Great Sewing Machine! Brother CS6000I

Brother CS6000I

This sewing machine way exceeds my expectations. I have been sewing for 40+ years and have had 4 other "quality" sewing machines; high end Singers and my last was a White purchased 15 years ago. Since this machine was so inexpensive I was expecting to brace myself for less quality. I was afraid it would be too light and cheaply made. I really didn't think much of Brother though I had read positive reviews on this machine. I picked this machine because of budget constraints and generally not sewing enough these days to justify a bigger investment. What a surprise I got when I received this machine (I could not view or demo it in a store). I am seamstress - not a quilter. The button holer is great and easy to use. The idea of sewing without a foot pedal is great for certain applications. The control buttons (fwd, back, up needle) are easy to use. The thread cutter is more conveniently located than any machine I've ever had. I have sewn on many macines in my life so it was easy to sit down and just start sewing. I think a new sewer would find it easy too. Everything seems better and more convenient than my previous machines. I've only had 2 speed machines. I find having 3 speeds on this machine is great as I want to sew on the med. speed most times. In response to other reviews. I think it sews great on paper. The 1st project I sewed was a book mark with card stock sandwiched in hand made paper (3 layers). I had no tension issues in contrast to my previous machine. Since the machine was working so well I decided to make a semi-formal dress for my daughter layering sheer fabrics. Once again - no problems with tension. I think if you are constrained to spend less than $200 for a machine this is a great little machine and you won't be disappointed. As a note: the hard cover that comes with it does not attach so if you plan on travelling with the machine you might want to buy the extra cover. The included cover goes over the machine and does not clip on. By grabbing the machine's handle the cover comes with as you carry it. This is fine for in-house storage.

A solid machine for home sewing - Brother XL3510 sewing machine

Brother XL3510 sewing machine

Though the Brother XL-3510 wasn't my first choice in a machine (purchased out of a limited selection from an online retailer using a "store credit only" return policy, even for defective machines), after a marathon weekend of sewing medieval garb, I have found this to be a solid machine that handles a wide range of projects effectively and efficiently. With a drop in bobbin (SA156 is the Brother part number--same as their sewing/embroidery machines) that is oriented a little too much towards the right handed (I'm a left handed person), it's much easier to manage than the Europro I returned to the online retailer that uses a steel bobbin and bobbin case from the side. Threading is easy as well, though left handed people will have problems for a few times until you get used to the nuances of the threading. There are about 3 or 4 places that I found the machine difficult to manage as a left handed person. Sadly, as strong as Brother is, for both the industrial and home sewing markets, they have forgotten that both left handed and right handed people use the machines!! I really like the way the stitch selector dial works. Just like a shift key on a computer, you just put the outer dial on the red SS1 for the red row of stitches or the green SS2 for the green row of stitches--it's very user friendly. Normal stitches are neither red nor green--for things like straight or zig zag. Everyday stuff like back-stitching is easy (easier than many models) and the machine doen't balk at you when you want to go through a few thicknesses of fabric like pleats. As with any machine, you might have to coax it a little by a tug or two on a stubborn section through the feeders, but I've never known a machine that always could feed anything without a little help now and again.