Singer Tradition 2277 Review From A Beginner Quilter

After a year of using my machine, it’s time to give my Singer Tradition 2277 review. If you haven’t watched my video review yet, check it out above or on YouTube! This is my very first sewing machine and I’m still using it today. I purchased this machine from JOANN Fabrics in March 2020 with the intent of sewing garments. I had a gorgeous jumpsuit pattern picked out – but that project never happened.

As we all know, mask sewing was very popular at this time and my local hospital put out the call for donated fabric masks. I purchased my supplies and used this opportunity to learn how to sew. After the masks, I quickly moved onto quilting and that is what I mainly use this machine for now. 

See the product details of the Singer Tradition 2277 here.

Today’s review will be from the perspective of a beginner quilter and it is my personal opinion on how this machine has worked for me.

Let’s jump right into my Singer Tradition 2277 review!

Machine Accessories

Here’s a brief breakdown of the machine accessories that are included and are related to quilting:

Machine Pedal

This machine comes with a foot pedal that is super straightforward to use. I love how easy it is to control the sewing speed with this pedal and the machine’s speed varies from super slow to fast. I would not say that this machine has great speed when the pedal is pushed all the way down, but that kind of speed is not necessary for a beginner quilter!

Metal Bobbin Case

This machine offers a metal bobbin case that holds the bobbin full of thread. It is a front-loading bobbin machine. The bobbin case is the trickiest accessory on the whole machine, in my opinion. The tension of the bobbin case can be quite fiddly, but the small screw on the case is easy to adjust with the included key. If you’re ever having tension issues with this machine, I suggest looking at the bobbin case tension first!

3 Plastic Bobbins

This machine uses class 15 transparent bobbins. It comes with 3 empty bobbins which is a nice amount for a complete beginner.

All Purpose Presser Foot

The default foot that is included in this machine is what Singer calls an all-purpose foot. As we know, quilting requires a 1/4″ seam for piecing and a walking foot for quilting. You can definitely use this foot for your first project or a small project where the dimensions are not too important, but you’ll want to invest in a 1/4″ seam presser foot as soon as possible. The machine also includes several other feet unrelated to quilting, such as a button sewing foot and buttonhole foot.

Key

The metal key is necessary for taking apart certain components of your machine. You’ll use the wide part of the key to change your presser feet and remove the feed dog plate. This will be helpful when you’re cleaning your machine. The small side will help you tighten or loosen the metal bobbin case.

Quilting Seam Guide

The metal seam guide is super helpful if you plan to quilt your own quilts. It attaches to the machine when you’re using a regular presser foot and you can insert it into the back of a walking foot. It took me way too long to realize that the hole at the back of the walking foot is for this seam guide!

Darning Plate

The darning plate can attach to the machine and cover the feed dogs. This plate is for free-motion quilting. The feed dogs do not lower, so you’ll have to attach this plate if you want to free-motion quilt your quilts.

Seam Ripper and Cleaning Brush

This 2 in 1 tool is one of the tools I use the most. One end is a brush that will help you clean the lint out of the machine. Remember to do this regularly! The other end is a seam ripper. The seam ripper is nice and sharp and it’s actually the only seam ripper I own!

Machine Features

I’ll briefly cover the machine features that I think are the most valuable. I won’t go into great depth on every feature that the machine offers, but these are the ones that are most helpful to a beginner quilter in my opinion!

To see a complete list of the features of this machine, click here!

Automatic Needle Threader

This feature is FANTASTIC and makes threading this machine a breeze. It’s very easy to use and I think it’s an essential feature of a machine. It’s great that an entry-level machine can offer this perk.

Built-In Light

The light in this machine turns on every time the machine is turned on. It’s powerful for its size. It focuses the light directly onto the needle so it’s very easy to see what you’re doing. I find that this light is all I need when I’m sewing, and I don’t need an additional task light to brighten up my machine. This is an awesome feature for an entry-level machine.

Stitch Options

There are 23 different stitches available in this machine. While you won’t use the majority of them while quilting, it is great to have a zig-zag option on your machine. I use the straight stitch and zig-zag stitches the most. You can also use some of the decorative stitches in your finished quilt or if you want to embroider a label into your quilt. There are endless options when it comes to the stitch options on this machine!

Lightweight

This machine is just 13.6 lbs. which makes it super portable. It’s super easy to bring this machine with you to a beginner quilting class, a friend’s house, or even a retreat.

Singer Tradition 2277 Review Pros

This entry-level machine has plenty of great things to offer. Here are a few of the pros that I value the most:

Affordability

The main thing that initially drew me to this machine was the price point. If you are in the market for a new machine, this is the most affordable option I could find that offers all of these features. While it’s probably not a machine that you’ll sew with for dozens of years or pass down to your children, it definitely gets the job done and I do expect it to last several years. I’ve had mine for one year, sew on it several times a week and it’s holding up quite well.

Automatic Needle Threader

The idea of threading a machine was overwhelming for me at first but the needle threader made it so much easier. I also love how this machine has each of the threading steps labeled on the physical machine. It made setting up the machine for the first time a breeze and continues to make it easy to change thread.

Lightweight

This is another topic I touched on above, but I want to explain in more depth why a lightweight machine is great for a beginner. The majority of new quilters do not have a designated sewing space where they can keep their machine out 24/7. A lot of folks are sewing on their dining room table or living room coffee table. This means that you’ll need to take out your machine every time you want to use it and then put it away when you’re done. The lightweight nature makes this very easy to do.

When I first started quilting, I would unpack my machine and pack it up almost every day. If I had a bulkier or heavier machine, this definitely wouldn’t have been as doable.

I also purchased a case to help me store my machine when I wasn’t using it. It’s a hard top case that fits the machine perfectly.

Check out the sewing machine case that I recommend! 

Singer Tradition 2277 Review Cons

Next, we’ll touch on what I consider to be the major cons of this sewing machine.

Throat Space

The major downfall of this sewing machine for a beginner quilter is the throat space. This isn’t as big of an issue when you are piecing the small cuts of fabric together or the quilt top itself, but it does become a bigger issue when you are quilting the quilt sandwich. I have successfully quilted a twin-size quilt on this machine, but I have not tried anything larger. While it is definitely possible, it would be no easy feat.

There are a few ways to make quilting on a machine with a small throat space easier. Some quick tips are to try rolling your quilt and working from the middle to the outside.

If you are planning on quilting several large quilts on this machine, I would definitely consider investing in a machine with a larger throat space.

Tension

Immediately when I set up this machine I had tension issues. It turned out that the metal bobbin case needed to be slightly tightened. Once I did that, I had no issues with tension for quite a while. After about 9 months of use, I started to have tension issues again while I was quilting a quilt. I have since resolved the issue, but I definitely know the tension on my machine is out of whack.

I don’t know if this is an issue for everyone who purchases this machine, but this has been my experience. If I had a more expensive machine, I would take it to get serviced. However, I personally do not want to service this machine because the service itself could cost close to the price of the machine and I am planning on upgrading within the year.

Generally Fiddly

The last con of this machine is that it just generally is a bit awkward to use. It’s a great machine to learn on, but not necessarily a great machine for heavy long-term use. One of the reasons that I find it to be awkward is that the machine moves around a lot. It is lightweight, which is great, but that also means it tends to move while you sew. I do not have a drop-in table for my machine, so when I am sewing fast or trying to quilt a large quilt, my machine tends to shift around on the table. So I suppose the lightweight nature is both a pro and a con for me!

Optional Quilting Accessories

If you’re going to quilt with this machine, there are several accessories that I would recommend purchasing. These accessories do not come included with the purchase of the machine.

For a complete list of what is included with this machine, click here!

1/4″ Seam Presser Foot

The quarter-inch seam is one of the most important skills for quilters to learn. Nearly all quilt patterns include a quarter-inch seam or scant-quarter-inch seam. Singer makes a presser foot that will help you with this skill. The 1/4″ seam presser foot works perfectly with this machine and my quilts instantly turned out more accurate once I started using this foot. The 1/4″ seam presser foot is the number one optional accessory that I recommend purchasing to accompany this machine.

See the Singer 1/4″ Seam Presser Foot

1/4″ Seam Presser Foot with Guide

Singer offers another version of the 1/4″ seam presser foot that includes a guide. This is helpful if you’re still having trouble achieving the perfect quarter inch seam or if you are a beginner. Both the 1/4″ seam foot and the 1/4″ seam foot with the guide are not necessary. You can choose which one you prefer!

See the Singer 1/4″ Seam Presser Foot with Guide

Walking Presser Foot

If you are planning on quilting your own quilts, a walking foot is a necessity. This presser foot helps grab all of the layers in your quilt sandwich and feed it through your machine at the same rate. This will give you a nice and clean finish without any accidental puckering. You can pair the walking foot with the metal seam guide that comes with the machine.

See the Singer Walking Presser Foot

Darning Presser Foot

This goofy-looking foot is needed for free-motion quilting. It is very exciting that free motion quilting is possible on this machine! All you need in order to do it is to attach the darning plate that comes with the sewing machine and change the presser foot to the darning presser foot. I’ve never tried it, but it is on my to-do list this year!

See the Signer Darning Presser Foot

Of course, all of these are completely optional and would be an additional cost, but I believe they are very helpful if you are planning to quilt with this machine – especially the 1/4″ seam presser foot and the walking foot.

Singer Tradition 2277 Review: Is this a good beginner machine?

Now it’s time for my final Singer Tradition 2277 review. Let’s answer the question “Is this machine a good machine for beginners?”.

Yes!

I do believe that this machine is a great option for beginner quilters. Hand-me-down or used machines are not always an option for new quilters, so a lot of beginners need to look at affordable new sewing machines. This machine is the most affordable option that I could find on the market with all of these features, and I think that is a huge plus.

I would never recommend pouring hundreds or thousands of dollars into a new hobby. I always suggest using entry-level supplies until you know for sure that it is something you enjoy and want to continue. That is why I think this machine is perfect for a beginner quilter.

The ease of use of this machine is beginner-friendly and the user manual is easy to follow and very clear. You can set this machine up and start your first project within an hour or two. The learning curve is minimal and you can grow with all of the functions that this machine has to offer.

Lastly, I want to emphasize that I think this machine is great for beginners. This machine is not something that an experienced quilter would want to purchase, as it is not specifically made for quilters.

For a person who is just starting the hobby, I think this machine can help you learn what you want or don’t want in a higher-end model. After a year of use on this machine, I’m very confident in knowing what features I want in my next sewing machine and how much I’m willing to spend on those features.

If you’d like to continue with my Singer Tradition 2277 series and learn how to thread your Singer Tradition sewing machine, check it out here!

I’d love to know, what machine did you learn how to quilt on?

xo, Hailey