Sewing machines come in mini, standard, full size, and whopping industrial sizes. If you’re reading this you’re likely curious about the size of a standard household hobby machine or mini machine. After all, if you already have a busy craft room, it’s good to know how much table space you can spare and you may want to take your sewing machine on your travels too!
The size of a sewing machine can vary depending on its specific purpose, i.e. the size of the sewing project. On average, home table-top sewing machines can have 7 x 7 x 10.5 inch dimensions, but sizes will vary among industrial, miniature, and antique sewing machine models.
There’s a sewing machine size for everybody. Mini or portable models are ideal if you’re just starting out, have little space, or frequently travel and love to take your hobby with you. For those content to do all their sewing in one place there are full size and weightier vintage sewing machines. Let’s find out about the difference in sewing machine sizes below, plus necessary table dimensions, motor size, and more.
What is the Standard Size of a Sewing Machine?
Typically, a standard sewing machine will be somewhere in the range of 13 to 17 inches long, 7 to 8 inches wide, and around 11 to 12 inches high. The width, length, or height of a sewing machine will vary due to its functions and features.
Contemporary computerized sewing machine models, for instance, may be slightly taller than average due to control panels, display screens, and other capabilities.
How Big is a Full Size Sewing Machine?
Full sized sewing machines – that is to say standard or non-portable machines – tend to have a length of near to 16 inches, a height of 10 inches or more, and a width of 8 to 8.5 inches.
What is the ‘Throat’, the ‘Arm’, and the ‘Bed’ of a Sewing Machine?
The size of a sewing machine can also be determined by specific terms as they relate to the shape of the machine, and these are typically known as the ‘bed length’ (the base/bed of the sewing machine where the work is placed); the ‘arm length’ (the top portion known as the ‘arm’ of the sewing machine); and the ‘throat/harp space’ (this is the enclosed area between the needle and the back column of the machine).
Knowing about these specific dimensions is not of huge importance when you’re starting out, but more experienced sewists will pay attention to the arm and throat length of a sewing machine specifically as the length of these will make it easier or harder to work on certain projects.
A shorter arm and throat machine, for example, permits a smaller opening for the work, so quilts and large projects will have to be repositioned several times. Small and short arm sewing machines are ideal for working on smaller patterns and projects, which is why they’re far less expensive compared with long arm models.
What Size is a Mini Sewing Machine?
Mini sewing machine models typically range between 7 and no larger than 15 inches long, making them incredibly compact and versatile so you can travel with them or take them from room to room with ease. The miniature size also means you won’t have to work at a designated sewing table either since it can be placed on any flat, stable surface.
The main downside of mini sewing machines is that they are incredibly lightweight and may slide around certain table surfaces. They also aren’t suited to large projects, although there are some miniatures that come with an expandable arm feature to accommodate medium to large-scale sewing projects.
Sewing Machine Dimensions in MM
If you are securing a sewing machine to a table or cabinet in a tight space, it may help to know the specific dimensions of your sewing machine in millimeters to ensure a good and comfortable fit. 1 mm = 0.0393701 so roughly 25.5 mm will be equal to around 1 inch.
So, a sewing machine measuring 7 x 7 x 10.5 inches will equate to roughly 178 x 178 x 267 mm.
Sewing Machine Table Dimensions
Sewing is a hobby that involves sitting for long periods, so much like choosing a computer desk, it’s obviously important that a sewing table leaves you with enough room for your legs and knees to fit comfortably beneath.
Unfortunately for tall people, the vast majority of sewing tables are designed at a height suited to those who reach only 5 foot 3 inches on average (a table height of around 28 inches).
Sewing table dimensions should also take into account the amount of necessary workspace (will you have a stand-alone table or a side cabinet/drawers for sewing accessories?)
First things first before shopping for sewing tables – measure your sitting height with a tape measure and then decide how wide you’ll want your work area to be based on the size available to you.
Antique Sewing Machine Dimensions
Antique sewing machines were designed in various sizes and styles depending on the manufacturer. This Edwardian-era Singer sewing machine and built-in table from 1925 is 38.5 inches long, nearly 20 inches wide, and almost 40 inches high.
There were also miniature sewing machine models available, such as this mid-nineteenth-century decorative mini sewing machine, which measures under 6 inches high and just under 4 inches wide.
Sewing Machine Motor Dimensions
As expected, the motors within sewing machines take up quite a lot of space, often measuring nearly 10 x 8 x 11 inches in the majority of standard sized machines. The size of a sewing machine motor can vary depending on the type of specific machine it is and the power it needs to use, so a heavy-duty sewing machine that needs to punch through thicker fabric may need to be larger, whilst a low-power mini sewing machine can only accommodate a motor that fits the size of the machine.
If you use your sewing machine for several hours each day, keep an eye out for performance issues that can be brought on by wear and tear so that you can get the motor repaired before it needs to be replaced.
Popular Sewing Machine Brands By Size
The following well-known sewing machine brands stock a range of sizes from compact minis to full-sized heavy-duty models. To give you a rough idea of how they compare though, here’s a look at some of the most popular models by each manufacturer and their dimensions.
Singer
‘Singer One’ – 23 inches (L) x 10 inches (W) x 13 inches (H)
‘Singer M2105’ – 15 inches (L) x 7 inches (W) x 11 inches (H)
‘Singer Talent 3321’ – 17 inches (L) x 13 inches (W) x 8 inches (H)
Brother
‘Innov-is NV1800Q’ – 18 inches (L) x 9 inches (W) x 11 inches (H)
‘Innov-is F560’ – 17 inches (L) x 9 inches (W) x 11 inches (H)
‘FS180QC’ – 20 inches (L) x 12 inches (W) x 17 inches (H)
Janome
‘Horizon Memory Craft 9450’ – 9.6 inches (L) x 20 inches (W) x 12 inches (H)
‘Continental M17’ – 28 inches (L) x 43 inches (W) x 13 inches (H)
‘Continental M7 Professional’’ – 10 inches (L) x 25 inches (W) x 14 inches (H)
Juki
‘HZL-UX8’ – 10 inches (L) x 23 inches (W) x 12 inches (H)
‘DX-4000QVP’ – 10 inches (L) x 23 inches (W) x 12 inches (H)
‘HZL-NX7’ – 9 inches (L) x 22 inches (W) x 12 inches (H)
Bernina
‘BERNINA 770 QE PLUS’ – 20 inches (L) x 8 inches (W) x 14 inches (H)
‘BERNINA 880 PLUS (Crystal edition)’ – 22 inches (L) x 8 inches (W) x 14 inches (H)
‘BERNINA 880 PLUS’ – 23 inches (L) x 9 inches (W) x 14 inches (H)
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