Husqvarna VikingEmerald 116 Sewing Machine

Works so great.

Love it!! After doing my research, I chose this machine and have been so happy with it. It’s easy to work. Great videos on YouTube of how to use/ importance of the different stitches. Now that I purchased my own machine, I have found so many uses for it and a new hobby as well.

This worked great for a year. At which point it over heated and died. Viking of course blamed me because I actually used the machine a lot. Don't waste your money. Buy a Singer for half the price. The quality's the same.

Easy to use

My 2009 Viking Emerald 116 machine worked well until I started making outdoor gear, using a very sturdy Signature Sunstop thread and siliconized nylon fabric. The upper & lower threads locked under the fabric with the upper thread tension dialed to its highest. The machine doesn't permit easy adjustments of bobbin thread tension--one must remove the plate under the presser foot to get to the top loading bobbin case to loosen the tension screw. Even with loosening the bobbin thread tension, the stitch quality didn't approach the quality of the stitches that the saleswoman made with the machine--for me it produces stitches neither straight nor consistently locked between the top and bottom of the stitching. I borrowed a Bernina to finish the project I was working on.A local sewing shop loaded my thread into a more expensive Pfaff Classic style 2023 with a front loading bobbin. It sewed straight, well balanced stitches in both sheer fabric and 12 layers of denim.Before dropping hundreds of $ on any machine, take your fabric and thread into a sewing shop to discover the machines that will handle your work. If you need to work on different materials in the future, you should resign yourself to possibly having to buy a more capable machine. In my case, I had no idea that I'd ever be using a thread that my Viking wouldn't handle. I might have done better by buying a used Bernina or other well regarded high end make.My Emerald 116 does NOT have a needle up/needle down--when I release pressure on the pedal the needle most often stops in the up position. The pedal is nothing special--very plain Jane. It does have drop feed, and adjustable presser foot tension. The work-light is adequate. Birdnesting of the thread occurred occasionally. The machine will allow positioning the needle to the right when using a straight stitch. The one button hole I made turned out to my satisfaction.12/7/2013 Edit: I have to upgrade the Viking rating to four stars for the following reasons.Comparison notes: I've used the above Pfaff. It cannot sew nylon pack cloth (500 denier Cordura)--when the motor fails to punch the needle through this dense coated fabric, it responds to me helping it out with the handwheel by losing its timing (which determines when the hook on the bobbin case loops the top thread with the bottom thread, forming the lock stitch). The Viking motor is also a bit weak, but does not lose its timing if I help it push through Cordura. I wouldn't buy the Viking for sewing packcloth because it needs too much help through thick stuff, but the Pfaff leaves even more to be desired.While the Viking didn't fare well with Sunstop thread and siliconized nylon, it has worked well with most other fabrics that I've thrown at it.One other thing: Use the right needle type and sizes with the right threads AND change to a new needle at the slightest hint of trouble. Find a reliable sewing machine shop & get guidance there.

Really happy. Brand new machine. Great deal. Great communication. 5 Stars

It was purchased as a gift. My wife loves it.

My husband bought me this as a gift. I feel terrible because Husqvarna is a good name and I know he thought he was doing something great. However, it has zero features and is not suitable for anyone who plans to do anything than the most basic sewing projects and doesn't care about getting good results. He unknowingly gave me a machine that was a huge downgrade from the 15 year old Janome I wanted to replace. He thought because of the price, it must be good. The first reason I'm giving it one star is because it can't seem to handle any fabrics other than cotton, no matter what needle I use or how I adjust the settings. Especially chiffon. I sewed a prom and wedding dress in chiffon on my old machine. With this, I'm struggling to get a decent straight stitch on a hem without skipping stitches. The second is that the price for what you get is criminal. If you are a beginner and looking for a basic machine to learn on, buy something much cheaper that will most likely give you better results. I am more than willing to spend $500 - $600 on a machine, but wouldn't have paid over $150 for this brand new.