Holice

The embroidery machines can do more than traditional embroidery. There are disks that will do just the single line stitch. These work well with smaller quilts and great for quilt as you go projects. Some of the machines have such designs built into them. For instances, one of the companies had and still may have about 13 single line designs built in that i designed several years ago. I have done workshops in which we quilted individual blocks in a crib size quilt these designs are also great for rag type quilts. One of the companies had such a kit several years ago. I also did workshops using the single line designs. So they an be useful for more than just embroidery.

Dolphyngyrl

Well price ranges vary from about $500 for a 5x7 machine to 10,000 for TOL. for a nice one with decent harp space and decent hoop size that is a combo you will probably spend about 2000 plus, the lower end is about 400 but you only get a 4x4 hoop and the harp space is going to be that of a low end machine. A small embroidery machine really limits your capabilities, and most people usually want more, and to not have to split designs and rehoop. For you if you don't plan to quilt on it and only plan to do labels than the low end brothers might actually work for you. I have pieced on low end brothers for years with no problems. They have a new simplicity line out
http://www.brother-usa.com/homesewin...r#.UI6SNMWulOg
Don't know how much the embroidery one runs for
Here are some more
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...fix=brother+em
Brothers are very easy to use right out of the box. the simplicity line you have to get from a dealer so probably would be more pricey but would come with classes
If you get the PE-700 it is an embroidery only machine which you can use by itself while you are sewing on your projects and that will run you about 500 off amazon but you would have to get another machine for piecing

Rose Marie

Embroidery puts a lot of wear on a machine so I prefer an embroidery only machine.
Mine is to small only a 4 in area for embroidery but it was cheap, less than $300. It is a Brother so easy to use.
Ive been downloading red work designs to my computer and ordered a ped basic program hopeing to download to a card.
If I had it to do again I would get a 5 in size machine.

rjwilder

I have a Brother Innovis 1250D, it sews and embroiders a 5x7 area. I purchased it for our motorhome, that way if I feel like sewing I can and if I want to embroider I can do that also. Plus it's fairly light and I can take it to classes or to sewing get togethers with friends.

justflyingin

Wow. I could have written this as this is exactly where I am, except that I have a Janome Horizon 7700 (almost 2K) and I bought a used Janome 350E for about $500, both purchased here in Poland. I love them BOTH. (They are my first higher end machines--never ever had a really nice sewing machine before--).

romanojg

The price ranges are great; depending on what each machine has to offer. I had a Viking Ruby until 2 wks ago when I traded it in for a Diamond Deluxe. I love both machines, they are easy to use, no adjusting for tension and I love the larger hoops that both have to offer (diamond has one larger than Ruby). I would get bored with a 4x4 or a 5x7 hoop, I never use them

misskira

If you just want it for labels, I would get the inexpensive 4x4" brother pe-500 at Walmart. It's only $300 and will do the text and small designs you need. You could also make small quilt blocks with it. It would be a good one to learn on, see what your needs are, and an inexpensive start up. If you outgrow it you can sell it on Craigslist and buy something larger without much loss.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-PE...ndingMethod=rr

crafty pat

I was thinking of buying one with a 4x4 but after reading all you have had to say I think I would not be happy with it. I think all your advice has saved me some money.

romanojg

You know how the say "go big or stay at home" Well when it comes to embroidery machines this applies. They can be very addicting and you can find great deals on designs and tons of free ones on line but if you only have a 4x4 hoop you limited your ability to do so. Some designes you can rehoop to get bigger but that's alot of work and the outcome isn't always great. Save your money and then get the best you can afford and get the largest hoop you can find. I have several hoops but the ones I use the most are the 8x8 size and up. I don't use the 4x4 at all. They are really a lot of fun.

jlm5419

I previously had a Singer CE-350 sewing/embroidery machine, but after less than 3 years use, it went haywire. I finally had had enough and told the dealer to either return my $$ or fix it. When we returned it to the dealer for another attempt at repair, my DH decided we should upgrade (deeply discounted because of all the trouble I had with the 350) rather than deal with another round of failed repairs. So now I have a Singer XL 400. Have only had it a month or so, so I don't know if this one will last. It has a 6"x10" and about 4.5"x5.5" hoops. So far, the embroidery has been satisfactory. I use this machine mostly for embroidery, although I will use it if I need a specialized stitch (such as a blanket stitch) that my vintage machines won't do.