Beginner Sewing Machine Recommendations

There’s one email question that’s more popular than any other we receive; what sewing machine do we recommend for beginners. The answer isn’t always a simple one. Knowing the customer’s target price point and sewing goals are critical details for recommending an appropriate machine. Some students want a beginner sewing machine with a price point to match; other students are looking to make an investment in a piece of equipment that they’ll own for decades.  Luckily, there’s a perfect sewing machine out there for every beginner and every price point.

Great Beginner Sewing Machine Choices

At the Fabricate Studios, all of our beginner sewing kids classes sew on a Singer 7258 sewing machine. We recommend this machine for its budget friendly price point, needle threader, speed controller, decorative stitches and more.

If you have a few more dollars to spend, the Janome MOD-30 sewing machine is our recommendation. Diana is a HUGE Janome fan because she loves that this machine is under $200, is computerized and has a top load bobbin. Everything you need without all the extra decorative stitches. Janome’s are known for being well-built and this machine will last you for decades if you care for it properly.
—
The Brother CS6000i sewing machine is by far the most popular machine amongst our beginner students, because this machine has plenty of features to grow into. We love the speed control for beginner sewing classes! It will give you time to get your sewing & foot control in check.
—
Be still Diana’s heart, because her first real sewing machine love is Janome. The Janome Memory Craft 6500p was her second ever machine (the Kenmore version). It holds a special place in her heart.  All machines are compared to this machine! It’s one of our more expensive recommendations, but the stitch quality is worth the extra dollars and some students already know that they will be sewing on it for a lifetime.
—
If you’re ready for some real stitching power check out our recommendation for the JUKI TL 2000Qi sewing machines. This particular machine isn’t the latest model, but it offers most of the same features and powerful motors and it makes easy work of bulky, quilty, troublesome projects. Note: this is a straight stitch only machine; so you’ll want to hang on to standard machine if you plan on needing those additional features and stitches.