What Embroidery Machine is Best for YOU

Everything you need to know to get an Embroidery machine that works for YOU is right here. You can watch the video below that explains how to shop and select an embroidery machine. Then use the resources on this page to help guide you towards Machine Embroidery selections that are best suited to your needs and desires. A price guide for ALL home embroidery machines is available for free.

What Size machine is best for YOU???

Consider WHAT you want to stitch BEFORE you purchase an embroidery machine. Too many people buy the smallest machine available, only to quickly realize it can’t do most of the things they want to make. We call this “hoop envy” when you’re jealous of those with bigger hoops. ( ఠ ͟ʖ ఠ)

I’ve listed many different things you can stitch with an embroidery machine, along with my suggestions on what hoop size you should look at for each project type.

• Monograms – 5×7 hoop for larger designs or 4×4 hoop is adequate for kitchen towels or monogrammed bath towels. Keep in mind that putting a VERY large design on a towel makes the towel unusable since you can’t dry yourself with the embroidered section anyway.
• Logos or small embellishments – 4×4 hoop is fine for these small designs
• Baby/children’s clothes– 4×4 or 5×7 is big enough for most kids apparel. But having a free arm makes it easier to stitch and not get the fabric trapped and accidentally sew the shirt closed.
• Adult apparel- 5×7 or larger is better for larger designs on shirts, jackets or pants. You can also look for special hoops that make border designs easier to stitch. If you want to embellish large areas, get the biggest hoop you can afford.
• Hats – unstructured hats can be done on a flatbed embroidery machine but it’s a pain. For professional results on ballcaps, you will need a machine with a tubular arm and a special circular hat hoop.
• Quilting – 8×8 is better since that’s a common size for quilt blocks and many quilting digitizers design for that size
• Towels – 5×7 hoop for larger designs or 4×4 hoop is adequate for kitchen towels or monogrammed bath towels. Keep in mind that putting a VERY large design on a towel makes the towel unusable since you can’t dry yourself with the embroidered section anyway.
• Blankets – similar to towels. The required hoop size depends on how large you want the design on the blanket. Typically these are names or monograms and a 5×7 or 6×10 hoop is preferred.
• Bedding or large-scale home decor – get the largest hoop you can afford if you want to use large-scale designs
• Plushies, Dolls & even Puppets – larger hoops are best to stitch all seams with the embroidery machine, but a 4×4 or 5×7 hoop can be used to stitch facial features, small hands, etc.
• Cosplay– 4×4 is great if you’re doing small designs or patches or something. But if you want an embroidered design going all the way up your leg, look for a 6×10 or repositionable hoop.
• Bags – You can embellish or sew bags in the hoop of an embroidery machine. Look for larger hoops for large bags. If you want to embellish small bags like a makeup zipper bag, then a 4×4 or 5×7 hoop is enough for that.
• Keyfobs – 4×4 hoop is typically large enough for these
• Jewelry – 4×4 hoops can stitch earrings, brooches or pendants
• Socks – since there’s not much surface area on a sock you can do these with a 4×4 hoop, but look for a special hoop attachment to hold the sock out of the way
• Free Standing Lace (FSL) – this is where the embroidery machine stitches create a lace effect on water-soluble stabilizer. When the stabilizer is rinsed away you’re left with a piece of lace. Any size machine can do this technique. If there are certain designs that interest you – look into how big they are so you can get a machine with a large enough hoop to create your favorites.

Are you being influenced? Here’s a book for you.

My top picks

Now it’s my turn to be the influencer and I hate this part. But people always want my opinions on specific machines so I’ll put it all in ONE place below. I AM going to use affiliate links on some of these, only because I’ve done all the legwork to figure this out and I know you like to support me for all the time I’m saving you. (◔◡◔)

My Pick for 4×4 Embroidery Machine

My pick for 5×7 Machine

6×10 Embroidery Machine Top Pick

Best Embroidery Machine with Large Hoops

Single Needle: I would choose the Janome 550E because for around $3000 you get an 8×14″ hoop which is the largest in that price range. If you need a combo machine – check the price guide and go with a brand you’re comfortable with.

Multi-Needle: I would choose a Brother or Babylock multi-needle because I adore the Babylock 6-needle machine that I’ve been using for a few years now. It’s amazing and I love it to pieces.

Need More Help with the Buying Process?

I hope I’ve armed you with more than enough information to make an informed purchase!

But if you’re still on the fence about which machine is best for you, you can take my online video class on Buying an Embroidery machine to get my personal feedback for your situation. It includes worksheets to help you determine your needs, plus one-on-one feedback from me.

The class is available to Skillshare members and a free trial is available if you’re new to Skillshare. Just click the photo below to get started and I’ll “see” you in class.