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" No matter if you&amp;#039;re a beginner sewer or an advanced seamstress, shopping for a new machine and deciding which one is right for you can be an overwhelming task. To help, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluated sewing machines for performance, ease of use, and even checked up on the companies&amp;#039; customer service. We&amp;#039;ve divided our sewing machine reviews into three categories:m beginner sewers, intermediate sewers, and advanced sewers.  What we found: you don&amp;#039;t need to spend thousands of dollars to get a good machine. Most sewing machines performed well in our test. The big differences are with ease of use and getting the right tension for a specific fabric. If you&amp;#039;re familiar with one brand of sewing machine, you&amp;#039;ll most likely be familiar with a different model of the same brand. \u2014 most companies stick to similar threading, bobbing winding, and interfaces across all their models. What GHRI Looked For in Sewing Machines  Ability to sew a basic stitch on satin, woven cotton, microsuede, upholstery-grade fabric, cotton duck (heavy and light), wool/lycra blend, heavyweight wool, denim, cotton jersey, polyester fleece, cotton corduroy, silk charmeuse, and silk chiffon Ability to sew through multiple layers of woven cotton, cotton jersey, and denim Ability to sew a quilt swatch  Ability to sew a bound seam Time to set up a buttonhole Ease of creating a buttonhole Accuracy and quality of buttonholes Ease of threading machine Time to thread Ease of winding bobbin Ease of using automatic needle threader (if applicable) Ease of changing the needle Ease of changing the presser foot Comfort of the foot pedal, buttons, and hand wheel Ease of changing tension, speed, and stitches Sound level Thoroughness of instruction manual Helpfulness of customer service  How GHRI Tested Sewing Machines:  We performed a basic stitch (two different lengths) on multiple fabrics, and we evaluated the quality of the stitch. A basic stitch was also performed on multiple layers of fabric and a quilt swatch, and we evaluated the quality of the stitch. Buttonholes were created on each sewing machine, and they were judged on how accurate they were and the quality. For ease of use, we had testers rate how easy it was to thread the machine, fill and load the bobbin, and sew a straight line. We also looked at ease of using the automatic needle threader, creating a buttonhole, changing the needle, changing the presser foot, and changing the tension, speed, and stitch type.  Testers also evaluated the comfort of the pedal, buttons, and the hand wheel. We measured the sound of each machine while sewing. We weighed each machine. We called each manufacturer&amp;#039;s toll-free customer service number with a troubleshooting question. We timed how long we waited before speaking with a representative and evaluated the helpfulness of the response.  What to Consider Before Buying a Sewing Machine:  Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced sewer? If you&amp;#039;re a beginner or if you&amp;#039;re just going to be doing basic sewing, you may not need a high-priced machine that has extra features and functions. Intermediate and advanced sewers may decide to splurge on more complex features. Consider what features you&amp;#039;ll be using. Is top speed a priority, or maybe automatic needle threading? Many sewing machines come with a lot of features and functions, so figure out which ones are relevant to you. Look to see what accessories come standard with the machine. It may make a huge price difference if end up needing to buy a lot of accessories separately.  Tips for Using a Sewing Machine:  Test your stitch settings on a piece of scrap fabric to make sure they&amp;#039;re correct and the machine is on the right setting.  If stitches aren&amp;#039;t being produced correctly, check to make sure the machine is properly threaded. Try re-threading; you sometimes can&amp;#039;t tell its threaded incorrectly just by looking. Check that you have the right tension set. Otherwise, stitches may not be produced correctly. Make sure you have the right needle for hard-to-sew fabrics, such as chiffon, denim, and leather.  Appliqu\u00E9 Foot Used to sew on appliqu\u00E9 pieces  Automatic Buttonhole Foot  Used to create buttonholes Bias Binder Foot  Used to transform raw bias strips into binding and create bias binding while sewing  Blind Hem Foot  Used to create blind hems Border Guide Foot Used to help align decorative stitches Braiding Foot  Used to sew braiding, cording, ribbon, or elastic Button Fitting Foot Used to sew on buttons Cording Foot  Used to sew on cording, piping, or thread Darning Foot  Also called quilting foot, free motion quilting foot, or free motion foot. Used for free motion quilting Ditch Quilting Foot Used for stitching in the ditch Edge Joining Foot  Used for creating an even sided stitch when joining fabric, lace, or trim Elastic Guide Foot  Used for sewing elastic  Even Feed Foot (also called the walking foot)  Used to feed layers of fabric evenly while sewing Fringe/Looping Foot  Used for decorative sewing Gathering Foot  Used to create gathers on fabric Hemmer Foot Used to create hems Invisible Zipper Foot  Used to insert invisible zippers Left Edge Top Stitch Foot  Used to create a topstitch when there is a hem or binding to the right of the foot Non-Stick Glide Foot  Used for sewing foam, plastic, coated fabrics, leather, and imitation leather Overedge Foot  Used with an overcastting stitch to allow thread to wrap around the edge of the fabric to prevent unraveling Overlock Foot  Used for sewing overcast seams Picot Foot  Used to sew special edges like frills Pintuck Foot  Used to create pintucks Piping foot  Used to sew in piping Rolled Hem Foot  Used to create a rolled hem Roller Foot  Used to sew materials that are difficult to feed Rotary Even Foot  Used to prevent hard to feed fabrics from puckering while sewing Ruffler Foot  Used to create ruffles Rug-Making Fork  Used to make customized trim and fringe Satin Stitch Foot  Used for decorative sewing Straight Stitch Foot Used for seaming, quilt piecing, and top stitching Teflon\u2122 Foot  Used for sewing foam, plastic, coated fabrics, leather, and imitation leather Tricot Foot  Used to evenly feed lightweight fabrics Ultraglide Foot  Used to sew fabrics that may stick to a metal foot, such as ultra suede, faux leather, and plastic Utility Foot  Used for utility stitches Zigzag Stitch Foot  Used for finishing edges, decorative work  Zipper Foot  Used for inserting zippers "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/sewing-machine-reviews/a13055/sewing-machine-test-details/>