Embroidery can help you express your creativity on clothing articles or pillowcases especially when you are bored. An embroidery machine allows you to turn your digital designs into a reality and it does most of the work, which is why these machines are becoming so popular. These machines come in a variety and each is suited for a different level of skill set.
We have thoroughly reviewed some of the best embroidery machines for custom designs in 2021 in this article to make your decision easy. Anyone can customize their designs with the help of an embroidery machine but it is best to figure out your skill level first. You will find all kinds of embroidery machines, some of which are computerized machines best suited for people with a lot of experience. So without further adieu, let’s get started.
10 Best Embroidery Machines for Custom Designs in 2022
1. Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine
The Brother PE800 has a gorgeous design, incredible ease of use, and a USB port for feeding your own customized digital designs into the machine. This machine is both suited for beginners and experts as it comes with a comprehensive guide, which makes it easy to use the machine.
The machine has a 3.2 inches colored LCD that lets you select from the 138 floral designs available in the machine. Furthermore, you get 11 different fonts to choose from. You can use customized designs by importing the digital designs into the machine using a USB. It can read several file formats to make it easy to import designs.
The best thing about the display is that you can actually preview how the design will look once embroidered. This leads you to make better design choices. Using the touch screen, you can make changes to the available designs such as a change in size or mirror the image, etc. The total embroidery area offered by the PE800 is 5×7 inches, large enough for embroidering clothing articles such as a t-shirt.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- No sewing
The PE800 provides a built-in threader, which can be extremely useful to long-sighted people. Manually pushing the thread through the needle can also take a lot of your time, but this feature makes the process fast. With a speed of 650 stitches per minute, this machine is quite fast and quickly gets the job done. The Brother PE800 is ideal for beginners as it is simple to use and provides some amazing features.
2. Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The Brother SE1900 is a combo machine that lets you perform both sewing and embroidery work quite efficiently. It lets you quickly switch from embroidery to sewing and you don’t have to rely on separate machines for finishing your projects. It offers a huge range of features, which makes embroidery so much fun.
The SE1900 has 240 built-in stitches for sewing, which is a large variety for making creative projects. For embroidery, you get 138 built-in designs and 11 fonts that you can play with for making floral patterns on clothing. The 3.2 inch LCD touch of the machine lets you do all the editing and you can preview the design.
The machine’s 8 sewing feet give you the freedom to sew all kinds of fabrics for special purposes. You can attach any of the feet you like depending on the function you want to achieve such as sewing a buttonhole or making a zigzag pattern. The screen generates an alert when the bobbin thread is almost empty, which is highly useful.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Pricey
You can also use your own designs by storing the files in a USB and plugging it into the machine. Moreover, you can also edit the already available designs and make changes to them. The Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery machine is ideal for beginners as the touchscreen display makes it easy to operate and it provides so many stitching and embroidery options for completing your projects.
3. Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9850
The Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9850 is another impressive sewing and embroidery combo machine that is designed to let you achieve maximum creativity with advanced features. The machine is composed of quality stainless steel and durable plastic that gives it a long-lasting finish. It is quite sturdy and remains stable when sewing.
The machine offers a large LCD touchscreen that shows all the options for selecting the design and font for embroidery. It has a total of 175 design patterns and 2 fonts, giving a variety of design options. For sewing, this model offers 200 built-in stitches, which give you so many options for achieving different outcomes.
It has 5 LED lights located in different locations to offer maximum light, so you can work comfortably and see everything in detail. The machine has several useful features such as a built-in needle threader to save you from the trouble of putting the thread into the needle by hand. You can quickly get the hang of it and start working after watching any YouTube tutorial.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Lacks accessory case
It comes with a bunch of different accessories and provides a guide for understanding the purpose behind them. This embroidery machine consists of several needles to speedup the process. The Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9850 is an impressive machine for easily doing embroidery on clothing articles and stitching them afterwards. It makes your task easier and lets you use your creativity for making huge projects.
4. Janome MB-7 Embroidery Machine
The Janome MB-7 embroidery machine is a bulky machine that is ideal for a home business as it offers the right accessories for efficiently creating projects. It consists of 7 needles and provides a greater advantage as compared to a single needle machine. The use of sturdy material in the construction of the machine makes it highly durable.
It offers a detachable 5.7-inch Remote Control Screen that displays all the designs and options for editing. You can either use the RCS or connect the machine to a computer using the USB cable for controlling the operation of the machine. This allows you to easily operate the machine and view the designs on a bigger screen.
Inserting the bobbin can seem a bit difficult at first but if you follow the guide steps carefully, you can get it done quickly. The presence of 6 white LED lamps allows you to carry on with your work even at night and you won’t necessarily need a brightly lit room. It provides the monogram feature for overlapping 2 or 3 letters.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Expensive
Multi-needle embroidery machines can be quite heavy but fortunately, the MB-7 has a smaller footprint for a home embroidery machine. With a weight of 50 pounds, it is a bit heavy but you won’t really need to move it once you have placed it in your studio. The stitches offered by the machine are neat and clear making it worth buying. The Janome MB-7 has a solid build and multiple needles for providing quality embroidery.
5. Brother SE600 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The Brother SE600 offers the function of sewing and embroidery in a single machine with an affordable price tag. This is a medium-sized machine and has a weight of 26 pounds, which is quite light as compared to bulky embroidery machines. Consequently, it is much easier to move from one room to another.
It has a 3.2-inch LCD touchscreen that lets you edit the settings for embroidery work. Since this is a combo machine, the screen automatically changes the settings on the screen for sewing, allowing an easy switch between embroidery and sewing. The stitch quality of the SE600 is quite impressive and clear making it one of the best embroidery machines for custom designs in 2021.
With a total of 80 built-in designs and 6 different fonts, you can create amazing embroidery work for your clothing articles. Moreover, it provides 103 built-in stitching options that can help you achieve different sewing patterns. You can do fast sewing using this machine as it has a speed of 710 stitches per minute. It also consists of the drop-in bobbin at the top rather than the side, so it can be accessed easily.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Small-sized embroidery only
The SE600 has a thread cutter option, all you need to do is press the specific button and it will do the task. Like most embroidery machines, it comes with a USB port for importing customized files to help you create unique designs. The Brother SE600 sewing and embroidery machine is affordable, easy to work with, and quite light as compared to other heavy machines.
6. SINGER Futura XL580 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The SINGER Futura XL580 is another high-quality combination machine that offers some amazing features to make the sewing and embroidery process smooth and simple. The build quality of the machine is impressive, as it is constructed of solid steel and plastic materials. This is a computerized machine that lets you connect it to a computer and change the digital files into embroidery files using the built-in software.
This makes it ideal for both beginners and expert users. The best thing about this machine is that it comes with different embroidery hoops. The largest hoop size is 10×16 inches using which you can create huge designs for quilts. There is also an endless hoop of 6.75×4 inches, which can be quite useful when designing tablecloths.
It has a small LCD screen at the front with all the controls located around it for easy access. For embroidery, the machine offers 250 different designs that you can customize to your liking. You also get 20 font styles for lettering. For clearly viewing how the stitching is progressing, the XL580 provides 6 LED lights in different areas.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Difficult tension system
The machine has an automatic needle threader and all you have to do is press a button to get the thread inside the needle. It also comes with a USB cable for connecting the machine to a computer and changing imported designs to embroidery files. It uses many different formats. The SINGER Futura XL580 can let you do so many things due to its advanced features.
7. Brother PE550D Embroidery Machine
The Brother PE550D is an affordable and compact embroidery machine that offers a good range of features and embroidery designs. This machine is fairly easy to use and does not have complex features, so beginners can quickly understand its working. With a weight of 23.1 pounds only, you can easily move it from one part of the studio to another.
The 3.2 inch LCD, allows you to view all designs and make changes in colour and size. You can preview all the changes, which save you from wasting any fabric. It provides 125 built-in designs out of which 45 are Disney designs. You can use the Disney designs for creating embroidery on children’s clothing.
Furthermore, you can use 9 font styles for designing letters on a t-shirt. The stitching speed of the machine is 650 stitches per minute, which is pretty fast. It is a sturdy machine composed of solid components making it durable. The company offers a 25-year warranty on the machine’s parts, so you can get it fixed if an issue arises.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Small hoop
The hoop offered by the machine is 4×4 inches, ideal for small projects and creating smaller designs. Despite having limited features, the Brother PE550D is an ideal embroidery machine for beginners who are on a tight budget. It is simple to operate and you can have fun creating designs for your projects.
8. Brother PE770 Embroidery Machine
The Brother PE770 is an embroidery machine that is well constructed and provides a bunch of useful features to enhance your creativity. It has a solid duty frame, which makes it durable. The machine provides a hoop of 5×7 inches for easily making large embroidery patterns. As a result, you are not limited to 4×4 designs only.
It has a medium-sized LCD screen that shows all the options for browsing through the different built-in design patterns. There are 136 built-in design patterns available in the machine. The LCD lets you preview these designs and edit them. You can also watch the built-in tutorials on how to use the design on this LCD screen.
The PE770 is fairly easy to set up, thanks to the comprehensive guide that comes in the package. Due to the solid build of the machine, it is highly stable and does not create vibrations, thereby offering quiet operation. The automatic needle threader and Quick-set drop-in bobbin features of the machine speed up the stitching process making the task simple.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Limited editing
The machine weighs only 16 pounds making it a lightweight embroidery machine that is easier to carry around the room. For easily viewing the fabric and providing extra light, the machine has 2 LED lights located in the right places. The Brother PE770 embroidery machine is simple to use and provides quality features to make the embroidery process quick and efficient.
9. Brother SE400 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The Brother SE400 is a 2 in 1 sewing and embroidery machine that is designed to be used in homes. The machine has a quality metal frame and solid plastic components that reduce noise and vibrations, which is a point of concern in most machines. It is better to invest in a combination machine if you have the extra money.
As a result, you can perform both embroidery and sewing on a single machine and it will take less time to complete your projects. You can select any of the built-in embroidery designs using the backlit LCD of the machine. It provides a standard embroidery area of 4×4 inches, which is ideal for making smaller designs.
It consists of a USB port and the USB cable is included in the package for connecting the machine to a computer. In this way, you can transfer files and also perform software updates for keeping the machine up to date. The embroidery area is well-lit, thanks to the presence of white LED lights for watching the embroidery in progress.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Lacks colored LCD
The machine has 70 built-in embroidery designs and 67 built-in stitching patterns offering a wide variety in both stitching and embroidery. Amongst the accessories, you get 8 different sewing feet for achieving different functions. The Brother SE400 provides several sewing and embroidery options and has a sturdy built for making the machine last longer.
10. SINGER Legacy SE300 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The Singer Legacy SE300 is a sewing and embroidery machine that offers a large embroidery and stitching area, several useful features, and an LCD touchscreen. The machine has a simple yet elegant design with a white paint finish. It looks and feels sturdy for providing stable and neat stitching.
The compact LCD touchscreen lets you control the working of the machine. You can look through the embroidery designs and stitching patterns for choosing the best option. It offers 250 stitching options for making the stitching more creative. For embroidery, you can select from the 200 built-in designs and 6 letter styles, which is an abundant variety.
It has the important features found in quality sewing and embroidery machines such as automatic needle threader, thread cutter, and LED lighting. These useful features quicken the stitching process. The SE300 comes with two hoops, one is the standard 4×4 and the other is a large hoop of 10×16 inches. So you can create both small and large embroidery patterns.
PROS
CONS
Cons
- Expensive
This is a user-friendly machine, so even a beginner can easily get it working after watching a few tutorials. Furthermore, it comes with a detailed instruction manual for quickly setting up the machine without inconvenience. It is also pretty quiet so you can use it any time of the day or night. The Singer Legacy SE300 is easy to set up and provides excellent features to make embroidery quicker.
Wrap Up
There are all kinds of embroidery machines available on the market. Some of these machines are combo machines providing both embroidery and sewing functions while others are embroidery only machines. The expensive embroidery machines usually offer features and design patterns in abundance.
So before selecting a machine, figure out your budget and skill level so you can get the best machine that is easy to use as a beginner. Our recommended picks amongst the best embroidery machines for custom designs are given below.
- Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine is popular due to its ease of use, which makes it ideal for beginners
- Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Machine offers a wide range of designs for achieving a high level of creativity
- Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9850 is another excellent embroidery and sewing machine popular for its durable build and accessories.
So that is all for the best embroidery machines for custom designs in 2021. We have included both expensive and budget-friendly options to make it easy for you to select the right machine for the specific use.