The Best Sewing Machine for Beginner Quilters

Today is going to be more focused on the exact features you need on a sewing machine for quilting and what beginner sewing machines like entry-level sewing machines. You can get to do the job, but first let me give you a quick reminder, because as you all know, I know that in this episode, we're chatting about beginner, sewing machines, but I want to make sure that you guys know that the best sewing machine for quilting is also the machine. You already have to help you out.

I created a guide to help you get your sewing machine prepared for quilting. I go over how to clean your machine, what accessories you'll need and what settings to use. So to go ahead and grab your free guide, head on over to the modern quilter circle.com/quilting machine to grab yours. So, and don't worry, I'm going to include that link as well as links to all of the machines and features that I discuss in today's episode in the show notes for today's episode.

And you'll find those show notes@themodernquiltercircle.com slash episode dash 35. Okay, let's get sewing . So first let's talk a little bit about what you should look for in a machine. Now, I don't want you to feel like, Oh my gosh, I'm getting a quilting machine. I have to get a super expensive machine. It has to be, you know, no, no, no, no, no. That's not what we're doing here today. Today.

I want you to look for the bare minimums because I'm realizing as I talked to more and more of you guys, that you think that you need different machine than the one that you're already using. So one, I want to encourage you that if you have a machine already, we can make it work, which is why I want you to go download that guide. If you already have a sewing machine, go get that guide because it will help you and be like, Oh, okay. I could totally.

Um, but if you don't have a sewing machine already, or you have a sewing machine that, you know, definitely is not up to mustard, you know, it is a very old hand-me-down that it's not in great working order and not really fixable. Um, you know, or Ooh, it's, you know, just a tiny machine now. That's what this episode is for this episode is to help you out a little. So you know what to look for.

I am by no means sending you on your sewer Bernina dealer and saying, okay, have at it because that's not what we're doing here today. Okay. So let's talk about what you should look for in your now a lot, these entry-level machines are going to be plastic, not metal. So I want you to look for weight. I know that sounds crazy, right?

It should be this more , um, kind of this bigger idea of like, well, metal parts don't break and , and all of that is true, but what I really I'm thinking about right now, when you're looking at your beginner machine is when you are pushing through a quilt and you're really getting your muscles going and believe me, you will be getting an upper arm workout.

If you're using any of these beginner machines to quilt , um, the weight is going to make it , is it possible for you to push that quilt through because it's going to hold its ground. If you're trying to push that quilt through a really, really lightweight machine, it's going to turn over on you. I know ridiculous. It's crazy, but it's true. Some of those really lightweight machines are not capable of holding themselves upright when you're pushing a bigger quilt through.

Um, also I don't really recommend quilting a King size on any of these machines means I actually have wilted a King size on a machine similar to these. I do not recommend zero stars would not recommend. So that being said, look for weight, something a little bit more substantial. And you'll notice like there are some that you could like pick right up off the shelf and like throw in your cart. Don't do that. Don't, don't get that one. At least have it be a little bit of a , like a, huh ?

You want , you want a little, I also want you to look for easily changeable presser feet. Um, don't get screw ons. I mean, you can get screw ons. I prefer , I prefer not to, but some, some do's grunts , but for the most part, we want to go with a , um , snap on foot. It's easier to get generic versions and you can read into that cheaper of replacement feet or extra feet.

And also you can use generic feet to kind of expand the amount of feet because for most of these machines, they come with a limited selection, usually what you need, but not everything that you need. Um, and so that kind of brings me to the next thing, which is make sure that lots of different feet will work for it. Meaning , um, it might come with, you know, a classic foot, maybe it comes with a quarter inch foot , um, and then that's about it.

And you want to be able to see like, is there, is there the capability of attaching a walking foot? Is there the capability of getting a quarter , inch foot with a guide? If that's what you prefer, you want to look into those kinds of things to see if that's available. Um, I also want you to look at number of stitches. Now this goes kind of against everything I personally think because I am not an applicate person and I am not really a decorative person. So I never use my decorative stitches.

But especially for you newbies that a lot of you are still makers. You still like, yes, you want to learn a quilt and do all of that. But you make bags, you make wallets, you're making face masks, you're making all of these other things. And I know a lot of people will be like, get yourself a really awesome mechanical street , stitch brother and jokey , both make really great mechanical street stitch machines that are powerhouses with awesome throat spaces. And they're amazing.

And I would recommend them to any quilter, but if you are still dabbling or , and you haven't really decided what your style is yet, I don't want you to regret now having the ability to do some of those stitches, which is why I want you to have a couple stitches. You don't have to have a million, honestly, I don't really see a need more than like a handful of decorative stitches, a blanket stitch, and a straight stitch personally.

Um, but you know, obviously machines these days, they've got thousands of stitches and I'd be lying. If I said that the machine I currently use doesn't have thousands [inaudible] as well. So it happens. But , um, keep in mind, I want you to have some extra stitches so that you can still play. You can still have fun and you can kind of decide for yourself what you want your quilting style to become and not let your machine dictate what you can and cannot do. And then lastly, is this lastly?

Oh, Nope. Second and lastly, sorry. Um, I want you to think about your creative space, which the distance from your needle to the arm of your sewing machine now in this category, it's pretty rare to see anything over eight inches. Um, I want you to avoid those tiny machines with like three or four inches. You're just not going to be able to get a quilt through them . Not even like a small Crip quilt, it's going to be tough.

It's going to be really, really tough , tough , and that is a limiting factor. Um, there's one or two on this list. Actually, I think it might be only one that has 12 inches of throat space and it's pretty awesome. Um, but you'll see , when you go to the show notes and you start comparing the machines, you're going to see that in order to have that throughout space, you're actually giving up some other features. So we want to keep that in mind.

We also want to make sure that you have the ability to drop your feed dogs. And the reason why I want you to have that ability to drop the feed down dogs . I don't believe many variables . Beginning quilters are free motion quilting, but I want you to have the option of trying it. I want you to have the option to learn and grow and experiment. Um, it doesn't have to be perfect, but I want you to be able to understand whether or not that's even your jam.

So that, that way, when you do get a bigger machine, you can be like, Oh, this is what I want. Cause Mike, my machine has like a crazy feed dog system. That's like, unlike anything else. And when you get to higher end machines, it's like, there's different ways that they move. Some of them move , um , in a smooth lips . Some of them are a box. Some of, I mean, some of them are an H , which that barely makes sense to me, but okay. Um, and then things affect how you free motion quilt.

So I just want you to kind of keep that in mind. I want you to be able to drop the feed dogs. Not because I think it's something that you're going to use now, but I want you to be able to experiment. Now, there are some free motion quilters out there that you'll find , uh , off the top of my head Leah day comes to mind. She's a phenomenal free motion Coulter . She does not drop her feet dogs. I think she's crazy pants and she's magic. As far as I'm concerned.

Um , on my current machine, I will say I have a continental M seven by genomic and I don't need to drop my feet dogs. I still don't trust it. So I drop my feet dogs. Um , there's a lot of techniques out there. The newer machines are able to do free motion , um, without dropping your feed dogs. I don't, I personally think you still just don't get as , as smooth of a line Leah day , Ken. And like I said, it's because she's magic. Uh, so just keep that in mind. Um, and also with feed dogs.

Now this one's a little less necessary, but since we're talking about having the ability to drop your feed dogs, I also want you to have the ability to control needle up needle down. And when I'm set , when I say that, it means when you stopped sewing , your needle finishes in the down position, it does not raise itself back up.

And why that is so important is that if you are free motion quilting, or even straight-line quilting , um , and you're sewing and you stop and the needle goes down, it's holding your place for you. You don't get any slippage. And your next stitch that goes in yeah . Is in line with the stitches you just did, which is so important. Um, especially when you're free motion quilting. So there you have it. Those are the , the features. I definitely want you to keep in mind, let's get to the fun part.

Let's talk about those machines. And none of these machines are over a thousand dollars. None of them, the cheapest. And when I say cheapest, I mean most inexpensive machine on the list is $199. Some of these machines you can get actually . Hmm. Yeah. I think all of these machines you can order online. So that's kind of cool. You're not going to get these , um , at a dealer. So you are missing out on some of those dealer options.

I think you could probably get some of the , honestly you could probably get all of these at a dealer minus the singer. I did include a singer on the list. Um, the singer, you can get on Amazon as well as only on Amazon or in a big box store. Okay. Let's dive in. Cause I'm just like all over the place. So first on the list, and this is the most inexpensive on the list, it is a singer heavy duty , 44 32, and you can get it for $199 , um, Amazon, and you can get it.

I mean, they sell it at Joanne's at Walmart at hobby lobby, you name it, they sell it. Um, and this is that singer that you see, that's gray. That's kind of like the distinguishing feature of it. It's gray. Um, I'm not a fan of singers in general. Their , um, quality has significantly slipped , uh , where , where they, I think for non Sowers and non quilters, they're still synonymous with sewing machines, but nowadays most Sowers know that a singer is not the way you want to go.

Uh , their quality has just diminished except when it comes to this heavy duty line, these gray singers. Oh my gosh. They're actually great. And what's really great about them is they are great value for them . The money they are strong, they are powerful, they are heavy and they really get the job done. They're not super fancy. They are mechanical machines. So you want to keep that in mind.

A lot of times you'll see these singers , um , at these big box stores and they're , I've seen them as low as $80. Um, so these heavy duties, they start at 200 and they are mechanical. Um, but you are , are going to get a nice variety of stitches. You're going to get zigzags . You're going to get blankets stitches . You're going to get a couple of decorative stitches, not as ton, not a ton, but it's a good little machine. And I definitely recommend it.

Um, yeah , next up is another heavy duty, but it is not a singer. This is the gentleman H D 1000. And what's kind of cool about this machine. It's black, which I don't know why, but that just I'm like, Ooh, that's cool. Um , um , and it is pretty cool looking. It is also a mechanical machine. This one is 329. Um, but it's pretty much the same deal as singer.

I like it, it a little more than the singer, even though it is $130 more expensive , um, simply because it's genomic and I just, I love Jeremy . I currently use a gentleman I think should know me , um, are fantastic machines. Uh, and you get a lot of bang for your buck for them. So genomic HD 1000, if you like the idea of the singer heavy duty, but you're a little hesitant on the singer name. The [inaudible] HD 1000 is the one you want to go with .

Next on my list is the ever sewn Sparrow 20, and it is $279. Now. What's really great. I know some of you are like really ever soon, huh? Little known fact ever sewn is actually made by Bernina. And I know there are some of you out there who are salivating over Berninas Bernina makes ever Sones . They make Burnett and they make Bernina. Burnett is like their middle, middle of the road ever .

Sewn is more of an entry-level and then Bernina is their top of the line , um , Bernina or make fantastic machines. They are Swiss . Um, and the ever Sparrow , uh, yeah . Is again another mechanical machine that actually has. I want to say it, it might actually be an electronic machine, so it's pretty basic. It's not computerized, but you can do some electronics, stitch selection and whatnot. It's not, not a full-on dial situation. Um, but it's a great little machine.

Um , and it's stinking cute. It's pink. Okay. So next up. So now these last two on my list are in a higher bracket. They are both $700 machines. The first one I'm going to mention is the genomic 41 20 QDC. Um, I really like this machine. It's an electronic , um, it's got a lot of stitch features. It's got a lot of feet and it comes with a lot genomics . Doesn't really nickel and dime you too much. You're not going to get a genomic machine and have to invest in a ton of feed to make it work.

Um, but , uh, it's , it's just a really, really, really machine it's. It's solid. Uh, it's got a lot of metal parts. It's got some weight to it. Um, one of my students actually purchased this during my June iteration of the modern quilters Academy and we went and , um, I gave her a little tour cause I had gotten my genomic team at that same time because previously I was on a off , um, and I had kind of gotten the ins and outs.

And even though they're different models , uh, the, the dealer, the Britain at the dealer, the manufacturer uses a lot of the same symbols to represent all the same stuff. So I was kind of giving her a walkthrough and explaining to her what all those little buttons did , um, and like how to drop her feed dogs and all and all that kind of stuff. And , uh, I really liked it. I liked it a lot. Uh, so that would probably, Oh, I dunno .

This one in my next one, both of them are ones that I would, I would genuinely consider buying for myself. So that's kind of something I think I actually, yeah, yeah, they're both good. They're real good. Anyway. Um, but that, one's a great little machine. Now. The last one on my list is a baby lock. And so the baby lock the genome is the ever sewn . You can get those probably all at a dealer. Um, but the baby lock jazz too . Now this one is 609 , $9. You can get it online at sewing machine.

Plus you can also just go to your local dealer. I'm sure you can get it through them. Um, the big draw for this machine now, this machine is mechanical, like mechanical bare bones , mechanical, like less than 10 stitches, but it has 12 inches of creative space, which is phenomenal. My genomic [inaudible] has 13 and a half inches of creative space and it is the largest throat space on the market for sewing machines and had came with a much heftier price tag. Then this baby locked jazz too .

If I'm being a hundred percent transparent, I have considered purchasing that when I still had my father keeping my father and then just having the baby lock jazz too , for some of my , my quilting at home. So I definitely recommend it. Um, it's pretty interesting because I've heard a mixed bag of reviews on it, but I actually was in a dealer. I sat and I used it and I used it several times. Um, and I have nothing but good things to say about this machine.

Uh , I think it's kind of like anything else, the thing with these sewing machines, especially when you realize, and you start shopping and there's only a handful of manufacturers. You've got Bernina, you've got, you know, me, you've got baby lock, you've got , um, far off , uh, you know, and then you've got these other, you know , brands, but those are, those are your, your big ones that you , you hear all the time.

And what I, what I say to my students, when they ask me about sewing machines and what they should buy, I'm like, I need you to look at the features and the price tag. And once you realize the feature and the price tag of in each line, which machine suits your needs, try them all. I , I equate it to car shopping. When, you know, you want an introductory luxury car, an Audi, a four, a BMW, three series, and a Mercedes C series are all nice cars.

Nobody's going to argue that any of those cars are not nice, but you're going to like one more, they're going to drive a little bit differently. The seat's going to feel a little bit different. The steering wheel is going to feel a little bit different and that's kind of what it comes down to with these machines. So that's my 2 cents on all of these machines.

But again, if you are wondering what that list was, the singer heavy duty, 44 32, which you can find for $199, the Everson Sparrow 20 for $279. The genomic HD 1000 heavy duty for $329. The janabi 41, 20 QDC for $699. And the baby lock jazz two for $699. I will have all of this listed over@theshownotesatthemodernquiltercircle.com slash episode dash 35.

Also, if you've already got a sewing machine and you're just trying to figure out how you can make it work for your quilting, I've got you covered head over to the modern quilter circle.com/quilting machine and download that guide where I give you a rundown of how to clean your machine, what accessories you need for your machine and what settings to set your machine on so that you can make the sewing machine. You have the best quilting machine for you.