews from their members. You can sign up for a free or paid membership.
I love Brother SE400 Combination Computerized. I bought my old machine in 2014 so this is definitely and upgrade for me. No more threading needles and no more oiling my machine. This machine is light weight and easy to move around. I haven’t used all the features yet but I am excited to get back into sewing.
Hi, many thanks for sharing this post! My grandmother has a Brother sewing machine. And She really love to mix old clothes for our children. That’s so sweet!
In the more affordable range I would like to recommend the Brother PE770 or the Brother SE400 if you’re looking for a machine that’s suitable for both embroidery and sewing. I own the PE770 myself and couldn’t be happier with it.
I like Brother PE700 embroidery machine which has many good features and also has built in design. Thanks for sharing such gr8 post.
SO many types of sewing machines !
I’m definitely old school, choosing to do free-motion machine embroidery on an old Kemore (Sears department store) that was built in the 1960’s (first built by White and then Janome). I like the weight of these old machines as they work hard and don’t bounce or travel across my table as I stitch at full speed.
I guess, because I have been using them for a long time, I do not find oiling and cleaning a very troublesome job at all..
My first machine was retired a few years ago, still motoring along, but things were starting to fall off of her and levers might lift but might not stay up, either.
My 2nd old Kenmore loves the hard work we do and I will probably be hard pressed to find a replacement for her (she was found in the basement of a sewing machine store, never used and still in her original box). The proprietors thought I was insane to want this old machine when such new machines were now available (and much costlier I might add). I know my machine intimately. I want to be able to take her apart when I need to, to know where and what is oiled and to be in full control of adjustments in both tensions. I have no need for an abundance of stitches or built in patterns … I simply start stitching.
On a humourous note, I call her ‘the virgin’, as no man’s hands have ever touched her.
I ‘ve a Bernina 530-2 that’s my favourite workhorse: all metal apart from the cogs that ascertain the stitch. I also use a Bernina 700. Both were bought second hand & are used for everything including free maching. The latter is better as it is easier to lug to workshops!
I have owned four Berninas over the past 40+ years. All but one of them was made in Switzerland. The lower end models are not made in Switzerland. The higher end models are definitely made in Switzerland as it is printed on the machine itself and comes with a tag guaranteeing it is indeed made there. I have also have owned Viking/Huszvarna and Elnas along with several other brands over the years. I used Huszvarna exclusively for over 25 years. Just recently switched back to Bernina due to a gift from my husband. I can say with certainty that the slogan “Nothing sews like a Bernina…nothing” is true, at least in my humble opinion!
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on sew post. I will be coming back to your blog before i make any purchase of embroidery machine.
Love your post! Embroidery is the best!!! Cannot wait to get stuck on my next project! Thank you very much for your really cool and very informative post! Embroidery machines rock!
First, thank you for brooching this topic of sewing machines. You have helped to (re)introduce many varieties and have saved me many hours of research. The links are fabulous. With personal preferences set aside research, testing and being clear on your goal are essential in selecting your next machine. Thanks again.
A good site to get knowledge about the sewing machine.
I just sold a heavy Bernina 930 , simply because it is so very heavy I can no longer lift it. The sewing lights are dim on old machines so you often need extra lighting. It was a beautiful old dog, but it was superfluous.
With older Bernina’s you must raise and lower the feed dog regularly or they tend to jam. Easily put right with a good oiling and twiddling of the underneath mechanics, I find.
I still have a 1980’s Bernina Sport which is very nice and has a good drop feed, and is a nippy machine with perfect stitch quality and loads of decorative stitches. The older Bernina worked very well with metallic threads due to a slightly different threading up system which is why the older ones are invaluable. Berninas do not have drop in bobbins and have a rotary hook which makes them excellent for working with a drop feed. I have not found drop in bobbin machines any good for free motion so far.
I mainly use a Bernina Virtuosa 155 in the Winter because it has a wonderful sewing light and a threading system.
It does not like metallics though, but seldom use them now, as my work has changed.
Some people here are commenting on actual embroidery machines which do a gazillion fancy stitches. I have no interest in these at all. To my mind, a computerised fancy stitch can look pretty tacky 9 times out of 10. I would rather hand embroider than use these rather mechanical looking stitches and motifs . I love the work done on an old Irish though, fantastic! I guess each to his own.
I use a freemotion stitch turning the fabric a lot and using an open darning foot. Like drawing with a machine. I am Fine Art trained and lecture in this subject as well as textile arts.
I recently saw a mat which absorbs vibration from a sewing machine- anyone used one?
I see there are many things that count for sure so might take a look at it
Maybe you can advise me. I’m a beginner free embroidery enthusiast, trying to use a Singer I’ve had for nearly forty years. I have a few traditional embroidery hoops but none of them will slip under the needle unless I take off the plastic feed dog cover, unscrew the free sewing foot AND unscrew the needle from the shank. It’s driving me nuts. Is there something I’m missing here? Is there a special slim line hoop that slips under for free sewing or are modern machines for quilting etc built with more space for passing a hoop? I have tried just guiding by hand but I can’t keep the fabric properly tensioned and get puckering. I am considering buying a new machine that has capability for free embroidery but don’t really know where to start. I’d be grateful for any tips. Thanks in anticipation…
As a sewer who has owned 5 different Bernina ‘s over the last 48 years , worked over 25 years in a Bernina/quilt shop I have to put in my vote for Bernina. The shop sold Brother and Pfaff for periods of time so I am familiar with others and Bernina wins!!!!!
Excellent explanation, it’s simple & focus. Keep up the great work!