There’s a new brother in our house…the metal and plastic kind:
I told you last week that I sold my old sewing machine and got a new one! (Don’t worry I made sure shipping time overlapped so I always had a machine to use. Can’t go one day without one!)
I had a fancy Singer complete with embroidery and all sorts of jazz. It was not great for custom sewing and couture clothing. It was good for other things. Like embroidery. It wasn’t right for me.
So….I bought….this one!
The
The best part is it only cost me $169. That’s a dang good deal for a sewing machine, especially of this caliber. I got it on Amazon
where it says the original price is $449 and the customer reviews at 4.5 stars out of 5. Used ones are selling right now for about $150, which means it will hold it’s value fairly well.
So, I’m thinking that’s a bargin!! If you’re in the market for a new machine but don’t want to/can’t spend $1000, I’d recommend this one. Amazon meant free shipping and no dealing with sewing machine salespeople.
So far the tension is great! Which means beautiful, even stitches. We’ve already had lots of fun together. I think we’re going to be friends for a long time.
It’s not the fanciest of fancy. And it’s not the machine I really want but can’t afford, but it’s totally a step up from my old machine.
I’m finishing up my “sewing machine buying guide” which I’ll post soon!
Do any of you have this machine?
Tez
I have a little, cheap Brother, I enjoy it, it does a lot of things a similarly priced, two stitch machine cannot….however, it isn’t a work horse, and as soon as I can afford a better one I will get a new one.
Lindsay @ 402CenterStreet.blogspot.com
I’ve had this machine for four years and I LOVE it. I sew on it every single day and have (shamefully) never had it serviced b/c I can’t bear to be without it for even just a day. Is it fancy? No. But it’s solid and I’ve put it through it’s paces and it’s never yet flinched. I have recommended it to every single person who asks my opinion (and some who don’t ask my opinion!) and everyone who has purchased it loves it as much as I do. I hope you wind up loving yours as much as I love mine. I think it was a great choice and excellent value! :)
Suriah
Yay! I have this machine and I absolutely love it. I’ve had it for almost a year now without any problems. Hope you enjoy it!
Sandy
I don’t have this model, I have a Brother SQ-9000, and it looks similar to this one (I got all the same attachments you did). I absolutely love my machine and can’t say enough good things about Brother. I know you will really enjoy it!
Anonymous
I’ve had this machine for almost 3 years. I only use it occasionally, but I absolutely love it! I almost never sew with the presser foot, I love the start/stop button so much. I haven’t had any problems with it (except for when I do something dumb, like try to sew through 6 layers of denim…). My last machine was super old and always gave me problems, so I thoroughly enjoy this one.
Summer
I just bought this machine about a month ago! So far I love it! My only complaint is that mine won’t shir. My friend got the same machine and hers shirs perfectly. Go figure. It is serving me well so far!
Cassandra {Sleeping or Sewing}
Oooh that looks just like mine, but mine is the 6000T. I wonder what the differences are?
I got a refurbished one on Overstock.com in 2008 and have not had any issues with it….aside from user errors. I love it!
Congrats on your new Brother. :-)
Leslie
I bought this exact machine 6 years ago and only recently had problems with it. I sew A LOT so it definitely put up with a lot of wear and tear! And I, also shamefully, have never had it serviced. While I’m too impatient to be without a working machine, I’m sure that a trip to the local service shop would fix it right up for very little $$. Good choice!! Treat her right and she’ll stick it out with ya for a long while!! :)
Rachel
I have this machine as well and I do love it but I have had problems. These are operater error though. Can’t use the bobbins with the little square holes because they don’t sit right in the machine and then your threads loop on the bottom. I have had the best success with sewing when I use a serger spool of thread on the top otherwise I will randomly get looping threads on the bottom. A lot of time when I start up sewing, regardless of how long my needle thread is, the sewing maching unthread itself. Maybe these are all operator problems, maybe minor but they drive me crazy. I am a self taught sewist so I am probably doing something wrong! About the shirring, I googled it one time and someone posted on how to shirr with this machine. You have to tighten the screw in your bobbin holder with a screwdriver somehow.
Susan
I got the same machine a couple months ago and I’m enjoying it so far! My old machine was a 1950s Singer, so I’m still getting used to all of the different features. Going from only a straight stitch to 60 choices is a big jump!
jax
When I was looking for a machine that was the one I settled on. I didn’t buy it though. My hubby told me to ask his mom because he was sure his grandmother had one and I could probably have it. So I asked and no one had said anything about it after she passed away. They located it and passed it down to me. And I absolutely love it. And not just because it was free. It is a great machine. We’ve had lots of fun together. I have the My Excel 15S by New Home, which, from what I gather, is owned by Janome.
This website http://www.sewing-machines-for-beginners.com is a great place to look up different machines. Erin has a compare machines tab so that you can see what different machines are good at and not good at and find one that fits your needs. She doesn’t have every machine but she is very knowledgable and I found it very helpful.
Amanda
I JUST bought the Brother CS6000i! Off of amazon as well. I haven’t gotten around to using it yet because of all the stuff going on but this week I finally will be able to!
Gwen @ The Bold Abode
Yo, Kate, Yo! woka, woka, woka…
Anyway… “Big Expensive Price Tag” does not always equal “Fit Like a Glove and Function Like A Dream”… My cheap little Black and Decker Jig Saw slices through tough wood like butta… Hmmm…wonder why the others cost 2-3 times as much… (This is me steppin of da soapbox now.)
Rulitos de Sol
I have this machine too and I love it! The only complain is that at the begining of the stitching some of threads get really bulky. Not sure if that makes sense. But it happens just about every time I sew. I’ve tried using different brands of thread and have adjusted the tension, but the problem continues.
Other than that, I love it!
By the way, could you show us how to oil the machine??? It would be really helpful if you went step by step for us.
Thanks!
Anonymous
I’ve had it for about a year too and love it. I had an old brother before that I constantly wanted to kick. Now sewing is much more pleasurable!
Jesy
How exciting!!! I have looked at that one a few times! Congrats!!!
Bethany
Bought this machine a few months ago and LOVE it! I love all the extra features that came with it (bought mine at Walmart), after coming from a basic sew/hem machine having six different feet to choose from felt like a total luxury. Gorgeous machine, sews brilliantly well, maybe not the top of the line, but its at the top of my list!
Silver Rose
I have two Brothers, one is a VERY basic machine that I bought for $60, which had a horrible bobbin winder that broke in a day, but still does great basic sewing. I also have an embroidery/sewing machine that has usb ports and automatic everything. I love them both, but I haven’t used 98% of what the fancy one can do. Brothers have worked well for me, I bought a Brother serger recently and I’ve never had a problem with any of them (besides the bobbin winder). Hope your new Brother is a great sewing partner!
Fernanda
I have the same one and I also got it from amazon! And I have to say that I LOVE it!
amber
i have this machine and love it! i have so much fun with all the stitches! even though i’ve been sewing for years, i’m still learning how to do everything correctly. i’m have tension issues every now and again, so if you ever have some pointers, i’d love to hear them.
Dymbrulee
I have had this machine (or a similar one that looks the same) for about 5 years and I’ve sewn a lot on it. In the last year or so I have had lots of trouble with the tension, I just can’t quite get it right on any type of fabric. Also, it has never been good at going through many layers, such as attaching a handle to a bag in home-dec weight fabric. The needle goes down no problem, but the thread won’t loop around the bobbin on every stitch. Other than those issues, I have really loved it. Maybe it just has a 5 year life or something?
MamaMunky
I have this exact same machine! I bought in on post when I was stationed in Korea. It sat in the box for a long time, until just a few months ago. I have a question though. My presser foot fell off the other day while I was sewing, and I have no idea how to get it back on. Any ideas?
Lindseyaylward@yahoo.com
http://www.babiesbooksandsigns.com
Jill
I think I have the next model up from this one (it can do embroidery letters as well) and I LOVE it. My favorite features are the button hole foot with the automatic button hole and the button foot for sewing buttons on. Transformed my opinion of sewing buttons. The only drawback I see to brothers is the fact that they just don’t work with elastic thread. I’ve read that you can manually adjust the tension in the bobbin casing, but I’m nervous about messing something up.
My mom has a Babylock that I drool over.
Kaycie- Redhead Memories
I have it and love it! New follower :)
Adrienne
My husband just bought me this machine, because I did the research as well and came up with this one as the best/cheapest/neatest… lol Lots of stars! I love it, as a not beginner, but not intermediate sewer, it’s FABULOUS for me.
Do you do quilting on this machine at all??
LeeAnne
I just ordered this from Amazon. It should arrive tomorrow. Are you still loving it?
tdr228
I have this one, too…Just got it the end of Aug. and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! I’ve recommend it to everyone…so many features, light, and has a hard plastic cover. bonus! Enjoy!!
Amanda
I had this exact model. It worked wonderfully, until it didn’t. I had it for about 3 1/2 years. In the beginning I didn’t sew very much, maybe 5 to 10 hours per month max, but when I started really using it all the time it only lasted about 10-12 months. I started sewing everyday at least 2 hours, sometimes as many as 8 hours each day and after a couple of months of that I started having lots of problems with it. Wouldn’t keep the tension at all. I talked to my repair guy last time and he said it was having the same problem over and over and it was probably best to replace it. He mentioned that it just wasn’t made to stand up to heavy use.
I really hope that you don’t have these problems and have much better luck with yours than I did. I loved it before I started having so many problems with it.
Good Luck!
Anonymous
I just stumbled upon your nifty little blog and realised you bought the exact same sewing machine that I have. I love mine: yes, it’s basic, but you don’t really need anything much fancier, unless you are a quilter, like my mom. So I say good choice! :) And I love all your projects. You’ve inspired me to brush off my sewing skills (I’ve been crocheting lately), so thanks!
Jesy
This is the exact machine my fiancé got me for christmas! I LOVE it!!!
Sergey Tarasov
I have this sewing machine Brother XL2600I. I like it very well. This product Brother XL2600I is very easy to operate in the sense that children ages 6-15 years old can use this machinery with the supervision of their guardian or parents.
Christopher@BrotherSewingMachine
I want to replace my old sewing machine with this new one!I love the features of this machine.