Best sewing machine for Home Use
If you are looking to buy a sewing machine for home use so you can take on simple DIY projects, such as cushion making and crafting, a model with a basic number of stitches will be suitable. A good motor will also make your sewing experience more enjoyable.
JF Recommends: Janome 725S “This is a great value machine for what it does. It has all the basic stitches and a powerful enough monitor to cope with heavy duty sewing such as interlining and denim.”
Best sewing machine for Quilting
Quilters will benefit from long-arm sewing machines that have a spacious work area, several quilting-specific stitches, and that can be controlled smoothly and precisely.
JF Recommends: Brother Innov-is VQ2 “This machine is great for long-arm quilting. It comes with a large workspace, intuitive features and a generous set of 473 built-in stitches.”
Best sewing machine for Making Clothes
For dress-makers, it’s all about the stitches. Look for a sturdy machine that offers a range of stitches and can cope with a variety of fabrics.
JF Recommends: Janome 5060QDC or the Brother A series "There's a reason the Janome 5060QDC is used on ‘The British Sewing Bee’ - it’s brilliant for dress-making and has 59 fancy stitches. The Brother A series is also superb - the model number correlates to the number of stitches, so the Brother A150 has 150 pre-set stitches, with built-in lettering so you can create labels or monograms.
Best sewing machine for Heavy-Duty Sewing
If you frequently work with thick fabrics such as denim or leather, or need to sew multiple layers of fabric at a time, look for a machine with a powerful motor and sturdy construction.
JF recommends: Brother PQ series “This range will go through anything! It can tackle 30 layers of fabric at a time, so is great for interlining and sewing thick blankets. It’s also ideal if you’re making lots of curtains.”
Best sewing machine for Curtains & Blinds
For making curtains and blinds at home, you need a sturdy sewing machine that has front and reverse stitching so you can plough through your curtain-making.
JF recommends: Janome HD-9: “This machine is the perfect flat bed, straight-stitch only machine and has a unique large bobbin which holds 40% more thread than a standard bobbin.”
For more recommendations, take a look at our guide on Best Sewing Machines for Curtains.
Matching your skill level
To help you find the best home sewing machine for your skill level, you need to take your sewing experience into account. This will help to determine which features you will find most useful and which you can do without.
Best sewing machine for Beginners
Look for a machine with simple controls, automatic threading, and basic stitches such as zigzag, blind hem and stretch stitch. This will give you the versatility you need to start smaller projects and even go on to tackle bigger projects such as curtain-making.
JF recommends: Janome J3-20: “This is a really easy-to-use two dial model that features 16 utility stitches and 4 decorative stitches, making it a great all round machine.”
For more recommendations, take a look at our guide on Best Sewing Machines for Beginners.
Best sewing machine for Intermediate Sewers
Those with more experience may want a machine that offers a broader selection of stitches, lots of customisation options, and various advanced settings for more intricate or specific projects such as quilting or dress-making.
JF recommends: Brother Innov-is F420: “This is a favourite for home sewers and crafters and offers an abundance of features in one simple, easy-to-use package.”
Best sewing machine for Advanced Sewers
The natural progression for advanced sewers is to move onto electric sewing machines. These computerised machines will enhance your sewing experience, with advanced features such as a locking thread button and a thread cutting button, as well as a start-stop button and even a ‘go faster’ function.
JF recommends: Janome Atelier 6: “This computerised free arm machine will take your sewing to the next level. With stitches and settings at the touch of a button, plus an array of features, it’s ideal for dressmaking, quilting, crafting and home furnishings.”
Budget considerations
A lot of people ask us, ‘what is the best budget sewing machine’ –but the answer is that it all depends on what you would like to use your sewing machine for and what level of proficiency you are.
Sewing machines vary widely in price, from a couple of hundred pounds to a couple of thousand, but just going for the cheapest isn’t always the best value for money. It’s important to get the features that matter most to you. While advanced functions can be useful, they may not always be necessary depending on your projects.
JF Top Tip: It’s about the motor size, not the number of stitches! “When you are considering the best sewing machine for your home sewing projects, always look at the motor size. This will tell you if the machine can cope with what you are planning to do with it. It’s very easy to get caught up on the number of stitches a machine offers, but at the end of the day, it’s the motor that will do all the work and keep your machine running for longer!”
Try before you buy with Just Fabrics
We have a huge range of sewing machines in stock at our Just Fabrics Cheltenham and Burford showrooms which are available for demonstration. Just pop in and ask for a test run! We also hold sewing machine workshops and demo days throughout the year where you can try out different machines and also enjoy exclusive on-the-day discounts. Subscribe to our newsletter for more information.
