embroidery machines recommendations...do you have one and do you like it

[irishmama2]

I'm considering an embroidery machine as an anniversary gift hint for DH Can you link me to any that are really good? I do want a bigger hoop than just the 4x4 so bigger is better. Something $700

[sandrc]

I have a brother pe770 that I really like. I bought it off amazon for less than $700. I also used a coupon code on it so it was a great deal. This was the end of November.

[RachelFlores]

You won't have a ton of choices in that price range, espcially if you want a larger embroidery field. For a stand alone embroidery machine, I think there are only two choices; the Janome 200e is $500 with a 5x5 hoop and the Brother PE770 is $700 with a 5x7 hoop. If you want to look at any other machines, they are going to either have smaller stitch fields or larger price tags. I have an older version of the Brother machine, it works well, but I don't think I use it enough for the price I paid and the price of the machine is only the begining.

You need to factor in buying thread, lots of colors and certain thread works best in certain machines (I use Marathon thread). Certain needles (I use Organ) work best with certain brand embridery machines and needles are super important. You need to use good quality and replace them often; they can make the difference between a good stitch out and a bad one. You need stablizer, different types for different types of fabric. You will probably want two (or more) hoops of the size you use the most if you want to do a lot of embroidery. You will want to buy embroidery designs and that can get addictive (check out www.urbanthreads.com, my favorite embroidery shop). If you want to resize your designs add or subtract parts, put mulitple designs in one hoop or even see your designs (not just the file name) on your computer, you will need software (i use sew what pro), if you want to actually digitize designs (make your own embroidary designs) you will need more expensive software most of which has a high learning curve. Embroidery machines are precision machines and require more servicing than the usual sewing machine (I had mine serviced once in the past 4 years, but I've heard that you should get it serviced every year).

You don't have to get everything right away, but I think that a lot of times people don't think through how an embrodary machine costs far more than just the cost of the machine. I have had mine for about 4 years and have spent well over $1000 beyond the price of the machine. If you use it a lot, it is totally worth it, but if not, it would cost far less if you got the occasional thing professionally embroidered.

[Rockinmama24]

Amazon has the Brother PE770 for under $600 right now, a great deal. I don't like Brothers as sewers or sergers, but they are great embroiderers.

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[Numommy]

I bought a Babylock Sofia and I truly love it. It has a 4x4 field but I'm learning to move the hoop. I coul have afforded a larger field but I really wanted to learn and see if it liked/loved it first. With babylock you get 10 months to trade in your machine for full purchase price towards another machine. So in December if I think I need the larger machine I will upgrade.
P

[tibeca]

I have an embroidery/sewing machine (Elna Xquisit). Since it stopped working as a sewing machine (presser foot pressure adjustment problems), it now is strictly my embroidery machine. Sadly, I haven't touched it in months. It can be a very addictive and very expensive hobby. You really need software if you expect to do anything really fun with it. The software with my machine would have easily cost $700 on its own! There are other softwares out there, but be sure to calculate the cost of the machine plus appropriate software, threads, needles (I like the titanium embroidery needles best), etc. and a few patterns to get you started.

[Numommy]

But I will say: embroidery is close to instant gratification. I can create when I don't have time for a project. I cant see myself wo one now.