Best Hat Embroidery Machine You Need For 2026
Having a hat embroidered is a popular way of distinguishing you or your group from the rest. It is especially common in sports teams, schools, golf, and country clubs. In recent years, uniquely designed hats have started to gain momentum in the fashion industry. They give individuals a fresh look and add to an inimitable sense of style.
To achieve a unique hat that mirrors your personality, you’ll need a reliable embroidery machine to get the job done. We therefore provide you with 10 of the best embroidery machines you can use to create beautiful embroidery on hats for your friends, loved ones, or your clients.
Bernette 79 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The Bernette 79 sewing and embroidery machine or b79 is one of our top picks if you need a machine specifically built for embroidering hats. The b79 is the top-of-the-line combo machine by Bernette and it’s capable of creating unique and specially made embroidery on different kinds of clothing like hats, shirts, dresses, and more. With an extensive embroidery area, it has multi-function knobs that are beginner-friendly for quick operation. The computer software has 500 available stitches to choose from with Stitch Designer creating endless possibilities to unlock your creativity.
This embroidery machine has a 5” colored LCD touchscreen that allows for easy navigation. It’s positioned in the center of the machine so it’s possible to select different designs and preview them before starting the embroidering process. The b79 is quite expensive but if you need a machine that can do intricate designs on hats, then you should definitely check this out. It makes easy work of uniform hats for teams, country clubs, schools, or for custom-made requests from your clients.
Ever Sewn Sparrow 30s Sewing and Embroidering Machine
The Ever Sewn Sparrow 30s is an affordable device if you’re looking for budget machines for your hat embroidery business. The machine has a blush pink and rose gold finish that looks great for all ages. The design looks pretty at any corner of your home. The Sparrow 30s is computer-controlled and offers everything you need for your embroidering and sewing needs. It has 310 stitch patterns to help personalize every project. It also includes 32 utility, 84 decorative, and 2 full alphabets.
If you have custom designs to put in your hats, the memory function of this machine allows individual combinations to be saved for future use. It can also be transformed into a free motion quilting machine for you to be able to sew a big piece on a much larger surface. The digital LCD advisor on the right side of the machine gives you all the information you need in order to start your sewing and embroidery. It shows you a view of your selected built-in stitch, stitch length, width settings, and recommended presser foot before starting the stitching process.
169-Piece Kit Handheld Sewing Machine with Wooden Sewing Box
This 169-piece sewing and embroidery kit provides hands-on materials for learning foundational sewing, mending, and embroidery skills. The set includes a portable handheld sewing machine, fabric scissors, thread cutter, seam ripper, pin cushion, assorted threads and bobbins, hand-sewing needles, pins, buttons, safety pins, thimbles, needle threaders, measuring tape, and other essential sewing tools. A wooden storage box keeps the materials organized and accessible for ongoing projects.
The included embroidery stitch guide provides step-by-step instruction for practicing different hand-stitching techniques, while the handheld sewing machine allows learners to develop basic machine-sewing skills and complete simple fabric projects and repairs. Together, the materials support practical life skills, fine-motor development, creativity, following sequential instructions, and the design and completion of sewing and textile projects.
SINGER Legacy SE300 Embroidery Machine
The SINGER Legacy SE300 embroidery machine makes easy work of your hat embroidery projects because it has up to 250 built-in stitches to choose from. This includes basic, stretch, decorative, and buttonhole stitches allowing you to sew and embroider on any kind of fabric for your home décor, crafts, fashions, and more. The estimated embroidery speed of the Legacy SE300 is up to 700 stitches per minute. SINGER guarantees all your hat projects can be finished quickly without encountering any problems along the way.
This embroidery machine also makes use of an automatic threading needle that follows a threading path right on the machine. This time-saving feature helps you to automatically thread the eye of the needle and saving you frustrations and eye strain along the way. Another neat addition the Legacy SE300 has is the 200 built-in embroidery designs included on the machine. The hundreds of designs allow you to pick and choose the styles you or your clients want to patch up. You can also insert your own creations if you have ideas of your own because this embroidery machine allows you to import your designs via its USB port.
Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9850 Embroidery and Sewing Machine
The best embroidered hats usually come from the best embroidering machines. This is where the Janome Memory Craft 9850 embroidery and sewing machine come in. It’s one of the more expensive embroidery machines you’ll find online and definitely with good reason. This machine takes your imagination and creativity to the next level because of its multitude of features that you can take advantage of with just the touch of your fingers. The Memory Craft 9850 has 200 different built-in stitches to choose from, 6 one-step buttonholes, 2 fonts of European characters, and 2-3 letter monogramming functions. It also has 175 built-in embroidery designs giving you a lot of customization options for your hat ideas that other machines simply cannot compete with.
This combo machine works best for garment sewing, home décor, fabric crafting, and more. The Memory Craft 9850 also lets you import your own designs just like other machines we have on this list. It has a USB port that gives you the option to transfer your own designs into its built-in memory and patching them to your hat projects for a more customized and unique design. Lastly, it has a great sewing speed of 1000 stitches per minute and a large embroidery field of up to 8” for larger custom designs.
SINGER® Smart Heavy Duty 9120™ New Embroidery-Capable Sewing Machine
The SINGER® Smart Heavy Duty 9120™ brings a modern, connected upgrade to SINGER’s popular Heavy-Duty line, combining strong sewing performance with smart features and embroidery capability. Designed to handle everything from everyday fabrics to thicker, layered materials, it features a full metal interior frame, strong piercing power, adjustable speed control, a needle threader, thread sensors, and a generous sewing area. Connect the machine to the CREATIVATE™ app on your iOS or Android device to access more than 200 utility, stretch, decorative, lettering, and buttonhole stitches, along with recommended settings, presser-foot guidance, tutorials, and project help.
What really sets the Smart Heavy Duty 9120™ apart is its ability to expand from traditional sewing into machine embroidery. When paired with the Smart Heavy Duty™ 900E embroidery attachment, you can send, edit, position, and customize embroidery designs through the CREATIVATE™ app, with an embroidery area up to 170 x 100 mm. That makes the 9120 an especially interesting option for sewists who want the durability and versatility of a heavy-duty sewing machine but also want room to explore decorative stitching, personalization, lettering, and embroidery without investing in a completely separate embroidery machine.
Brother PE900 Wireless Embroidery Machine with WLAN
The Brother PE900 Wireless Embroidery Machine is a feature-packed embroidery-only machine designed for easy personalization of clothing, home décor, gifts, and accessories. It offers a spacious 5″ x 7″ maximum embroidery area, 193 built-in embroidery designs, and 13 built-in lettering fonts, giving you plenty of creative options right out of the box. The 3.7″ color LCD touchscreen makes it easy to preview and edit designs directly on the machine, including resizing, rotating, repositioning, combining designs, and editing lettering. With embroidery speeds up to 650 stitches per minute, an advanced automatic needle threader, automatic thread cutting, and built-in thread sensors, the PE900 combines creative flexibility with convenient time-saving features.
Built-in wireless LAN makes it even easier to add new designs without relying on a USB drive. Designs can be transferred wirelessly from a computer using Brother’s Design Database Transfer software, while compatibility with the Artspira app lets you explore embroidery patterns and create your own designs from a mobile device. The PE900 also includes useful embroidery features such as Color Sort, which helps reduce unnecessary thread-color changes, and Jump Stitch Trimming, which automatically cuts excess jump threads within a color. Whether you’re ready to move beyond basic embroidery or want a dedicated machine with plenty of room for custom designs, monograms, and personalized projects, the PE900 offers an approachable combination of wireless technology, editing tools, and creative versatility.
Brother SE600 Sewing and Embroidery Machine
The 2nd sewing and embroidery machine in this list from the same manufacturer is the Brother PE900. It has a 3.2” colored LCD touchscreen to aid in previewing and editing your designs before starting the embroidery process on hats and other projects. The touchscreen display also allows you to select 80 built-in designs and another 6 lettering fonts readily available for use. If you want to make your own custom embroidery, the SE600 gives you this option as you can import your own designs via its USB port.
This machine also utilizes a built-in LED light that works well when embroidering in dim areas or during the nighttime. It’s a nice utility you can use for your projects to make sure everything turns out perfect when you start the stitching process. The SE600 also has 103 available sewing stitches to mix and match and has 10 styles of auto-size buttonholes. Lastly, this device has a maximum sewing speed of up to 710 stitches per second ensuring you’ll be able to churn out a number of hats in no time.
Brother Stellaire 2 Innov-is XE2 Disney Embroidery Machine – 14″ x 9.5″ Field Size
The Brother Stellaire2 Innov-ís XE2 Disney Embroidery Machine is a premium embroidery-only machine designed for serious creators who want an expansive workspace, advanced editing tools, and plenty of room for large, detailed projects. Its impressive 9.5″ x 14″ maximum embroidery field makes it possible to create oversized designs and combine multiple elements with less rehooping, while the large 10.1″ color LCD touchscreen provides a clear, realistic view of your work. The XE2 includes 889 built-in embroidery designs, including 101 exclusive Disney and Pixar designs, plus 26 embroidery lettering fonts. With embroidery speeds up to 1,050 stitches per minute, automatic threading and thread cutting, on-screen editing, and precise 2-point positioning with an LED pointer, it’s built to make ambitious embroidery projects easier to manage.
The Stellaire2 XE2 also brings modern wireless technology into the creative process. Built-in wireless connectivity allows you to transfer embroidery files from your computer using Brother’s Design Database Transfer software, while Artspira compatibility gives you even more ways to create, customize, and send designs from a mobile device. My Design Center lets you create and edit original designs directly on the machine, and features such as Color Shuffling, automatic density adjustment, appliqué creation, curved text editing, and embroidery couching provide extensive creative control. For embroiderers ready to invest in a spacious, sophisticated machine for everything from personalized gifts and garments to quilts, home décor, and elaborate Disney projects, the Stellaire2 XE2 offers an exceptional range of creative possibilities.
Brother PE545 Wireless Embroidery Machine 4×4 Hoop LCD
The Brother PE545 Wireless Embroidery Machine is an approachable, feature-packed choice for anyone ready to explore machine embroidery and personalized projects. This embroidery-only machine features a 4″ x 4″ maximum embroidery area that’s well suited for monograms, children’s clothing, accessories, gifts, home décor, and other smaller projects. It comes with 135 built-in embroidery designs and 10 lettering fonts, while the 3.7″ color LCD touchscreen lets you preview, edit, and position designs right on the machine. Convenient features including an advanced needle threading system, automatic thread cutter, upper and bobbin thread sensors, and embroidery speeds up to 400 stitches per minute help make the PE545 especially accessible for newer embroiderers.
Built-in wireless LAN adds plenty of creative flexibility, allowing you to transfer embroidery files from your computer using Brother’s Design Database Transfer software without relying on a USB drive. The PE545 is also compatible with Brother’s Artspira app, where you can browse additional embroidery patterns or even draw your own designs on a mobile device and wirelessly transfer them to the machine. An easy drag-and-drop editing feature helps you position designs on the touchscreen, while a USB port and built-in memory provide another option for importing and storing designs. With its compact 4″ x 4″ embroidery field, wireless capabilities, and beginner-friendly controls, the PE545 is a great option for adding custom names, monograms, decorative motifs, and other personalized details to your projects.
Buying Guide
Embroidery Field
Having an adequate embroidery field is always a plus especially when you use it specifically for hats and other types of headwear. This provides you with versatility and freedom of movement as you can design all sorts of shapes and sizes when you have ample room to operate. As a general rule, it’s recommended to have an embroidery machine with at least a 4” by 4” embroidery field so you can have more control over your designs.
Versatility
Some of the machines we have on this list act as both sewing and embroidery machine so you don’t have to move from one machine to another. It’s a good investment to buy combo machines as you get two for the price of one. They also give you the ability to sew your favorite hats and headwear to completion and embroider them at the same time.
Customizations
Almost all embroidery machines provide you with hundreds of available stitches to choose from giving you a lot of options to create endless combinations for flashy headwear. Another neat feature you should look out for is the ability to import your own designs into the machine’s built-in memory and then turning them into reality. You’ll be able to distinguish yourself against a lot of competition if you’re capable of unique designs that not everyone can get their hands on.
Price
If you’ve reached this part of the article then you should know by now that not all embroidery machines are created equal. There are affordable machines included in this list and there are machines that are expensive that they almost feel like quite an investment. For hobbyists and casuals, it’s better to go for machines that are made for beginners since they can do the basic jobs just as well as the higher-priced models. But if you’re serious about creating perfect headwear then it’s better to go for the premium machines as they provide you with more options to go about your craft.
FAQs
How large can I embroider a hat without it looking ugly?
A common way for you to judge how your embroidered hats will look is by researching different baseball clubs’ logos on their headwear. Most hats are okay with a 2.25” maximum height and 4” maximum width embroidery. If you want a low profile, you can even go smaller than this.
Can I embroider all kinds of headwear?
If you’re wondering if you can embroider all kinds of headwear from sports caps, collegiate hats, top hats, and the like, it usually only depends on the embroidery machine that you have and the limits of your imagination. The possibilities are endless so create your own designs as you see fit.