Top Features to Look For In a Machine
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Knee lift or automatic presser foot control. I just couldn’t live without this feature. On my
machine, when you put your foot on the foot pedal, the presser foot will automatically go down
and start sewing. When I stop and cut my thread, it automatically goes back up and is positioned
for the next stitch. It is such a great time-saver and allows me to keep my hands on my sewing
fabric rather than on a presser foot lever.
A good ¼” seam setting on the machine. Make sure it is a scant ¼”. Most of the newer
machines have a scant ¼” as opposed to a true ¼”. This is critical for quilters.
Larger throat/sewing bed. This is a great feature that can be found of many of the newer
sewing machines. Traditionally, sewing machines had a 6” throat (the area right of the needle to
the sewing machine housing. Many of the newer models now have a 10” throat which is so
much more efficient for machine quilting or sewing home dec projects.
Automatic Presser foot pressure adjustment. This function will automatically send the
thickness of your fabric and automatically adjust the presser to ensure you maintain a perfect
stitch.
Auto tension. I love not having to worrying about setting the tension. I want the machine to do
it for me and adjust it automatically based on the type of fabric I am using and the stitch I have
selected.
Automatic scissors. This sounds like the height of luxury, but once you have it, you can’t
imagine how you did without it all those years. It is so much more efficient and will save you
tons of thread.
Automatic needle threader. This is a great feature for my aging eyes. Makes it so easy to
thread the needle.
Automatic bobbin sensor. This is a must have for me. This feature will tell me when my
bobbin low so I don’t end up piecing 87 half square triangles with no bobbin thread.
Number and variety of decorative stitches. For some sewers , this can make or break the deal
on a sewing machine. For others, not so much. I have found that because I have these on my
machine, I have experimented with different types of decorative stitches for my machine quilting.
I love putting a serpentine stitch on baby quilts in place of stitching in the ditch.
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Needle up/needle down. I love this feature. When the machine is set to the needle up position,
when you stop, the needle comes up and the presser foot holds the fabric down. When it is set to
the needle down position, when you stop, the needle stays in the fabric and the presser foot is
raised up just slightly so you are now in pivot position. This makes it so easy to move around
applique pieces without having to lift up your presser for.
Pattern restart. This is a great feature that I use all the time when doing machine applique.
When you use this feature it will automatically restart the stitch at the beginning. I use this with
the blanket stitch when I am sewing applique pieces that move into a point.
One-Step buttonhole sensor foot. If you do any garment sewing or home dec projects, this is
particularly important. This foot will automatically sense the size of your button and create the
perfect button hole length to accommodate your button. Pretty slick!
Walking foot available. This foot is designed to feed layers of fabric and/or batting evenly. It is
perfect for quilting, sewing velvet, some stretch fabrics, imitation leathers and fabrics that need
accurate pattern matching.
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Fix or automatic lock-off stitch. This function will allow you to tie off or sew lock stitches with
the push of a button rather than sewing in reverse for several stitches and then reversing again to
sew forward.
Lighting. My preference is the new LED lighting. More money, but well worth it. The quality
of the lighting is so much better. Refer to automatic needle threader where I mention my eyes
aren’t what they used to be!
Feed dogs drop. Because I do machine quilting, I need a machine on which I can easily drop the
feed dogs. It’s even better if I have a machine that will tell me when they are down if I forget to
put them back up when I’m finished quilting.
Variable speed control. You will want to have a variable speed control as this will allow you to
manipulate the speed of the machine depending on the type of sewing you are doing. If you are
sewing tight curves or small applique, you will want the ability to slow down your machine to
ensure greater accuracy.
Large selection of affordable basic and specialty feet that carry through the line. Whether
you are a sewer or quilter, you will want to purchase a variety of specialty feet that will make
your sewing easier and ensure better results. Make sure that these feet will fit most of the
manufacturer’s sewing machines, especially if you trade up your machine. You don’t want to
invest in a number of feet only to learn that they will not fit on the newer machines.
Portability. Am I looking for a class machine that I can pretty easily take with me to quilting
classes or on retreat? What’s the lifting weight of the machine?
Free arm. This is a great feature for hemming garments, inserting sleeves, etc.
Powerful motor. I do a lot of sewing and quilting. I need a powerful enough motor to ensure I
can power through multiple layers of fabric with varying thickness.
Warranty. You want a machine that has a good warranty and a manufacturer that will stand
behind their product. In a perfect world, nothing would ever go wrong with your sewing
machine. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect work and there are bound to be problems with
a small number of machines. What’s important is how the manufacturer/dealer responds to the
problem.