5 Best Portable Beginner Sewing Machines

First of all let me make one thing very clear, here I am going to talk about full size regular sewing machines and not about mini sewing machines (they are a different category altogether). Portability is something that is of utmost importance if you attend sewing classes. You will need something light but not flimsy at the same time. You will need a good beginner sewing machine with some user friendly features, good stitch quality without compromising too much on build quality. Here in this list, I am talking about portable, regular sewing machines that weigh between 8 - 13 lbs. I kept 8 - 13 lbs as a range because I felt this range will have a nice balance between portability and build quality. Moreover most of us will be capable of lifting up to 13 lbs of weight without much effort. I believe any sewing machine that weighs under 13 lbs can be easily carried in a carrying case. I believe almost all American women can carry that kind of weight. 

You need to take extra care while choosing a portable sewing machine because there are a lot of not so good machines out there. As I have said earlier, the specific purpose of having a portable sewing machine is to take it to sewing classes or you might not be having a permanent place to keep your sewing machine. Either way, you need to be wary of some key points. There is a downside to machines that are extremely light. Some have a tendency to become unstable at high speeds, durability is another factor that needs to be considered. So you can't compromise too much on weight.

At times on extremely light machines, to cut weight, low quality plastic materials are used which makes them lightweight and fragile at the same time. Myself being a person who considers quality as top priority, has never been a great fan of extremely lightweight sewing machines as most of them are generally not up to the quality standards I look for.

In my opinion, only a handful of quality machines are there in this 'Portable' category. Here I have compiled a list of 5 portable beginner sewing machines that have a nice balance of portability, build quality and features. I am not saying that this is a complete list, but these are the machines that I felt will give you good value along with being a lightweight portable sewing machine.