Sewing Machines, the Best Kind to Buy, Their Pluses and Minuses

The first thing you should do when shopping for a sewing machine is to decide what you will need it for.  If you are a casual sewer instead of a professional, then you probably don't need the most expensive machine with all the bells and whistles.  When researching the machine that will fit your needs, you could go online to decide, but the best thing to do is to buy locally.  Classes are quite often offered where you buy your machine.  Also, if the machine should have problems, you could probably get it fixed where you bought it.  Make sure your machine has a warranty (a year is best).  

One of the top-rated basic machines with knobs and levers for stitch adjustment is the Brother XL-26001.  It is OK for someone who is doing a few repairs or a simple project, but if you will be sewing more than that, you should consider an electronic machine like the Singer 7442.  It is still fairly inexpensive, but it has more options than the other machines and is easier to adjust.  A computerized machine is better, as you can touch a button to change your stitches length, presser foot, thread tension and size and sew a button hole. You can either push a button to make these changes or sometimes they have an LED screen. These machines can also do decorative stitches and sometimes letters for monogramming.  

If price is not an issue, you might consider a Swiss made Activa or Bernina.  The Husqvama sells for approximately $2,800.  Remember, you don't have to spend that much money to get a versatile, durable machine.  All in all, though, the best way to find the machine you would like is to test drive your machine to get a feel for how it sews.  If you want one that will sew all fabrics, you should try all fabrics.  You can get a combination embroidery/sewing machine that has all the options if that's important to you.