Machine Embroidery is taking off like crazy. So many people have embroidery machines now. There are many brands of machines. If you are just giving embroidery a try, I would recommend getting a relatively inexpensive machine.

There are 3 main types of embroidery machines.

• Sewing and Embroidery in one machine
• Embroidery Only with single thread
• Embroidery Only with multiple spools of thread

The advantage of a sewing/embroidery machine is that you can get a higher end machine since you are only purchasing the one machine. Most home embroiderers have this type of machine. If you already own a high end sewing machine and want to start embroidery, then the Embroidery Only machine is probably a good choice. Single spool machines are much less expensive than multiple spool machines. You can find an embroidery only single spool machine for about $400 and up. Multiple spool embroidery only machines usually go for $8000 and up. A good embroidery and sewing machine (single thread) go for about $1000 and up. Of course, there are always sales and specials where you can get these machines at a lower cost.

The brands that I am familiar with are:

• Babylock
• Bernina
• Brother
• Janome
• Viking
• White

I am sure there are other brands that will also be an excellent choice. The best thing to do when thinkging of purchasing a machine is to research it to make sure it has good reviews. Talk to embroiderers about their machines and listen to the likes and dislikes they may have for their machine.

More to come later... Embroidery Formats and Digitizing will be the next topic I discuss.