The Best Sewing Machine

I am asked this question a lot: Which is the best sewing machine? I also hear this claim being hotly debated amongst groups of sewing enthusiasts. In my mind, it's a lot like asking a group of American car enthusiasts, 'Which is better, Ford or Chevy?' (Or Dodge, etc.)

The answer is the same: Whichever one you like best. I happen to sew on Pfaff machines. I bought my first top-of-the-line (TOTL) Pfaff about 10 years ago and loved it. My favorite feature is the IDT which is exclusive to Pfaff. It's a feed foot that pulls fabric from above in addition to the traditional feed dogs pulling the fabric from below. Because I sew with a lot of specialty fabrics (and have a fondness for plaids) I find this feature to be invaluable.

Now, I've also sewn on Bernina, Husqvarna Viking, Janome and Babylock machines. And I started my sewing adventures on a very vintage Singer straight stitch machine. I even own a (working condition) 120 year old White treadle machine. I've enjoyed sewing on every one of them.

So what should you look for in a machine? I'll likely go into greater detail in a future article. But in a nutshell I strongly recommend taking the following three things into greatest consideration:

~Dealership. A good dealer is a prize worth holding onto. They stand behind their products and will work with you (not against you) to help you love your machine. My first Pfaff machine was actually a serger purchased 13 years ago from Quality Sewing and Vacuum. I'm still a customer thanks to their outstanding customer service, and a year and a half ago I became a sewing consultant for them. I am proud to represent them because I have experienced firsthand as a customer their commitment to excellence and amazing customer service.

~Type of Use. How and where will you use this machine? Everyone I know has slightly different expectations for their machine. Are you sewing on light or heavy fabrics? How many hours a day/week/month/year? Do you want to do machine embroidery? Mending? Light industrial? Will you be traveling with this machine? Be open minded about the possibilities but also honest about what your needs are. For example: I need my machines to be reliable workhorses that will sew on a huge variety of fabrics from chiffon to Melton without complaint. But now that machine embroidery software has evolved into a much more dynamic, user-friendly tool, I am more easily able to create the designs I want to stitch. Combine that with hoops big enough to do a jacket back in one hooping, well, I find I am doing a LOT more machine embroidery than I ever did in the past. So I am glad that I have machines that are dual-purpose. But if you find that you 'just want to sew' or conversely, have much more fun 'decorating' than sewing, you should consider buying a machine that is more specialized and likely less expensive, too!

~Ease of Use. You need to 'test sew' on machines prior to purchase. Take a variety of fabrics with you in case the dealership doesn't have samples on hand. You might want to take a fresh pack of Universal 70 or 80 needles with you as well. A dull needle can make a good machine look bad. Test sewing on machines not only gives you a chance to get a feel for the machine (and gives you a better basis for comparison) but it also helps you to gauge the level of willingness of the staff to help you learn.

Only you can know what you think you want from a machine. If you're not sure, consider buying a high quality (previous top model) used machine - you'll get lots of features for less money, and if the dealership is reputable they should give at least a limited warranty on used machines.