Getting Started

Looking for just the right sewing machines for beginners? Here are some helpful tips in getting started. Keep these few things in mind and you’ll find the perfect machine whether for yourself, a family member, or a youngster in your life who is eager to learn. We’ll make finding the right machine as easy as possible.

• Don’t waste your money on “kiddy” machines and don’t be fooled into thinking you need all the bells and whistles; a quality machine with a zig-zag stitch and buttonhole capability is a great start and capable of performing a wide variety of tasks for general and craft sewing.

• Quilting and embroidery are more specialized and there would be different operations to consider for these specialties.

• Do buy the very best quality machine you can afford (digital machines are nice but not a necessity)…even if that means biding your time and buying second hand. It’s terribly frustrating trying to learn a new skill with poor tools. (My mother’s machine, now about 35 years old, is still going strong!)

• You might even want to take a few classes and get some exposure to different kinds of sewing machines because while there are lots of good guidelines, some of them are just subjective, too.

• For beginners, especially for children, look for a machine where you can have major control over the speed at which the machine sews; some machines have a setting that keeps the machine at a slow speed no matter how hard you hit that foot pedal—a real boon for children learning to sew!

• Another major point is how well the feed dogs do their job at both feeding the fabric under the needle AND keeping the fabric moving straight forward rather than pulling to one side.

• Most machines today come as portables; good and bad. It’s nice that they have a carrying handle and are designed for you to take to classes; the downside is they’re still not really light and they have no permanent home so to speak. You can still buy sewing cabinets and tables of course….but you’ll have to add that expense.

• Be sure and TRY OUT the machine at the store. Any reputable sewing shop will have demo machines and should be eager to both show you how they work and let you try them out; many offer free instruction classes with the purchase of a machine.

If you can’t get to the store to try out a machine or understand that, often, the better prices can be found online, we’ll do the work for you. As we check out all the sewing machines for beginners, we’ll take all of these factors into account and we’ll publish the information here as a resource.