For a complete beginner the instructions were horrible. The manual is for many brother products, so i didn’t know which section to follow… (e.g do i have a fast wind bobbin? automatic needle threader thing? i had no idea…) and I’m still working out the thread tension. For beginners like me, take your time, read the thing over and over and play with it a while.

The machine itself is great, I already made curtains for my bed and my athlete boyfriend gave it a try. For the price, it’s really unbeatable…especially if you look at the price it originally retailed at.It’s not too heavy which is great, and the lcd screen controls the stitch width and you can plug in what stitch you want. I went to Stitches on capitol hill (Seattle) and the owner had bought a whole bunch of this particular model for her customers to use. Guess it’s a good sign.

My second project was to sew some clear vinyl covers for appliances. What a pain! It was just a medium weight vinyl I bought at the fabric store, but it kept sticking to the machine, and would barely feed at all. The stiches were very uneven, and there were big loops of thread in the seam. I finally gave up and got out my trusty old White sewing machine. That old girl sewed the vinyl like a dream.

I think the problem is that there’s no pressure regulator, which controls how much pressure there is on the pressure foot. And when I was basting on the fleeece fabric, the longest stich was pretty short. Again, if the foot had more pressure, it may have been different.

My review isn’t totally negative. I’m probably going to enjoy this machine with ordinary fabrics, and I’m sure I’ll have fun with the fancy stiches. Hopefully it will let me express my creativity. I wil defintely use the blind hemming, etc.. (My old machine only has straight and zigzag.) Threading was very easy, as was changing the zipper foot and putting in the bobbin. Not having to oil it will be nice, and I like the long warranty. The manual was pretty clear. I’m sure this is a good choice for beginners, and many other sewers. But if you’re very experienced like I am and used to being able to adjust your machine to the task you’re doing, you might be as frustrated as I was. I don’t think I’ll even try it with denim or canvas, unless it’s just one seam. I wonder how it will handle something like slippery silk. I think it was worth the price I paid, but glad I’ve kept my sturdy old White machine too.

I recently purchased this sewing machine and it is fantastic it is only the second time i have ever used a sewing machine, so i am a real amateur! and with this machine (got it 3 weeks ago) i started sewing pretty much in a minute straight out the box, super easy to use and fun,

I would definately recommend this sewing machine, it works great and i am super happy with it!!

Dana, 18, Carlsbad, California

Mary Theresa Falkenstein (Wiersma)

One night just for fun I worked through the entire instruction book. It is without a doubt the best and most complete manual I have ever gotten with a sewing machine. I was able to master every stitch function and attachment in one very pleasant evening. You really don’t need another machine. The feet are plastic, which is GREAT–you can see through them. There is nothing cheesy about the parts–they all work exactly as they should. I am crazy about my machine, and its support materials. So crazy, in fact, that I recently bought the Brother serger here on Amazon, and it is just as good. GREAT machines. Why spend more? Buy this inexpensive machine and you’ll have lots more money to spend on FABRIC!!

I am very frustrated by the reviews-especially the ones by PLEIN JANE, for example. SHE HAS REVIEWED 3 DIFFERENT MACHINES, and HER STORIES DON’T ADD UP.

How many REVIEWERS are just plants?

I don’t own this machine: I am shopping. I really want a new machine, but I don’t know where to get reliable info .

Advantages: Great manual, it will tell you how to do almost everything you’d like to do with the machine. Numerous accessories, several feet, bobbins, and other standard sewing pieces come courtesy of Brother. The ease of switching feet, the automatic threader (which, not to be misleading, you still have to manually wind the thread through the machine, this model comes with an arm that pulls the thread through the needle for you – hence the name). The drop-in bobbin. Goes through most fabrics readily, including double and triple folded materials (with exception of some sturdier fabrics – i.e. leather). One of the quietest motors I’ve ever worked with. Easy to trouble shoot.

Disadvantages: You can only use the bobbin model that comes with the machine, it won’t accept any other kinds. The dome light is very dim. The machine also tends to be overly sensitive to you manually poking around. When I first turned on the machine I nudged the needle, to which the LED display immediately flashed an E6 warning (that was an easy fix, I just turned it off then back on). To get all the stitch functions it take some time getting used to the four control buttons. Which, again, not to be misleading the “77″ stitches are variations of 35+ standard ones. I also didn’t understand I hadn’t wound the bobbin thread all the way through either, it resulted in terrible tension control during my first project. You may be trouble shooting a lot until you get to used to the machine. But the majority of the time the problems are simple and once fixed you’ll never have that problem again.

If there is anything negative I could say it would be that I can’t use my old bobbins on a Brother machine. For some reason they have chosen to create different size bobbins than most other sewing machines and I can’t buy them in the store nearby (I like to have one for each basic color).

I was wildly impressed with the quality of this machine. All of the functions are intuitive and simple, and it is ready to go right out of the box. I really love it, and haven’t experienced a single problem! Not to mention that it is very compact and aesthetically pleasing. I know it was the perfect machine for me, so I recommend it to all of you.