What Embroidery Machine is Best for YOU

Need a buyers guide for embroidery machines? Everything you need to know about finding the right embroidery machine 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.

Legal Disclaimer:  Everything on this page and video are my own opinions.  I back them up with facts and figures when possible.  But they are my opinions on machines based on my shopping experiences.  

Free Price Comparison

I’ve compiled a price list for every home embroidery machine currently on the market with a VERY brief overview of main features. This information is free for you to view.

Some links may be affiliate links where I will earn a small commission if you purchase, but it doesn't change the price you pay. Thanks for supporting Ballyhoo Creations! (●'◡'●)

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 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.
• MAMA sweatshirts – I’m adding this one because so many people ask about it! Typically the applique letters on those Mama or similar sweatshirts are 3 or 4″ tall, and you can find designs like MAMA or GIGI that will fit a 5×7 or 4×9 hoop. But if you want to do custom names with more letters, a 6×10 hoop or larger might work better for those. Keep in mind that most women’s chests don’t have more than 10″ worth of design space on them before the design gets lost in the armpits. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)
• 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. Expect to pay thousands for these tubular or free-arm machines.
• Quilting – 8×8 is better since that’s a common size for quilt blocks and many quilting digitizers design for that size. But you can do quilting in any size of hoop.
• 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. I do a ton of in-the-hoop stuff and suggest at LEAST a 6×10 hoop, but larger is even better.
• 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 or around a skirt hem, 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 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.

Whether it’s the employees at the machine dealership or the Social Media Influencers you follow, there’s a good chance your choice of embroidery machine is being influenced in ways you don’t even realize.

If you want to know those tactics so you can defend your brain from them, check out the book “Influence“ by Robert Cialdini. Then you’ll understand why there are coffee and cookies at the sewing machine dealership, and you can snarf them down without any guilt! (ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ)

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. (◔◡◔)

These machines may be different than the ones I mentioned in the video. I review this page from time to time and update with my latest picks.

My Pick for 4×4 Embroidery Machine

The Brother SE700 is my favorite of all the 4×4″ hoop machines. It’s user-friendly and delivers beautiful stitches.

The SE700 is a combo machine which means it doubles as a sewing machine as well as embroidery machine. If you just want embroidery only, look at the Brother PE545, which is the same machine without the ability to sew. Also, any of the Brother 500 or 600 series machines perform the same as the SE700 for machine embroidery.

My pick for 5×7 Machine

I’ve had my eye on the Eversewn Sparrow for several years. Just in case I need a small backup machine.

This one has no display so you must use a phone or tablet to communicate with the machine and send it designs. But it’s got the Bernina-inspired engineering for a nice stitch-out and operation.

My 2nd choice is the Brother PE900 but it’s twice the price of the Sparrow.

6×10 Embroidery Machine Top Pick

I’ve come close to buying the Deco70 or the B79 whenever my old Viking starts acting up and I feel it’s time for a replacement.

The B70 is embroidery only, while the B79 is a combo sewing and embroidery machine.

Both are solid machines with a good track record. And the B70 is $1000 when on sale – which makes it the lowest-priced 6×10 machine on the market.

If you have more money to spend, I feel the Babylock 6×10″ machines are excellent quality. The Flare is around $2k, while the combo Vesta is in the $3k range. But do you get twice the machine for twice the price? Not really.

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 it makes my embroidery life so much easier.

Remember, I’m looking at this from a home embroidery viewpoint, not a commercial shop. If you need a machine to run more than 6 hours per day, look at the commercial machines by Tajima, Barudan, ZSK, Happy, or others that have been serving the commercial embroidery industry for decades. Beware of cheap multi-needles, and always check user reviews or Better Business Bureau reports rather than social media influencer endorsements. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

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 schedule a one-on-one video chat with me on my coaching page.

OR 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 which includes the video chat mentioned above.

There are two ways you can join this class for buying assistance:

1. Become a Skillshare member and view the class.
2. OR purchase the course here on this website