The way I see it, there are two main categories of people who are looking for the best Singer sewing machines for beginners.
Those who are not exactly sure that sewing is even something they might do long term.
And those who want to move on from hand sewing to machine sewing.
Those who are not yet sure that they might want to make sewing a permanent hobby or occupation in their lives, might be reluctant to spend a lot on a Singer model.
The others might be willing to spend $200 or more if the machine looks really promising for their needs.
Well, what I’m trying to say is that, when it comes to picking the best Singer sewing machines for beginners, I’m going to select a number of models that will cover all expectations and budgets.
Best Singer Sewing Machines for Beginners Reviews
Since this is the brand from which I also bought my sewing machine, writing this article will be a joy.
Will any of these models be perfect? Absolutely not. Most of them will have plenty of negative reviews from buyers so read both the positive and the negative ones before making your final choice.
There are also a few things you should do once your model is home.
The first thing is to read the user manual carefully and study the instructions. Some people will complain about a certain model simply because they don’t know how to use it.
Watch YouTube videos if you are unsure about something. Sometimes, complete beginners might have a hard time with the written instructions. Looking at video tutorials for winding the bobbin, using an automatic needle threader, etc. can be easier for beginners.
Test your machine thoroughly in the beginning. So that you can still be within the return period if you don’t like it.
The cheapest recommendation is the Singer M1000, which is very limited in scope. It can be used for mending and it only has 1 speed.
One of my top picks for the best Singer sewing machines for beginners is the Singer Heavy Duty 4423.
I won’t recommend handheld sewing machines but Singer makes the best handheld sewing machine.
1. Singer M1000: Cheapest Singer Sewing Machine for Beginners
Let’s start our reviews for the best Singer sewing machines for beginners with one of the cheapest models. I also reviewed it in my round-up for the best sewing machines under $100 so that’s where we stand in terms of price.
I will be honest and say that the M1000 is not even close to being a favorite of mine. That’s because I believe compromises were made in order to sell it for a price under $100 and it has the potential to not last a very long time. That’s a risk that you’ll have to assume.
Since it’s one of the cheapest machines on the market from one of the best brands ever, you should be well aware that this model is mainly intended for mending.
The manufacturer assures us that we can repair seams and create durable hems. Nevertheless, it won’t work if you’re trying to do that on a pair of thick jeans.
Singer M1000 can also be used for other types of projects but they will have to be restricted to light and medium-weight fabrics. Those are the limitations that a cheaper price brings. If that’s not what you’re looking for, your budget will have to increase.
You can also tell how basic it is from one look at its design.
32 stitches
We get the basic: straight stitch, basting, zigzag, multi-step zigzag, blind hem.
The thing it lacks is buttonhole stitches. Once again, we are reminded that it’s a cheap model.
Another thing is that we can’t control the width and length for stitches from wheels but among these 32 stitches you’ll be able to find the type you need.
It includes a free arm for fitting in harder to reach areas.
Singer M1000 comes with a 4.25 inches sewing space and 3.75 inches height.
The presser lifter can be lifted extra high to accommodate thicker fabrics but that’s not exactly a helpful thing since the M1000 can only handle light and medium-weight fabrics.
It can work for quilting, too.
Another thing you must pay attention to is the fact that the foot switch doesn’t control the speed. It only turns on and off the power.
Thus, we only get one speed.
It includes a LED light as well.
Components
It’s pretty basic but it has all the needed components for being fully functional: upper thread guide, thread take-up lever, needle plate, presser foot lifter, finger guard, bobbin cover plate, reverse stitch lever, bobbin winder spindle, bobbin winder stopper, balance hand wheel, foot switch jack, thread cutter.
There are also a few accessories included: the accessories included are: bobbins (4 pieces class 15 transparent), needle (3), threader, foot switch, screwdriver. They’re all basic.
It only weighs 5.5 pounds. It’s a portable, lightweight, mending machine for beginners. Some will find it easy to use, while others will be a bit tripped up during their first attempts at sewing.
2. Singer MX231: Good Value for Money
I much prefer the Singer MX231 over the Singer M1000.
It’s still basic, a very affordable mechanical sewing machine but it gives us the feeling that Singer didn’t cut as many corners as it did with the Singer M1000. Let’s see if that’s indeed so.
97 stitch applications
We get 97 stitch applications, which is impressive for this price range.
These 97 can be grouped in a few main types of stitches: straight, stretch, blind hem, 4-step buttonhole, 1-step buttonhole, zigzag.
It proves its superiority and its variety of capabilities from the beginning. The 4-step buttonhole and 1-step buttonhole are a welcomed addition.
Furthermore, we get a zipper foot for zippers and piping. That certainly expands the projects we can attempt to sew. You only need a good pattern to guide your sewing.
The stitches are selected via the stitch selection dial.
There are also 3 smaller wheels for: tension thread, stitch length, and stitch width.
Not only that but, as one of the best Singer sewing machines for beginners, the MX231 is pretty easy to use.
Variety of fabrics
More importantly, it can handle a variety of fabrics. We’re not only restricted to light-weight or even medium-weight fabrics.
You can certainly use the Singer MX231 for hemming jeans and sewing blankets. Denim is definitely a material that it can handle with smoothness.
Even if this affordable model isn’t described as being heavy duty, it certainly has the capabilities to handle more heavy-weight materials. I love that aspect about it.
It’s a lighter, simply-designed Singer model with hidden depths.
To make it all complete, there’s a foot speed control to control sewing speed. I’m glad when we’re offered the option to choose our speed, like the MX231 does.
The sewing space measures 5.7 inches. It’s enough to fit in quilts and other thicker projects.
Components
There’s quite a nice, long list of components: thread tension dial, thread take-up lever, reverse sewing lever, thread cutter, presser foot, needle plate, removable extension table/accessory storage, stitch width dial, stitch length dial, bobbin stopper, pattern selector dial, buttonhole lever, needle threader, horizontal spool pin, bobbin winder spindle, hole for auxiliary spool pin, handwheel, bobbin thread guide, upper thread guide, face plate, presser foot lifter, foot speed control.
The sewing feet are: all purpose foot, zipper foot, 4-step buttonhole foot, 1-step buttonhole foot, button sewing foot.
It will also come with these accessories: L-screwdriver, seam ripper/brush, pack of needles, class 15 bobbins (4), edge/quilting guide, darning plate, spool holder, soft cover.
Thus, it also sews buttons. I was surprised by this because, after all, the Singer MX231 is a sewing machine under $150. But it’s certainly one of the best, from my point of view.
There’s LED lighting for illumination.
We can also tell that the MX231 is not as fragile by the fact that it weighs about 11.79 pounds. It’s still portable but not as lightweight. I prefer it like that but if you need a very light machine, the Singer M1000 will fit your needs better.
3. Singer Heavy Duty 4423: One of the Best Singer Sewing Machines for Beginners
This is certainly a favorite of mine, right there at the top. I think that the 4423 is a machine that exemplifies a few important aspects: a balance between price and high quality, variety of capabilities, and the durability for which Singer is famous.
Personally, I don’t think that it’s too expensive with a price around $200 but if you feel that it’s above what you’re willing to pay, check out the two models that I reviewed above.
97 stitches
With a name that includes the words Heavy Duty, is it even necessary to mention that this machine can handle any fabric, be it light, medium or heavy-weight?
That’s why I also recommended it as an awesome budget option for the best sewing machines for leather.
The stitches can be categorized as: straight, ric rac, zigzag, multi-step zigzag, blind hem, one-step buttonhole, picot hem, decorative, straight stretch, reinforced zigzag, honeycomb, double overlook, slant overedge, and bartack buttonhole.
That’s a lot of them, you will find whatever you need for any project you want to sew.
The decorative stitches are not mind-blowing but, in the end, this is a reliable sewing machine that focuses on sewing together any type of fabrics you want. Embroidery is not its forte.
The stainless steel bedplate allows the fabric to glide with ease.
We get 6.25 inches sewing space and 4.25 inches height. It’s spacious. The size is close to what very expensive models offer. We can use it for quilting or for bulkier project.
The adjustable presser foot pressure allows us to sew very lightweight sheers.
We get the option of extra high sewing speed, too.
I absolutely see it as a great choice for beginners with a more generous budget but it’s also an awesome pick for experienced amateurs and professionals. It’s that kind of model.
Components
The list of components is long: thread tension dial, presser foot pressure adjustment, thread take-up lever, reverse sewing lever, thread cutter, presser foot, needle plate cover, removable extension table/accessory storage, three needle position dial, bobbin stopper, stitch width dial, stitch length dial, pattern selector dial, automatic needle threader, one step buttonhole lever, horizontal spool pin, bobbin winding spindle, hole for second spool pin, handwheel, buttonhole stitch balance adjustment slot, bobbin thread guide, upper thread guide, face plate, presser foot lifter, drop feed control, foot speed control.
We can adjust the position of the needle thanks to the three needle position dial. You can watch this short YouTube video to see how the needle position is changed for the Heavy Duty 4423 and why it matters as a feature for some projects.
If you don’t have a dedicated wheel that changes the needle position, you can also adjust it from the stitch width wheel.
At this price tag, we can expect plenty of accessories.
The sewing feet are: general purpose foot, zipper foot, buttonhole foot, button sewing foot.
The rest of the accessories include: edge/quilting guide, pack of needles, bobbins, spool caps, auxiliary spool pin, spool pin felt, screwdriver, seam ripper/lint brush, soft dust cover.
4. Singer Stylist 7258 Sewing & Quilting Machine
Although I consider the Heavy Duty 4423 a favorite of mine among the best Singer sewing machines for beginners, I would say that the Singer 7258 is very close behind.
It has many interesting features, plenty of accessories, and a very good price for everything that it offers.
203 stitch applications
With a name like Stylist, it’s safe to say that we expect to get a lot of stitch applications. That’s where my mind goes when this name pops up.
The 7258 doesn’t disappoint because it comes with 203 stitch applications. Plenty of those are decorative.
We get 5.5 inches sewing space and 3.7 inches height. It’s not the largest sewing space but it’s plenty big.
Heavy duty machines can certainly handle quilting. I reviewed plenty of cheap models that can be used for making quilts but, when a machine lets us know that it’s a sewing and quilting machine, then it sounds even better.
Nevertheless, I wanted to let you know that you can make quilts with a variety of machines, even very cheap ones.
The Singer Stylist 7258 is awesome for those who want to focus on embroidery but it also handles all types of fabric (light, medium, and heavy-weight).
It’s great for beginners but you need to have patience in the beginning. Experiment a lot, expect to make mistakes but you can use the seam ripper to undo the wrong stitches, and watch YouTube videos if you’re stuck.
It also comes with a speed control button in case you don’t want to use the foot controller for increasing and decreasing the sewing speed. It’s an interesting feature that we don’t often see among Singer sewing machines.
Components
These are the usual ones that we get with medium-priced models: bobbin winding tension disk, thread take-up, thread tension control, face cover, thread cutter, bobbin winder shaft, bobbin winder stop, sewing speed control, pattern number reference guide, operations buttons, horizontal spool pin, hand wheel, power/light switch, presser foot lifter, buttonhole lever, thread guide, automatic needle threader, thread guide, bobbin cover plate, needle bar, thread cutter, foot release lever, presser foot, feed dogs, needle plate, foot control.
The accessories that come with this Singer are also nice: needles, bobbins, auxiliary spool pin, spool pin felt discs, spool pin cap (mini, small, large), buttonhole opener/seam ripper and brush, screwdriver for needle plate, darning plate.
The sewing feet are: zipper foot, satin stitch foot, bling stitch foot, buttonhole foot, straight stitch foot, overcasting foot, darning & embroidery foot, gathering foot, rolled hem foot.
The large extension table is optional and I saw that sellers don’t include it in the package.
5. Singer Heavy Duty 4452 Sewing Machine
In pretty much the same price range as the Heavy Duty 4423 that I recommend above as one of the best Singer sewing machines for beginners we have the Heavy Duty 4452.
Obviously, these belong to the same line of models from this manufacturer.
The Heavy Duty line.
And, since their prices are so close together, we can’t expect to see much difference between the two.
And that’s why I don’t like it when brands do this thing, when they manufacture models in the same line that are so very similar in prices and features.
The good news is that if you can’t find to buy the Heavy Duty 4423 then you can choose to buy the Heavy Duty 4452.
They’re both used for the same purposes: making clothes, mending, sewing heavyweight fabrics (denim, leather, etc.), quilting.
32 built-in stitches
Among these 32 stitches, we’ll find: 6 basic, 7 stretch, 18 decorative stitches and 1 fully automatic 1-step buttonholes.
These are more than enough for a large majority of projects, quilting included.
There are 110 stitch applications.
Features
The layout is very simple and intuitive. That’s why the Heavy Duty 4452 can be recommended as one of the best Singer sewing machines for beginners.
We get 6.25″ sewing space (needle to tower) and 4.25″ height. It’s pretty large.
It comes with automatic needle threader.
The maximum sewing speed is 1,100 stitches-per-minute. It’s very fast. The speed is controlled from the foot controller.
It also comes with top drop-in bobbin.
Accessories
The sewing feet included are: all purpose foot, zipper foot, buttonhole foot, button sewing foot, non-stick foot, even feed/walking foot.
Other accessories include: clearance plate, needles (#16 x 5, #14 x 3), seam ripper/brush, edge/quilting guide, spool holder, bobbin (3), screwdriver, auxiliary spool pin, spool pin felt, and soft cover.
The non-stick foot with a slick underside, allows for effortless sewing of leather, plastic, vinyl or any tricky fabric. That’s why heavy duty sewing machines are perfect for leatherwork.
6. Singer Quantum Stylist 9985
Is it right to review a model that costs more than $500 as one of the best Singer sewing machines for beginners? After all, I’m absolutely sure that not many beginners are ready to pay such a high price on a sewing machine.
Even so, I decided to review the Singer Quantum Stylist 9985 so that we can understand that a high price is not always the best option for some of us.
Maybe not even many serious amateurs are willing to buy the Singer 9985, which is totally fine because we’ve already seen that we can have one of the best sewing machines for $150 or $200. For me, that’s awesome to know.
Plus, it’s fun to see what these expensive machines bring to the table, which are the bells and whistles to justify the price.
1000+ stitch applications
What better way to spell expensive than by mentioning that this 9985 allows for 1000+ stitch applications?
Users also get the option to create unique stitch sequences for any fabric. After all, the Quantum Stylist 9985 is a computerized sewing machine that can be a delight for dedicated amateurs, professionals. And maybe even for a few beginners with grand ambitions.
The 1000+ stitch applications are enough to get lost in. The decorative stitches don’t disappoint either.
It comes with a large color touch LCD Screen for selecting the stitches. The screen also includes tutorials for bobbin winding and insertion, machine threading and more. Thus, even complete beginners can get the hang of it thanks to these tutorials.
The patterns are also displayed in a chart.
The user manual is very helpful for getting accustomed to this impressive and expensive Singer machine. For example, it contains a table that indicates which needle type and size we should use according to the materials that we’re sewing. That’s just an example of how helpful it is.
The embroidery that we can do with this Quantum Stylist 9985 is also absolutely great. My own Singer Brilliance only covers a few embroidery stitches so it’s amazing to analyze a model that offers so many different stitch options.
Components
This list is certainly long: face plate, thread take-up lever, pressure regulator, handwheel, presser foot lifter, stitch balance adjusting screw, thread cutter, buttonhole lever, needle threader, needle threader lever, presser foot release lever, presser foot, feed dogs, needle thread guide, needle plate, bobbin cover, pattern chart, thread guides, spool pin, bobbin winder thread guide, felt washer, extra spool holder, bobbin winder shaft, bobbin winder stop, speed control lever, reverse stitch button, needle up-down/slow button, thread cutter button, touch panel LCS, drop feed lever, foot controller.
The long list of accessories includes: needle pack, class 15 bobbins, seam ripper, brush, auxiliary spool pin with felt washer, screw driver, screwdriver for needle plate, thread cap, small thread cap, seam guide and screw.
The sewing feet included are: overcasting foot, blind hem foot, zipper foot, rolled hem foot, button sewing foot, satin foot, quilting bar, open toe foot, cording foot, straight stitch/patchwork foot, darning embroidery foot, even-feed foot, buttonhole foot and under plate.
Since we’ve come to the end of this article, I want to remind you again that if we’re a total beginner with absolutely no experience with sewing machines, it won’t be easy in the beginning.
You need to have patience, no matter which model ends up being your favorite from all these best Singer sewing machines for beginners.
