The 10 Most Reliable Home Sewing Machines Reviews & Complete Guide 2021

All sewing machine manufacturers do make mistakes. They all have seen their sewing machines go down without doing a name. 8 out of 10 sewing machines released each year is a flop.

Only a couple of models have the quality and features to do well in the highly competitive sewing machine market, and those few models make up the bulk of the sales.

Those machines that tasted success will compensate for the loss incurred by the other machines. This is how it works with all sewing machine manufacturers.

Through my teen years of sewing experience, I have learned that certain machines are in a different league than their competitors.

Individual sewing machines stand out from the crowd due to their flawless operation and impressive stitch quality.

You can handpick them quite easily, provided you have a decent experience in the sewing industry. Such machines are the pride of their respective manufacturers.

Here I have handpicked nine such machines that their manufacturers take pride in producing.

Reviews of the Reliable Home Sewing Machines 2021 – (Editors’ Choice)

This is the list of 9 Most Reliable Home Sewing Machines that you can get in the US. I have deliberately kept the list as the maximum a home sewer will look for (in most cases).

1. Brother CS6000i 

Made Its Name For Most Sold Sewing Machine In US

The sales volume of this sewing machine is humongous. Brother CS6000i was released way back in 2007, and it didn’t have a competitor until Brother itself rolled out the XR9500PRW.

Until then, CS6000i was ruling the beginner sewing machine market.

The arrival of XR9500PRW has slowed down its progress, but it is still going strong, and it still is the most sought after beginner’s sewing machine in the US. Thus it becomes the second most reliable sewing machine on our list.

Key features: 

Even though Brother CS6000i is a computerized sewing machine, it is not as feature-rich as XR9500PRW. CS6000i has 60 built-in stitches, a top drop-in bobbin, an automatic needle threader, etc.

Pros:

Very easy to use. Little maintenance is required.

Cons:

Narrow machine throat. The arrival of XR9500PRW made it a second choice.

2. Singer 9960 

Made Its Name For The Most Advanced Sewing Machine

If you are a creative person, this machine has everything you need. It is the most reliable advanced sewing machine on this list. It is feature-packed.

The stitch quality is excellent, and its performance is right up there with those industrial sewing machines, which is the reason why it features in sewing machines view the list of “Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut.”

If you are looking for a feature-rich advanced sewing machine, look no further.

Key features: 

A whopping 600 built-in stitches, top drop-in bobbin, automatic needle threader, sewing start/stop button, speed control slider, programmable needle up/down button, automatic thread cutter, etc

Pros:

Features galore. Easy to do monogramming. It can sew through all kinds of fabrics effortlessly. Quiet operation.

Cons:

No presser foot pressure adjustment.

3. Brother SE400 

Made Its Name For Best Sewing & Embroidery Combo Machine In US

If you are looking for a sewing and embroidery combo machine, you have limited options to choose from. And among those limited options, Brother SE400 is by far the most reliable one.

The best thing about SE400 is that you can enjoy sewing and embroidery on a single machine. What makes SE400 unique from others is the stitch quality for both regular sewing and embroidery.

It is a member of our “Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut” list.

Key features: 

67 sewing stitches and 70 built-in embroidery designs. USB connectivity to import an unlimited number of designs from the internet.

Built-in memory, five lettering fonts for monogramming, top drop-in bobbin, automatic needle threader,  automatic thread cutter, 4″x4″ embroidery area, etc.

Pros:

USB Connectivity for importing designs and software updates. Good selection of both sewing and embroidery designs. Excellent stitch quality.

Cons:

Small embroidery area.

4. Janome HD3000 

Made Its Name For The Best Heavy Duty Sewing Machine In US

Arguably the best heavy duty sewing machine you can get. It is an absolute workhorse. It can sew anything you throw at it. Its ability to sew through multiple denim layers is unmatched, and its stitch quality is entirely admirable.

Forget heavy-duty; this is the best mechanical sewing machine I have ever come across. The build quality is excellent.

Key features: 

Heavy-duty construction (less plastic parts compared to other mechanical sewing machines), 18 built-in stitches, one one-step buttonhole, automatic needle threader, etc

Pros:

Smooth and quiet operation. It sews everything (almost); it chews through heavy-duty fabrics with ease. Sturdy.

Cons:

Dim work light. Not a lot of features onboard.

5. Singer 4423 

Made Its Name For The Best Inexpensive Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

This machine has a power-packed motor under its hood. Its motor is around 35% stronger than any other machine in its price range.

It will be a good choice for those who can’t afford Janome HD3000 because it is the second-best heavy duty sewing machine for beginners.

Key features: 

23 built-in stitches, top drop-in bobbin, automatic needle threader, etc

Pros:

Affordable. Does a decent job with multiple layers of fabric

Cons:

Not 100% heavy-duty, there are plastic parts for sure — no 1-step buttonhole.

6. Brother XM2701 

XM2701 is essentially the updated version of Brother XL2600I, which is the 3rd sewing machine on this list.

So you can hope of similar quality from this. This is an upcoming model and is slowly climbing the ladder. It is definitely another reliable sewing machine.

Key features: 

27 built-in stitches, automatic needle threader, top drop-in bobbin, etc

Pros:

Excellent stitch quality. Inexpensive

Cons:

The work light is pretty dim.

7. Singer 7258 

Made Its Name For The Best Beginners Sewing Machine From Singer

This is the best Singer computerized sewing machine. It has quality, features, and it is affordable. In the price category, no other Singer machine comes even close to 7258 in quality.

So if you are a Singer fan, this is the machine to consider.

Key features: 

100 built-in stitches, top drop-in bobbin, automatic needle threader, 13 needle positions, etc

Pros:

Quiet operation. Quality stitches. Good variety of stitches.

Cons:

No drop feed dog feature, which is essential for doing free-motion sewing. It came as a big surprise to me, to be honest. The singer definitely missed the trick there.

8. Brother XR9500PRW

This is the most reliable computerized sewing machine in the US. You can blindly trust this machine. The quality of the stitch is outstanding, and it is feature-packed. The most appealing thing is its price.

It is the best value for the money sewing machine. If you are looking for an affordable machine, I will recommend Brother XR9500PRW all day.

Key features: 

100 built-in stitches, top drop-in bobbin, sewing font for monogramming, automatic needle threader, etc

Pros:

Very lightweight. Quiet operation. Handles multiple layers of fabrics very well. A variety of stitch options. And above all, an excellent quilting machine.

Cons:

Slightly tricky automatic needle threader, which requires a couple of attempts to get used to.

9. Brother XL2600I 

When you go for a cheap price tag, you compromise on the quality in most cases, which is not true with Brother XL2600I. This is a cheap rated sewing machine.

At this price, you can’t find a sewing machine with better features, I swear.

Key features: 

25 built-in stitches, top drop-in bobbin, automatic needle threader, etc

Pros:

Good variety of stitches for the price. The availability of a drop-in bobbin and 1-step buttonhole at this price is a real blessing. The automatic needle threader is another huge plus.

Cons:

Tension issues. Poor user manual.

Are You Looking For Reliable Home Sewing Machines? Here’s What You Need to Consider

A sewing machine that is used at home is often not the type that professionals purchase. They may look fancy and have the most important features, but it depends on what they prefer to purchase.

This is because they do not often spend a lot of time sewing and use it occasionally. While some sewing is done as a hobby, others use it as a productive pastime while at home.

Irrelevant of these things, one would have to ensure that they get the best value for their money while purchasing a machine to sew at home. You have to look for a few basic things in a device when purchasing a home sewing machine.

We give you certain things about sewing machines that you would have to consider to ensure that you get your hands on the best one available in the market at the current moment.

Budget Matters

After deciding to purchase a machine to sew at home, you would want to consider how much money you would like to invest. Purchasing a too costly machine might not end up being a good investment since you seldom get to use it.

Moreover, costly machines come with different features that you are never likely to use at home. So, purchasing a machine at a moderate cost may be a suitable option for you as a person who stays home.

Considering the Machine Types

Manual, electronic, and computerized machines are the types of sewing devices you can purchase. While manual machines can be too hectic to use with different complications and difficult to master, a computerized machine is likely to be too advanced.

Ideally, you might want to go for an electronic version that might be a compromise between the two. These electronic machines can be simpler to use while providing the accuracy that you always wanted.

You can have great finishes with the fabrics you use without stressing too much like you have to on a mechanical or manual machine. So, keep this in mind while selecting a sewing machine for your home needs.

Features You May Want

It is always a good idea to consider the features you want in a sewing machine before selecting one. This way, you can get the machine that is likely to serve the purpose. It can also help you save on the purchase you make and not overshoot your proposed budget.

Friendly Model

Selecting a model that is user friendly can be a good choice for most machines suited to sew at home. This way, you would not be overburdening yourself with your sewing tasks. Also, ensure that you get a model that supports most fabrics that you are more likely to sew.

Compact Design

Selecting a compact design that is not too bulky would often turn out to be a good choice. It would also mean that the machine is not heavy to use and can be moved around the house with relative ease. Compact designs are also attractive to the eyes and look good at home while not in use.

Durability and Noiseless

Since you are using a sewing machine at home, it may be good to purchase a noiseless machine. Various models fit this category from different manufacturers. The other thing to look for is the durability of the machine that you purchase.

After all, you would not want to be spending time on repairs with the little time you would be spending on the sewing machine while at home. If you consider these while purchasing a sewing appliance, you can be certain about making a wise investment.

Consider comparing different machines and their features while not forgetting to read about how good they are on the internet.

How to Sew Leather on a Home Sewing Machine?

Many people are under the assumption that they need a professional machine to sew leather properly. These days, people use leather in their footwear and other clothing and accessories that they wear and sport.

Essentially, leather clothing like coats and accessories cost a lot of money when you purchase them. However, when a small stitch comes off or a minor repair in them, you can’t just throw them away or discard them.

You intend to sew them and have them repaired before you could use them again. So, if you have a sewing machine at home, you can very much use them to sew leather garments or accessories. We have a look at how your sewing machine can double up to work for your leather garments and accessories.

Procuring a Leather Needle

The principal thing you have to do that helps your machine be organized to sew up leather is to procure and install a leather stitching needle. Usually, the needle’s size is 100/16 and is available at your local needlework store or craft accessories outlet.

It may be a good idea to buy multiple leather needles as you might be required to change them often to ensure that you are not using a blunt one. These needles are designed in such a way to enable sewing leather is easier when they are used. The needle’s design is also of a different outline to help it penetrate through the leather neatly.

Altering the Machine Foot

In typical cases, this might not be a criterion while stitching leather. However, in certain types of leather, you might feel that the material is sticking to the foot a little too much for your comfort. In these cases, you can try out 3 different types, and they are as follows:

• Teflon Foot: Using a Teflon foot can be a good option while sewing leather, PVC, or faux leather. These are also known as the non-stick or otherwise as the ultra-glide foot as they allow the material to glide through while sewing. While some brands have a Teflon coating, other costlier variants are fully made of it.
• Roller Foot: These are in a combination of metal and plastic or either of these materials. They allow for the material to slide while you sew, making the process smoother than before.
• Walking Foot: Also known as even-feed foot since they have their feed dogs. They work combined with the machine’s existing feed dogs to hold the material at the bottom and the top to enable a smooth skate.

Change the Thread Type

Using nylon or a polyester thread would make it optimal for sewing leather compared to the traditional thread. These threads are stubborn in quality and are more capable of holding up better over a while when compared to the classic cotton or other threads.

Using a Knot

Always ensure that you use a knot at the start and close of sewing while on leather. This means that you avoid backstitching that you always do on your other material while you sew. Using this method means that you avoid being detrimental to leather while sewing.

Use Double Sided Tape

This is a perfect alternative to using pins to hold multiple layers of the materials to be sewn. Pins are capable of both scratching, damaging, and leaving everlasting shacks in the leather. You may also try and use a holding clip for quilter’s which is a better substitute for pins.

Long Stitch Length

For the sewing to be proper, you might want to use long stitches. A length of 3 – 4 mm long or 1/8 inches should be preferred for leather stitching. You can pre-set the same on your machine to avoid any tear in the leather while and after you sew.

Using these above steps, you can ensure that your leather sewing project falls perfectly in place without any hassles. Anyone who can follow these steps would properly sew leather with their old-style sewing apparatus for sewing at home.

People who are doubtful about the process can try these steps with a waste piece of leather before beginning the real material or accessory sewing or stitching process.

How to Thread a New Home Sewing Machine?

A lot of people have been using sewing systems at home for quite some days. These people would understand how difficult it was for them to take the baby step to begin the initial stages. In the earlier days of sewing, people never had access to the internet like what we do now. They had to learn the process of using these machines by trial and error procedures.

However, things are different as almost all you can have any questions related to sewing answered on the internet if they already do not exist on it. There are video tutorials, picture illustrations, and other step-by-step guides on how to use a machine. One of the first things that you would need to learn with sewing is the basics, and it begins with how to thread your machine for sewing.

There are hundreds of models and designs that are out there from various manufacturers from various countries. Although each machine differs from one to another, the basics remain the same on most of them. So, we have detailed how to go about the first step of threading a needle in your machine before moving on to the next steps of sewing.

Passing

Pass the thread between the cap and the tension spring with the help of using the slot. This is a slow process that needs to be completed with a lot of patience from the person doing this. The user manual may have pictures with names that would help you identify each part specified here.

If you push the thread further into the thread’s path, the more difficult it will get for you to pull the extra thread. Therefore, using the thumbscrew, you may have to loosen the tension on it. Alternatively, at the start of the threading, you can just pull superfluous thread length to make things easier.

Sliding

You should be able to slide the thread under the eyelet spring, which is also known as thread guide, from the other end.

Inserting through the needle bar

You would notice a needle bar on the left side top above the needle through which you would have to insert the thread and allow for it lay there in the channel.

Looping

Irrelevant of it being a face or staple plate, you should pass the thread behind in this loop. By now, you should be able to hold one end of the thread with one of your hands, preferably your left.

With the help of a stiletto or a pin on the other hand, preferably your right, you should pull in the thread through the loop. Once it is through the loop, you would have to pull it around the hook-shaped lever further and is known as take-up-lever.

Grooving the thread

After this, you should locate an inverted U-shaped groove on the side of the machine. Once located, you would have to pass the thread through this inverted U-shaped groove.

Threading the needle

Now, take the thread on your left hand and push it through the needle from the left side of the gap given for threading. The thread should come from the left side of the needle to the right and not the other way around.

You would have noticed the needle is implanted into the needle clamp by having the flat side towards the right. In case during the first step, if you have loosened the upper tension, you can now have it readjusted to begin working on it.

So, this is all it takes for you to thread a new home sewing machine and get it prepped for sewing. However, as mentioned earlier, not all sewing machines are alike and may have a slight difference. Still, the basic process would remain the same with not much of a difference.

You are advised to go through the manual carefully to get the process right apart from reading the above step by step guide. It is important to understand the fact that you may not get it right the first time.

Most people are not able to get it right the first time. However, the greater number of times you try, the better you would get at it. At a certain point, you would be so trained to do it that you would no longer look at the specific parts mentioned while you are having the process done on your machine.

How To Quilt On A Home Sewing Machine

In sewing practices, quilting is considered to be a form of therapy. Even if I am not some big sewist, but I can tell people are not wrong about it in a single bit! You will find countless videos for quilting. If you watch the videos, you will see people create exquisite designs on quilts. Even watching the videos is therapeutic. I guess now you get the idea.

However, quilting is an exciting project for beginners or advanced learners to attempt with your home sewing machine. And, if you are wondering, can you really perform quilting on a home sewing machine. Yes, you totally can! The crucial supply for quilting with a home sewing machine is a free-motion presser foot.

Still, there are few more supplies and necessary steps you need to administer for quilting at home. We have provided details in the steps below. Please give them a read to build a clear understanding of how to quilt on a home sewing machine.

Supplies You Need

• Fabrics: You can collect one whole piece of fabric, and that will be one design. Or, you can collect or cut fabric in different widths and lengths. We are leaving the fabric procurement on you since you do not give away details for a specific DIY quilting project.
• Backing: Another piece of fabric that will be staying on the backside of your quilt.
• Batting: You will need to place it between the quilt’s front and back layers to make it girthy. Besides, quilts are supposed to be bulky in nature.
• Threads
• Pair of scissors
• Large ruler
• Adhesive spray or pins
• Iron Machine

Let’s start with the steps for quilting with your home sewing machine.

Choosing The Fabrics

First, you need to collect some fabric of your choice. We already mentioned once, whether you want single pieces of fabric or multiple smaller pieces, that’s up to you. Overall, the look of the quilt is up to you. Colors, lengths, widths, single pieces, numerous strips, or other shapes- you can explore as much as you want!

Cutting The Fabrics

Once you choose, next, you cut the quilt in your desired shape. Once again, this stage as well entirely depends on you but hold your horse! Cutting is not a tough job. Make sure you utilize the ruler we have suggested you collect.

With the ruler, you will cut the fabrics for your quilt in a straight line. And, there will be no tension for cutting it in zigzag. You don’t want to end up with a quilt with uneven sides, do you?

Alongside cutting accurately, you need to cut the fabrics leaving enough seam allowance. By the by, you complete cutting the front and backside of the quilt in this stage. 

Cutting The Batting

When you are done cutting the quilt’s back and front, you need to make the batting. Clearly, you have to cut the batting in the sizes of the quilt’s front and back. Make sure you leave enough seam allowance.

Also, we care about cutting the batting too short than the other two fabric pieces. All the pieces don’t usually match perfectly, but try to make a similar. Otherwise, you will have to cut the sides again, which will make a shorter quilt than the one you are targeting for.

Also, will smaller batting, you can’t sew it with the other fabrics if you don’t cut them in the same line. As a result, it will get stuffed unevenly. That does not sound like a nice quilt, does it?

Adding The Batting With The Back And Front Side

You need to perform this stage carefully, as you will be putting all the separate pieces together. Go for a place where you can disperse the fabrics and bat nice and straight. You will be completing this step with four different tasks.

And the smartest way to start them is by placing the fabric for the backside of the quilt. Next, you place the batting on the top of the back part. You can then place the front part of the quilt of the other pieces you have already put together. Now, you pin the pieces to prevent them from moving from their places.

Stitching The Sides

Once the pieces are put together correctly, you can take the whole quilt piece to your home sewing machine to stitch the sides. Stitching the sides is not as straight forward as it sounds. You need to fold them inside to make a beautiful quilt.

Fold the backside separately and the front and the backing together. You can keep the folded together with pins. After making the folds, you can start stitching. GO slowing to ensure straight stitches as it’s a piece of fabric. Remove the pins gradually on the way of stitching.

Free-motion Quilting

This is the most enjoyable part of a quilting project. You need to change the presser foot and set the free-motion presser foot to quilt or to make swirls, leaves, any kind of design on the quilt. You can draw some designs if you wish before starting free-motion quilting.

If you feel like exploring and not being restricted by any lines, you can start quilting without drawing any designs.

However, this is our last step. And, you can start making flowers, leaves, lines, shapes, swirls- anything you wish on the quilt. Remember to go slow. As it’s a complex stitching process, you don’t want to ruin the quilt by going in speed. If you go slowly, you will have more control over the stitching process.

On The Final Note

Quilting is a must when you own a sewing machine. There are special machines made for quilting only, but home sewing machines are popular for quilting. Even when people buy a sewing machine, they look for quilting features in the machines they are checking out.

There are other complex and exciting projects to attempt with your home sewing machine, but quilting is remarkable for its calming effect. In a quilting project, you get to handle bigger fabric and a bigger space on the fabric to explore your imagination and creativity.

Reliable Home Sewing Machines Comparison Chart