Top 8 Best Sewing Machine for Quilting
Quilting is not just a hobby — it’s an art form. In fact, it’s quite a popular art form with 21.3 million quilters participating nationwide. Think about it — that means that there’s a quilter in 14 percent of all U.S. households, and those quilters are serious about their art.
They spend around $3.58 billion — yes, billion — dollars annually buying material, batting, thread, and sewing machines. If you’re a quilter, you understand the need to get ahold of the best sewing machine for quilting you can afford. And we do, too.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best quilting sewing machines on the market today.
How We Rated These Sewing Machines
It’s important to get a well-rounded, honest analysis of the best sewing machine for quilters. After all, most of these machines are relatively pricey — buying one is not a step to take lightly.
Rest assured that we’ve factored in testimonials and customer reviews along with hard-core data regarding each machine to determine our final line-up of the best sewing machines for quilting.
The 10 Best Sewing Machines for Quilting
Quilting is experiencing an explosion of interest. With that new popularity, a number of sewing machine manufacturers have developed machines meant to meet the particular needs of the quilting community. After much research to determine the very best sewing machine for quilters, we’ve narrowed it down to a final eight.
The first four are oriented for beginners, the last four geared toward experienced quilters.
Brother CS60001 Computerized Sewing Machine
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If you’ve been to a quilting workshop, you’ve probably seen this workhorse in the classroom.
That’s because while it has lots of features, including various creative stitches and a quilting table, the Brother CS60001 is also super easy for beginners to step right in and start quilting.
Notable features include:
- 60 built-in stitches
- 7 styles of one-step buttonholes
- Quilting table
- checkJam-resistant bobbin
- checkLCD display
This is definitely a beginner-friendly machine, but it has enough features to keep seasoned quilters happy, so it can keep up with your growing skills.
Laura Ashley CX155LA Limited Edition Sewing & Quilting Machine with Built-in Sewing Font
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That’s a long name for a beginning quilting machine, but then this useful machine is stocked full of features, including 11 quilting and sewing feet and an extra-wide quilting table.
One of the most striking points about this machine is the ability to go through thicker materials, which is perfect when sandwiching batting in between the quilt top and bottom.
Notable features include:
- LCD display
- Advanced needle threading system
- 100 built-in stitches
- check55 alphanumeric stitches to make monogramming easy
- check7-point feed dogs for smooth fabric feeding
The monogramming function adds an extra touch of versatility to this beginner’s machine.
Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine
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Similarly priced to the Laura Ashley model, above, this Brother machine is loaded with features that quilters love.
More than just the best sewing machine for quilting, the Brother HC1850 will meet all of your sewing needs.
Notable features include:
- 130 stitches, plus font for monogramming.
- 14 quilting stitch functions
- Comes with attached stitch flip-chart to make choosing easy
- check8 specialty feet for overcasting, buttonholes, blind hems, zippers, quilting, and more.
- checkDetachable wide quilting table
- checkSpring action quilting foot
- checkFree-motion quilting capable
With quilting stitches onboard and the free-motion quilting function, this machine can grow with you as your quilting skills improve. And at this price-point, it’s pretty hard to beat.
SINGER 7469Q Confidence Quilter
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Singer has a 160-year history of sewing machine excellence and the Confidence Quilter is a good example of the brand’s attention to quality and detail.
Another machine that can grow with you as you become more experienced with quilting, the Confidence Quilter is feature-rich and durable.
Notable features include:
- 98 built-in stitches
- Drop feed and programmable needle up/down for faster, easier quilting
- Four bonus quilting feet
- checkExtended quilting table
- checkFast sewing speed of 750 stitches per minute
You’ll notice that there are fewer built-in stitches on this machine, but the Confidence Quilter makes up for that with the additional quilting-oriented features like quilting feet and the extended table.
JUKI TL-2000Qi Sewing and Quilting Machine
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Now we’re getting into the best sewing machines for quilting pros who’ve got experience and are ready to expand their horizons.
The JUKI TL-2000Qi is our number one choice for the discerning advanced quilter.
With superior sewing speed for professional-level stitches, this machine can easily tackle thick quilt layers with aplomb.
Notable features include:
- LED lights with unique, one-pedal operation
- 1500 SPM for professional stitching
- Durable and heavy aluminum die-cast bed and arm for low vibration
- checkExtension table for quilting
This machine is streamlined and simple because it does one thing exceptionally well — quilting. Truly a quilter’s dream, this machine will provide years of dependable quilting enjoyment.
Brother Quilting and Sewing Machine, PQ1500SL
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Another high-quality machine that offers a few extra features for advanced quilters, the Brother PQ1500SL will keep your attention.
Notable is the knee lever for the presser foot so you can use both hands to feed fabric — useful when quilting large amounts of fabric.
Other notable features include:
- 1500 SPM for fast, professional stitching results
- 4 feed dog settings for maximum control over quilting fabric
- Knee lifter for hands-free quilting
- checkExtension of the bed for more versatile quilting
With a 25-year limited warranty and free phone support for the life of the product, this machine deserves a close look.
Any company that has the confidence to back their product with this kind of support knows they’re on to something good.
Even with this superior backing, the price point is reasonable for an advanced machine.
Singer Quantum Stylist 9960
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This machine is made in heaven for quilters. With 18 different presser feet to fit all stitch techniques, you can roll seams, zig-zag stitch, or try out something new.
Stitching can be precisely controlled by the adjustable speed level. In addition, there are 25 separate needle positions, and an automatic reverse feature,
Other notable features include:
- 600 built-in stitches including 5 alphanumeric Fonts
- Mirror imaging and stitch elongation
- 850 SPM for professional quality stitching
While this machine is loaded with features, it does offer a somewhat slower stitch-per-minute speed than the higher rated machines.
However, this advanced machine’s price point more than makes up for the slow-down in stitch speed.
Janome MC-6300P Professional Heavy-Duty Computerized Quilting Sewing Machine
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The Janome brand builds many machines for quilters, and although this one is rated highly by some, its spartan features and high price point move it down on our list.
Notable features include:
- 66 Stitches
- Knee lift presser foot for hands-free quilting
- Block and script monogram stitches
Although some online quilting sites rate this machine highly, Amazon reviewers gave it only 3. 7 out of 5 stars.
This seems to be due to some quality control issues with the machine’s manufacturing. At this high of a price, consumers expect more reliability. Still, when the machine works correctly, purchasers are extremely happy with it.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Sewing Machine for Quilting
As you can see, there is a lot to choose from when looking for the best sewing machine for quilting.
With such a variety of features and resources available, it’s hard to determine what features you need — and what is nice, but unnecessary.
Whether you’re a beginner or expert there are a few features that you must have on any reputable quilting machine.
Rapid Stitching
You’ll want a machine with a fairly high stitch-per-minute (SPM) capability. The faster your machine can sew, the more uniform and professional-looking your final product will be.
A minimum SPM of 750 is necessary for smooth, even stitching and to make fast work of large quilting projects.
Knee-Lift Presser Foot
While not necessary for beginning quilters, experienced sewers will appreciate the hands-free capability that a knee-lift presser foot offers.
This feature is particularly useful when quilting large projects, as it can take two hands to move heavy fabric and batting through the feed dogs.
Quilting Table
Often touted as an “extra” feature, an attached quilting table is important for any quilting sewing machine, from beginner to advanced.
This table gives you extra room for volumes of fabric and allows you to see your work more clearly as you sew.
Built-in Decorative Stitches
Let’s face it, sometimes you want to break out of the straight-stitch rut and add a little decorative charm to your quilts.
Machines with built-in decorative stitches make it easy with just a turn of the dial or a press of a button and can also be used for other home décor projects.
Normally, these machines also include zig-zag stitching for clean seams, which is useful on everything from quilts to clothing.
Free-Motion Capable
Although beginners might not want to jump right into free-motion quilting, most advanced quilters like to let their creativity run free with the fanciful flow of free-motion embroidery.
A free-motion capable quilting machine will have a “drop feed dog” lever and also a programmable needle up/down feature so you can turn your fabric easily while the needle holds the layers together.
Strong Warranty
These machines are not inexpensive, and you want to be sure that the manufacturer is certain of product quality.
One way to tell if a product is durable is to look at warranty length and support services.
Only a manufacturer who is creating consistently reliable products will offer a long-term warranty and easy access to customer support.
We’ve ensured that all the machines in this review have adequate warranty coverage.
Looking for the Best Sewing Machine for Quilting? Take Your Pick
We’re so confident that these eight machines represent the very best of the best in quilting sewing machines that you can take your pick of any of the above and be a happy quilter.
These machines all receive the highest reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers and each brand we chose stands behind their product with strong warranties and customer service.
In addition, each machine has most, if not all, of the recommended features for a quilting machine.
As a rule, we allowed that some of the beginner’s machines might have slower stitch speed or fewer features.
For example, for some beginners who may not have good fabric control, a fast stitch speed might actually cause fabric bunching and snagging.
Also, some features are not cost-effective on a beginning machine.
If you’re just trying out quilting as a hobby, there’s no need to pay a high price just to get a feature you may not be ready for.
No matter which machine you pick, you’ll have a dependable, durable, and flexible sewing machine that can see you through years of quilting creativity.