Best Sewing Machines for Homes (in India)

by Vinotha Paranikumar | Last Updated

sewing-machine-featured

Sewing machines that are manufactured nowadays for home usage, come with advanced technology and are very safe to use.

They are available in many models, offering different colors and some awesome specifications to look out for.

Whether you are going to buy it in online or in retail showrooms, this list on best sewing machines for homes category would be your perfect guide to choose the right one.

Advantages of sewing machine over hand sewing

  • Fast and efficient stitching

  • Easy to use

  • Advanced stitching operations and patterns

  • Accurate and neat stitches

  • Safe to work with

Important points to consider before buying a sewing machine

There are plenty of brands offering different models with various specifications. One might feel that it is a tedious task to find the ideal sewing machine.

Below factors will help you to narrow down to the one which is the right fit for you.

  • First, understand your needs and why you want to get a sewing machine.

  • Decide your budget for the buying process.

    There are sewing machines out there in the price range of below and above ₹10,000. The price varies because different models come with different set of features.

  • Make sure that you buy from a renowned brand. A reliable brand will have a better after sales service.

    Brands like Usha and Singer are trustworthy and their products are good on performance.

  • Check out the specifications and functions of the model you want to buy, the extra features will come in handy.

    Usha sewing machines in particular, come with more in-built options for stitching.

  • If it is for home usage, go for a light weighted sewing machine because heavy machines make the process of sewing difficult.

  • There are many machines in the market offering a variety of special functions (like embroidery, button holing, etc).

    There are sergers and other all-in-one sewing machines that are used for advanced stitching techniques.

  • Try to figure out the benefits you avail out of the purchase.

  • Finally, always check the price of the sewing machine with the budget you allocated in the beginning.

Types of sewing machines

Sewing machines are categorized based on their size, type, machine power, stitch mechanism, and speed. Below are the three major categories:

  • Mechanical sewing machines: These are the traditional machines where the wheel is operated manually (by hand). As a result, they can be tiring to work with.

    They weigh around 15 kgs and are therefore not portable.

    No wonder their popularity has declined in the recent years.

  • Electrical sewing machines: These are the sewing machines that run on electricity. They have a foot pedal which can control the flow of sewing.

    They are lightweight and easy to operate.

    Moreover, they come with variety of stitching features that make sewing fun and easy.

    Over the years, they have replaced the conventional hand-operated sewing machines.

  • Mini sewing machines: This type of sewing machines are kids-friendly and ideal for learners.

    They are affordable and easy to carry.

    However, they are not durable and come with only limited set of features. So, you can only do basic sewing tasks with this type of sewing machines.

So without any further ado, let us wear our detective glasses and do some sewing machine analysis now.

Below are the best models available in the market today.

  1. Singer Start 1306

  2. Usha Janome Dream Stitch

  3. Singer Promise 1408

  4. Usha Janome Wonder Stitch

  5. Usha Janome Allure

I've captured some of the important aspects of these sewing machines in a tabular format. It will simplify your purchase decision to a great extent.

Product
Name
No. of
Functions
Built-in
Needle
Threader
Embroidery
Stitch
Reverse
Stitch
Twin
Needle
Support
Singer
Start
1306

Low-price sewing machine
6NoNoYesNoCheck Price
Usha
Dream
Stitch

Best seller + recommended for beginners
7NoNoYesNoCheck Price
Singer
Promise
1408

Top rated sewing machine
8NoNoYesNoCheck Price
Usha
Allure

Best for intermediate-level stitching
13NoNoYesYesCheck Price
Usha
Wonder
Stitch

Best for expert-level stitching
13YesYesYesYesCheck Price
Slide for more . . .

All of these sewing machines are electrical in nature and come with a 2-year warranty.

About the model

Singer Start 1306 is a compact sewing machine with 6 built-in stitch patterns.

It is an easy-to-use sewing machine.

The model is available in white color.

It is one of the lightweight sewing machines in the market.

This is a budget-friendly electric sewing machine and is a great buy for beginners.

Product description by the company

Want to design and stitch dresses at your own comfort? Then shop for the Singer Start 1306 Sewing Machine (White) online from Amazon India.

Getting started with this sewing machine is easy.

You can enjoy exploring the limits of your creativity with its 6 built-in stitch patterns: 4 basic, 1 decorative and 1 buttonhole.

The machine comes with an LED lighting, which illuminates the whole area while you sew your dress conveniently.

As it has preset stitch length and width, there's no need to make stitch length and width adjustments with this machine.

If you are new to sewing, the Singer Start 1306 Sewing Machine is a good place to begin.

This machine from the house of Singer allows your imagination to become reality.

It comes with 6 built-in stitches – straight, satin, zigzag, blind hem, scallop and 4-step buttonhole to make life easy for you.

There are quick and easy threading diagrams printed on the machine so you can be set-up in no time.

With the 4-step automatic buttonhole, you can make beautiful buttonholes automatically in 4 easy steps.

The dual spool pins for twin needle sewing allows parallel rows of stitching which are perfect for hemming or adding a decorative touch.

Enjoy skip-free sewing and overall durability as the machine comes with heavy-duty metal frame.

The removable free arm of the Singer Start 1306 Sewing Machine provides easy access to collars, sleeves, cuffs, pant hems and other difficult-to-reach areas.

It has three pressure feet including buttonhole foot, zipper foot and all-purpose foot.

While the all-purpose foot is for the majority of your sewing projects, the buttonhole foot is for adding buttonholes, slots for ribbon, etc. and the zipper foot is for adding zippers, piping, cording and more.

Features

  • Built-in stitch: Singer starts 1306 comes with six built-in stitches- four for basic, one for decorative and one for buttonhole.

  • Automatic 4-step buttonhole: Making buttonholes are very common when it comes to sewing. With Singer Start, you can make beautiful buttonholes in four simple steps.

  • Heavy duty metal frame: This model comes with a heavy duty metal frame for increased durability making it sturdy.

  • Three presser feet: It comes with three different types of foot-

    • All-purpose foot: This is the most commonly used foot that will serve most of your needs.

    • Buttonhole foot: It is used for adding buttonholes, ribbon slots, etc.

    • Zipper foot: This one is used for adding zippers, piping, cording and more.

Accessories

Apart from the sewing machine, you get the following accessories.

  • All-purpose foot

  • Zipper foot

  • Buttonhole foot

  • Darning plate

  • Pack of needles

  • Bobbins

  • Spool pin felts

  • Needle plate screwdriver

  • Seam ripper / lint brush

  • Vinyl dust cover

Weight, speed and warranty

The product weighs 4.3 kilograms.

It has a speed of 750 SPM (stitches per minute).

Singer provides a standard 2-year warranty on this model.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
  • Portable and lightweight

  • Beginner friendly

  • Affordable price

  • Stitch quality is average

  • Might stop working after sometime

Slide for more . . .

About the model

Usha Dream Stitch is one of the famous sewing machine models launched by Usha Appliances.

This model has a very pleasing dual-tone white-violet design and is ideal for home usage.

Product description by the company

The Usha Dream Stitch sewing machine has four-step buttonholing, so you can quickly stitch buttons on shirts, dresses and coats.

There is also a dial option for you to select your desired pattern.

Auto tripping bobbin ensures that the thread is properly wound around the bobbin when you begin sewing.

The lightweight Usha Janome sewing machine comes with a handle so you can easily carry it from one room to another.

The Usha Janome Dream Stitch automatic zig-zag sewing machine has a compact size that easily fits in your cupboard or closet.

This compact sewing machine has 7 built-in stitches and 14 applications that allow you to explore various functionalities while sewing.

It is equipped with a sewing light, ensuring you get good visibility while sewing in dimly lit spaces.

Moreover, the thread tension control makes sure the thread does not break while working on the machine.

Usha Janome Dream Stitch sewing machine is a free-arm model that incorporates zig zag stitching as well.

You can use this lightweight sewing machine for mending and stitching clothes of different fabrics in no time.

Features

  • Built-in stitch: This product comes with 7 built-in stitches and 14 different applications to make stitching easier.

  • Lightweight: Being lightweight is an important feature for a sewing machine so it can easily be carried around.

  • Pattern selection: Usha Janome Dream comes with colour coded functional face plate and two dials for pattern and stitch length selection respectively.

  • Circular stitching: Its free arm bed design allows for circular stitching.

Accessories

Accessories included in the packaging:

  • Zipper foot

  • Blind hemming stitch foot

  • Sliding buttonhole foot

  • Needles

  • Bobbins

  • Screwdriver

  • Lint brush

  • Seam ripper (buttonhole opener)

  • Spool holder (large)

  • Spool holder (small)

  • Additional spool pin

  • Felt cushion

Weight, speed and warranty

The Dream Stitch weighs 5.95 kilograms.

The machine operates at 550 SPM.

It comes with a warranty tag of 2 years.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
  • Lightweight

  • Very convenient

  • Latest Japanese technology

  • Could malfunction sometimes

  • Average customer service

Slide for more . . .

About the model

This sewing machine offering from Singer has a very minimalistic design.

It has a superb built quality and is very easy to use.

Product description by the company

The Singer Promise sewing machine includes all the basic features you need to create almost any project.

Basic and decorative stitches include an automatic buttonhole, simple stitch selection and the included darning plate allows your imagination to become reality.

Easy threading and an automatic bobbin winder make set-up a breeze.

Four included presser feet (all-purpose, buttonhole, button sewing and zipper) are easily accessible in the accessory storage drawer that can be removed to create a free arm for stitching in hard-to-reach areas.

Features

  • Built-in stitch: Singer promise 1408 has 8 built-in stitches like straight, satin, zig-zag, blind, hem, scallop, 4-step buttonhole and decorative.

  • Free arm convertible: It has a removable free arm which provides easy access to cuffs, collars, pant hems and other areas which are difficult to reach.

  • Heavy duty metal frame: The model comes with a heavy duty metal frame for skip-free sewing and improved durability.

  • Preset stitch length and width: With Singer Promise 1408, you don't need to make stitch length and width adjustments, as it comes with inbuilt presets.

Accessories

The Singer Promise 1408 comes with following accessories.

  • All-purpose foot

  • Zipper foot

  • Buttonhole foot

  • Button sewing foot

  • Edge / quilting guide

  • Pack of needles

  • Bobbins

  • Large thread spool cap

  • Spool pin felt

  • Darning plate

  • L-screwdriver

  • Seam ripper / lint brush

  • Soft-sided dust cover

Weight, speed and warranty

The product weighs around 2.87 kilograms.

This model also comes a 2-year warranty.

Its speed is 750 SPM.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
  • Beginner friendly

  • Value for money

  • Good quality

  • Average customer support

Slide for more . . .

About the model

The Allure is another great offering from Usha’s Janome series of sewing machines.

It is an automatic, electrical zig-zag sewing machine and is compact in size.

It can perform various kinds of sewing operations like- button fixing, rolled hemming, satin stitching, zip fixing, smocking, etc.

Product description by the company

Give wings to your creativity with the Usha Janome Allure Automatic Zig-Zag Sewing Machine.

This Usha sewing machine comes with two dials that you can use to select one of the 13 inbuilt stitch functions.

This automatic zig-zag sewing machine also allows you to choose the stitch length and with the free arm of this machine you can sew in circular motion quite conveniently.

This Usha sewing machine has 21 applications that include stretch stitching, button fixing, rolled hemming, satin stitch, zip fixing and smocking amongst others and is perfect if you’re looking to enhance your sewing skills.

Tired of going to the tailor every time you have to fix something in your clothes? If yes, then get the Usha Janome Allure Automatic Zig-Zag Sewing Machine.

Whether you want to fix buttons and zippers or alter a recently purchased dress, this sewing machine will make the task super easy for you.

Featuring two dials, this sewing machine lets you choose from 13 inbuilt stitching functions, such as zig zag, tricot stitch, blind hem stitch, shell tuck stitch, satin stitch and others.

The dials also let you select the stitch length as per your cloth.

In addition, it also has a free arm for circular stitching.

Featuring 13 inbuilt stitch functions and up to 21 applications including buttonhole stitch, rolled hemming, stretch stitching, embroidery, zip fixing, quilting and smocking, the Usha Janome Allure sewing machine will surely boost your sewing skills.

Features

  • Free arm automatic: Allure is an automatic zig-zag sewing machine that comes with two dials for pattern and stitch length selection; and the other one for free arm for circular stitching.

    Apart from that, it has provisions for 4-step button holing and stretch stitching.

  • Speed controller: This sewing machine has built-in mechanisms for adjusting stitching length and width that provide an effortless precision.

    It also has a manually adjustable thread tension for clean and neat stitching.

  • Stitch functions: Allure has 13 inbuilt stitches with 21 applications.

    Some of these are stretch stitching, four step button holing, zip fixing, rolled hemming, button fixing, blind stitch hemming.

  • Power Features: This model has a 'sewing light' feature. This feature focuses on the part of the cloth getting stitched currently, resulting in a clean stitch.

    Besides this, it consumes very less power and hence saves electricity too.

Accessories

Accessories included with the sewing machine are:

  • Zig-zag foot

  • Buttonhole foot

  • Bling hem guide

  • Zipper foot

  • Rolled hem foot

  • Darning plate

  • 3 bobbins

  • 3 single needles

  • 1 seam ripper

  • 2 threads

Weight, speed and warranty

It weighs around 7.42 kilograms.

The sewing speed of Usha Janome Allure is 550 SPM.

The warranty holds for 2 years.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
  • 21 built-in stitching functions

  • Easy to use

  • Good quality

  • Lightweight

  • Average demo

  • Slightly noisier when compared to other models

Slide for more . . .

About the model

As the name suggests, Usha's Wonder Stitch sewing machine has a wonderful design with floral patterns drawn over it.

The model comes with features like automatic needle threading, feed drop lever to facilitate embroidery, triple strength stitch, and a hardcover for extra protection.

Further, it comes with 13 built-in stitches including button holing.

These inbuilt stitches have over 21 applications that include stretch stitching, rolled hemming, button fixing, smocking, blind stitch hemming and zip fixing.

Product description by the company

Create wonderful, free hand embroidery designs with the drop feed mechanism of the Usha Janome Wonder Stitch sewing machine to transform your canvas into a masterpiece.

Customize your favorite decorative stitches with its adjustable width dial.

Use the blind hem foot to finish the ends of garments such as saree falls, kurti slits, skirt hemlines and much more.

Usha Janome Wonder Stitch sewing machine’s advanced features such as one-step buttonhole and thread cutter on face-plate, make your sewing experience hassle free.

Features

  • Automatic zig-zag sewing machine: Wonder Stitch is an automatic zig zag machine that comes with built-in threader, triple strength stitch and provision for stretch stitching.

  • Stitch functions: This machine consists of 13 built-in stitches which have 21 different applications.

    Some of them are- blind stitch hemming, zip fixing, rolled hemming, stretch stitching, 4-step button holing.

  • Pattern selection: This model has a colour-coded functional face plate and two dials for selecting the pattern and the stitch length respectively.

  • Circular stitching: Due to its free arm bed type, you can easily perform circular stitching.

  • Lightweight: The sewing machine is easy to carry due to its less weight. It also comes with a carrying handle.

Accessories

Usha Janome Wonder Stitch comes with following accessories.

  • Zig-zag foot

  • Sliding buttonhole foot

  • Blind hem foot

  • Round hemmer foot

  • Zipper foot

  • 3 bobbins

  • 3 single needles

  • 1 seam ripper

  • 2 threads

  • 1 screw driver

Weight, speed and warranty

The weight of the product is 6.72 kilograms.

The speed of the product is 860 SPM.

Like all other models here, Usha provides a 2-year warranty on this product.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
  • Good quality

  • Easy to use

  • High durability

  • No demo

Slide for more . . .

Which one should you go for?

Above discussed five models are the best in the industry and are priced at an affordable range.

All the models, whether it is Usha or Singer, have their own specifications and unique features. But, the first thing to be considered when comes to the Indian market, is the price of the product.

Singer Start 1306 and Usha Dream Stitch are the two budget-friendly options.

But, when it comes to unique features, Usha Wonder Stitch and Usha Allure stand out with their numerous functionalities and applications.

Singer Promise 1408 fits somewhere between them. It would be an ideal choice for someone who's looking for some good features in a pocket-friendly range.

In case you still have any second thoughts, you can refer the comparison chart shared earlier for a clearer picture.

Finally, everything comes down to your needs and wants.

Happy sewing!

About the Author

Vinotha-Paranikumar Vinotha is a blogger from Chennai. She's currently pursuing PGDM in Marketing from PSG Institute Of Management. In the past, she has worked as a Programmer Analyst for Cognizant. She takes keen interest in home setups and designs and loves to write about them.