Stitching upholstery is a task that requires strong and heavy-duty sewing machines. Traditional sewing machines don’t work well for sewing upholstery. If you are planning to take on upholstery projects, you need a sewing machine that can easily handle thick fabric like leather or vinyl.
However, searching for the best of the best product may exceed your budget. The best sewing machine for upholstery has a strong frame, bed, and needle mechanism. Don’t worry; our team tested some heavy-duty sewing machines that can work with great efficiency in stitching thick fabrics and are of affordable price.
| IMAGE | PRODUCTS | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
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#1 Best Over All
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Singer Heavy Duty 4452
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#2 Best Advance
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Brother Strong & Tough ST150HDH
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#3 Best Commercial
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|
Check on AmazonRead Full Review |
5 Top Sewing Machines for Upholstery
Singer 4452: Overall Best Sewing Machine for Upholstery
Specifications:
- Power: 84 Watt
- Stitch Speed: 1100spm
- Weight: 14.5 pounds
- Built-in Designs: 32 Designs
- Warranty: 25 Years Limited Warranty
- Automatic Needle Threader.
- Free Arm for Hemming.
I am personally using a similar variant of Singer Heavy Duty machine for over four years for my regular usage. Based on my experience, you won’t get any better machine with such a powerful motor and speed in this price range. Therefore, Singer 4452 is my top pick for the best sewing machine for upholstery.
This is the most premium variant of Singer Heavy Duty series. As mentioned earlier, the best thing I like about this machine is its breakneck speed of 1100 stitches per minute and 60% more powerful motor, which makes it a perfect companion for upholstery.
Another of its remarkable features, especially for traditional users, is its simpler usage with 32 built-in stitches. This makes the machine usable beyond simple upholstery, and you can utilize this machine for regular sewing and mending to home decor.
Accessories:
- 4 Different Presser Feet.
- Pack of Needles.
- Bobbins.
- Spool Caps.
- Auxiliary Spool Pin.
- Spool Pin Felt.
- Screwdriver.
- Seam Ripper.
- 69 stitch applications are decent for mending, crafting, and repairing.
- 1100 stitches per minute speed is enough to sew thick materials like denim, leather, and vinyl
- An automatic four-step buttonhole helps you to design a buttonhole within four steps
- Adjustable needle position makes it possible to add a decorative touch
- It may not accommodate too large a spool
Based on my experience with the machine, I recommend it as the overall best sewing machine for upholstery, especially for personal and semi-commercial usage.
Click Here to Check Recent Reviews from Actual Users.
Specifications:
- Power: 84 Watt
- Stitch Speed: 1100spm
- Weight: 14.5 pounds
- Built-in Designs: 11 Designs
- Warranty: 25 Years Limited Warranty
- Automatic Needle Threader.
- Free Arm for Hemming.
Often for upholstery, people don’t want a larger number of stitching applications in their sewing machine. Nothing could be better if they got the same powerful machine with fewer features and prices. For that, Singer 4411 is my top pick for you which has the same power, speed, and performance yet at a much more affordable price.
Singer 4411 is a low-budget yet heavy-duty with 11 built-in stitches with 69 stitch applications. The strong motor produces a sewing speed of up to 1100 stitches per minute. This is the fastest and most powerful sewing machine I found at this price tag during thorough research of the sewing machine market.
In addition, its strong bed and needle system sew through the thick materials smoothly, and with its higher presser feet lifter, you can sew multiple layers of thick fabric much more easily.
Drop feed expand capabilities help to disengage the feed dogs. Additionally, the function provides you with the utility of free-motion sewing that will help you to deal with hollow designs.
Accessories:
- 4 Different Presser Feet.
- Pack of Needles.
- Bobbins.
- Spool Caps.
- Auxiliary Spool Pin.
- Spool Pin Felt.
- Screwdriver.
- Seam Ripper.
- 69 stitch applications are decent for mending, crafting, and repairing.
- 1100 stitches per minute speed is enough to sew thick materials like denim, leather, and vinyl
- An automatic four-step buttonhole helps you to design a buttonhole within four steps
- Adjustable needle position makes it possible to add a decorative touch
Singer 4411 is around $35 bucks cheaper than their 4452 model, while I found their performance, speed, and power identical. The only difference is in the number of stitching applications. Other than that, both the machines work almost the same. Therefore, I have listed it as the best upholstery sewing machine for beginners, and it is highly recommended for beginners.
Click Here to Check Recent Reviews from Actual Users.
Specifications:
- Stitch Speed: 850spm
- Weight: 18.7 pounds
- Built-in Designs: 50 Designs
- Warranty: 25 Years Limited Warranty
- Automatic Needle Threader.
- Free Arm for Hemming.
- Speed Control Slider Bar.
I have used Brother’s base strong & tough model, i.e. ST371HD, for thicker fabrics such as denim, vinyl, and leather. That worked great; however, I have found its improved model – ST150HDH, even better in performance and features.
To my surprise, it could sew multiple layers of denim quite easily, which is exceptionally good for much of a computerized sewing machine in this price range. This capability is among the best-computerized sewing machines for upholstery.
Another remarkable this I liked about this machine is its robust construction. Its significantly heavy weight produces exceptionally low vibrations and performs quietly and smoothly. This gives a comfortable sewing experience with added durability to the machine.
Moreover, it is a multipurpose sewing machine with 50 built-in stitches, and an auto-sized buttonhole is an excellent base to work on various projects. In addition, a versatile free arm offers more room to work on cylindrical objects compared to similar models.
It has a maximum sewing speed of 850 stitches per minute, much less than any other machine on the list; however, it is still sufficient for domestic and personal usage.
Accessories:
- 9 Different Presser Feet.
- Pack of Needles.
- Bobbins.
- Auxiliary Spool Pin.
- Spool Pin Felt.
- Screwdriver.
- Seam Ripper.
- High-quality metallic needles and needle plate make it a strong sewing machine.
- Work on any type of project with 37 different stitch patterns.
- The top Drop-in bobbin is of high quality and restricts the mechanism from getting jam.
- The free Arm sewing feature helps you to work with the round arm armrest sofa covers.
- Highly economical heavy-duty model.
- The machine requires more oil than many other machines.
- Relatively slower.
We recommend the Brother ST150HDH to sewing enthusiasts looking for the best-computerized sewing machine for upholstery. It is a strong and durable sewing machine that can work for heavy-duty projects such as sewing upholstery, bags, and denim. Moreover, it has a completely digital interface that is highly intuitive and enjoyable to use.
Click Here to Check Recent Reviews from Actual Users.
Specifications:
- Stitch Speed: 1500spm
- Weight: 25.4 pounds
- Automatic Needle Threader.
- Built-in Knee Lifter.
- Automatic Thread Trimmer.
Juki TL-2000Qi is a heavy-duty and trusted sewing machine that doesn’t turn from the main object of sewing and quilting. I have used its TL-2010Q as well, which is much more expensive and almost identical in features and performance.
The single needle lockstitch machine works perfectly fine for extra heavy projects related to upholstery, seat covers, or any other thick materials. But this machine has not much to offer beyond straight lockstitch.
The best this I liked about this machine is its auto-trimmer for quilting which speeds up work and is missing in most of the commercial machines by Juki.
The versatile sewing machine is portable and can work on a tabletop or without a table. In both situations, you get equal utility and performance.
The large harp space especially with an extension table, invites lots of fabric to work on finishing the upholstery. The strong motor and metal mechanism sews the leather or other thick materials like a hot knife in butter.
Lastly, it has a lightning-fast stitch speed of upto 1500 stitches per minute a traditional which makes it appropriate for commercial usage. However, proper industrial sewing machines have faster sewing speeds.
Accessories:
- Extra walking foot.
- Extra large extension table.
- Knee lifter.
- Bobbin set.
- Needles.
- Screwdrivers.
- Large harp space offer work with large fabric
- Automatic thread trimmer
- The supportive design provides a chance to work as a tabletop machine
- Easy adjustments make it a good model for apparel and home décor
- Louder than many other sewing machines
- Only straight stitch
- Expensive
Though this machine lacks many stitching options when compared to modern sewing machines in upholstery, you do not require many stitching options other than a straight stitch. Therefore, this is the best upholstery sewing machine for commercial use, where it serves a single purpose – upholstery.
Click Here to Check Recent Reviews from Actual Users.
Specifications:
- Stitch Speed: 5500spm
- Weight: 70 pounds
- With Sewing Table Table.
- Single Straight Lockstitch.
Juki is an established brand that offers heavy-duty industrial-grade sewing machines that can work to stitch thick and heavy fabrics like leather. For which, there could be no other best industrial sewing machine for upholstery than Juki’s DDL-8700H.
The most outstanding feature of this machine is its lightening fast speed of 5500 stitches per minute which is best for nonstop industrial usage. It has just a single straight stitch with a stitch length of upto 5mm.
The machine comes unassembled and with a separate sewing machine table. You have to assemble first before getting started.
Though its price seems to be higher than other models, especially by other brands, when it comes to quality and durability, this machine has no parallels. It has a highly durable and robust construction, which produces less noise and vibrations.
Accessories:
- Universal Sewing Foot
- Thread Stand.
- Bobbin Winder.
- Extra Bobbins & Needles.
- Knee Lifter.
- Knee lifter.
- Machine Oil.
- Complete Table Top Assembly.
- Screwdrivers.
- Maximum 5500 stitches per minute speed make it a lightning-fast machine
- A strong motor that can rotate at 3300 RPM
- A heavy-duty needle system is enough to sew 5 to 6 layers of thick material
- Needle sets, bobbins, and other accessories make your work easy for a long
- No walking presser feet
- Only straight stitch and no other built-in stitches options
Clearly, Juki DDL-8700H is the best industrial sewing machine for upholstery and other heavy-duty sewing work. It is highly durable, lightning fast, and smooth to operate, making it the perfect choice for industrial usage.
Click Here to Check Recent Reviews from Actual Users.
Comprehensive Buying Guide for Upholstery Sewing Machines
Countless features are available in sewing machines nowadays. But here, I will only brief the necessary features for selecting the best sewing machine for upholstery. These factors add more knowledge and lead you to find the most suitable model for you.
According to Requirements
A decision according to your needs is equally crucial. For beginners, you must consider user-friendliness and the variety of stitches available to get the basics correct. For experienced sewers, advanced features are needed that are typically available with higher quality versions.
In addition, it is contingent on how often you will likely use the sewing machine in the future. If you intend only to make repairs to your home, then your requirements will differ from those who use it frequently for complex tasks. If at some point you believe you’ll need to take on larger projects, you need to choose a machine that can offer advanced features.
Stitching Speed
If you’re an advanced sewer and have several tasks to finish within a short time, the more speedy the machine, the better it is for you. However, if you’re new to the industry and have just started, go for one with nominal speed.
Additionally, plenty of models come with the ability to adjust speed, and you can change the stitching speed according to your requirements. We recommend choosing a heavy-duty sewing machine for thick materials with a minimum speed of 1000 stitches per minute.
Stitch Applications
If you want to use a machine for your everyday tasks that include upholstery, then you need a machine with many built-in stitches. However, a larger number of stitch applications might get useless if you want a dedicated machine for upholstery. As for upholstery, straight stitches are sufficient enough, and no other stitch is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I use my domestic sewing machine for upholstery?
The machines for upholstery are similar to the domestic ones. However, these machines are strong with stronger accessories and more powerful motors. If you have a heavy-duty sewing machine at home, you can utilize it.
Concluding Remarks
Hope you have found what you were looking for – the best sewing machine for upholstery as per your requirement. As all our picks are mentioned with pros and cons and the intended usage. Still, if you find any difficulty, feel free to contact us or drop a message in the comment section. Take care.
Hello, My name is Malinda Spicer. in my 10th grade, my granny gifted me a mechanical sewing machine. Since then, my whole life revolves around sewing. I made my hobby into a profession by getting a professional degree in fashion designing. I had learned quite well about sewing in the past 20 years. I hope to be of help by sharing these experiences and expert advice with my fellow sewers.
