Embroidery Machine Suggestions?

Hi, all! I'm in the market for an embroidery machine. I'd love to be able to buy some of the cute stitch patterns I see...and I'd ESPECIALLY love to monogram the aprons that I make and sell on etsy.

Can anyone give me opinions on machines out there? I want to spend between $500 and $800 on the machine...I need it to be DEPENDABLE. I read so many reviews about machines that can't finish a pattern...snarled threads...snapped bobbin threads...UGH. Can I get a high quality, dependable machine for under $1,000???

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Do I just need an EMBROIDERY machine, with no other sewing capabilities? I already have a small, inexpensive Brother EX-660 that works fine...but, of course, an upgrade would be nice!

I'm probaby biased here and will have computerised machine embroiderers wanting to scream at me, but have you thought of doing your embroidery by free motion?  You don't need a special machine and there are lots of sites on the web and youtube that explain the process clearly.  It is really easy once you have had some practice and if you are just doing simple motifs, you will have them done in no time.  It may be worth investing a little time learning how rather than a lot of money.  I am in Australia, and here, embroidery machines are VERY expensive.  My mum has a Janome 11000 embroidery machine and she spends quite a bit on designs too. There a lovely ones out there, but with free motion you can do anything you imagination can come up with.  Good luck, apologies to all the computerised machine embroiderers out there!!!  Barb:)

@Barb - Ooooh...I hadn't thought of that! Free-motion quilting -is- my newest hobby...so I've already got the darning foot for my machine.

I can definitely do designs that way...but is there an easy way to monogram? I suppose everything would be in cursive. Then...what kind of thread do I use to make the design stand out? Or do I just go over it three times?

THANK YOU!

To do monograms, Set your machine to free motion.  Select a zig zag stitch. Set the stitch length to 0 and the width would depend on how big you want it to be.  Pull the bobbin thread to the top and then practice by just starting to move around and up and down in a cursive sort of way.  Pencil in some letters and just move slowly over the lines to keep the zig zag close together like satin stitch. If yo have a look at my web site and find a photo of "Blue Moons", you will see the wavy sort of coloured lines over the moons are done in this way.  I played with the stitch width to vary it.  I you keep you fabric moving under the needle horizontal, the lettering looks like calligraphy as the down strokes are thick and the horizontal strokes are thin.  If you go too fast and miss a bit, it is easy to go back over and fill it in.  Just stop and jump to the next letter if you don't want a cursive style. If you leave enough thread, you can pull it through to the back and tie it off by hand or do some tiny locking stitches in one spot as you go along, just turn the stitch width back to 0 for a few stitches.  email me if I can clarify this for you more. It all seems to be a bit rambling!!  barb@threadart.org
I use machine embroidery thread.