Brother Sewing and Quilting Machine, CS6000i, 60 Built-in Stitches, 2.0" LCD Display, Wide Table, 9 Included Sewing Feet

This is my second experience with sewing machines. My first was a toy Singer sewing machine that I just returned because it was was dead on arrival (well, shortly after actually). That was a Christmas gift for my daughter - a great idea, and though we had not thought of giving her one ourselves (my wife does not sew either) she was very excited about it when she opened it. Unfortunately when I called the Singer toy sewing machine support line they recommended returning it because they suspected a faulty part that they did not have in stock. That turned out to be a lucky break for us. So we ventured to Sears to check out what else was available, where we saw the Singer 7442 and a few cheaper models. It seemed like it would be nice to able to do more than just simple stitches, and the prices were not all that different ($140 - 200). A quick look at Amazon at the 7442 lead us to this Brother. Because the reviews were slightly better for the Brother CS6000i (and because I had just returned a Singer, and was not all that excited about getting another of that brand) I bought the Brother. After using it for a few days I am very happy with this purchase. I gave it five stars, because for the price it really is a very nice machine (which you can read about in other reviews here). Easy to use, with lots of options that actually work and do make it easier to use. It does seem to have high quality parts where it matters. It is fun for her to have the wide variety of stitches, and the one step button hole feature might be useful if she gets more into sewing. But nothing is perfect, and so here are the downsides that I did not see much written in other reviews are: It comes with a cheap (bottomless) cover that can't be called a case. It can't even really be called a dust cover since it has a hole near the top so you can reach the handle of the machine to carry it. It doesn't hold the additional pieces of the machine either. Brother should have just just saved that poor tree instead of including this 'case'. I'll be storing the machine and the additional parts in the original box and foam packaging. Although that is a quite a bit bigger than really necessary, it will provide much better protection than the 'case'. It's too bad they didn't spend just a little more on the box packaging and give up on the 'case' idea. They could have made the box a very functional and protective storage mechanism if they just made it easier to pack. The machine is constructed with a fair amount of plastic (though it seems to be metal in the places where it matters). The 25 year guarantee gives me some hope, but in general when I think of something made of plastic with electronics in it, longevity does not come to mind. When I was looking at the antique Singers (401a, etc), all made of metal, still working after 30-40 years, I felt a pang of anguish for our society that has shifted from making and buying high quality long-lasting products in the US to off-shore produced planned obsolescence. What a waste of resources, pity about pollution through the whole process, not to mention the jobs. I will be surprised if the LCD and electronics in this system are still working in even 10 years (I'm going to try holding on to the receipt for the life of the 25 year warranty because I bet it will come in handy at some point). Maybe I'll tape it to that cheap cover.... The manual is quite good (without really knowing anything about sewing I was able to get the machine set up and sewing in about an hour), but would be much better if it were specific to this model. There are many places in the model where it says, "Or you can do this if your model has this feature." Well, there are times when I'm reading it when I'm not sure if my model has that feature, and it takes some time to figure it out. It really seems like Brother should be able to print different versions of the documentation for their different machines at not much extra cost. I would pay a few more dollars in the overall price to have a customized user manual. On a positive note, every time I've hit one of those sections so far, this model does have the feature.

So far my husband and I are very happy with this machine. It works well, we haven't had any problems threading it using the plastic bobbins provided, but we are using high quality thread (Coats & Clark). We are beginning-again-beginners, we both learned to sew at as kids and haven't picked it up until now as adults, and this machine seems like the right place to start. I want to make a t-shirt quilt and this should work perfectly, and my husband has already used it to patch something up. Here's a few tips from what we learned: 1) Do not remove the styrofoam that is stuck to the inside of the cover! We (admittedly, stupidly) ripped it out thinking it was just for shipping, but it actually has holes placed specifically in it so the cover doesn't rest on any of the parts that stick up on the machine. We were able to stick it back in with some double sided tape without a problem, thankfully. 2) If you are truly a beginner, and you have absolutely no supplies, there are extra things you will probably need or want to buy! We ended up spending roughly another $200 at JoAnn Fabrics, but we had certain specific things in mind that we needed for future projects also. Here's what you will probably end up needing/wanting: -thread!! in multiple colors if you're planning on a variety of projects -- this machine comes with none. Coats & Clark is great quality, and you can find a ton of it at JoAnn, and they always have coupons going. -extra sewing machine needles, preferably in different sizes if you are going to be working on fabrics with different weights (e.g. you will need heavier duty needles if you're going to be working with something like denim, the instruction manual for the machine talks a lot about this and it was helpful for us.) -extra bobbins, this comes with 4 plastic ones (we purchased a pack of 20 metal bobbins for $2.99 on Amazon) -fabric pins (with glass or metal heads if you are planning on ironing over them) -pin cushion or magnetic holder -fabric measuring tape, 60" is probably sufficient but we found a 120" for a good price -sewing scissors!! good sewing scissors for cutting fabric are important, and worth the extra money (many come with lifetime guarantees) -fabric pencils, which will wash off anything you need to mark -fabric cutting board, if you are worried about protecting the surface you'll be cutting your fabric on -sewing storage bin - totally optional, but if you buy a lot of accessories it's handy to have something to put them all in and organize them. We bought a large one, but they come in a variety of sizes. Plus, they're cute. :) -thread storage bin - also optional, we bought a plastic one from Amazon because the compartments fit all sizes of thread spools, it's great, has a handle, and has 40 compartments (we know our collection of colors will grow!) -rotary cutter - also optional, I bought a basic one to use for cutting out t-shirt squares for the quilt I will make because it will make it a lot easier to cut perfect squares. I'd recommend it if you're planning on quilting or doing anything where the fabric needs to be cut precisely. You will definitely want a fabric cutting board for this! I'm excited to start sewing again!

I have actually bought three of these machines - the first was for me - after not having had a sewing machine for years, I missed sewing, but I didn't have a budget for my dream machine. This one had great reviews and the price was crazy low for all the features, so I took a chance. It turned out to be smooth and reliable, so easy to operate! I loved the buttonholes that it made and the overedge stitches for seam finishing. I loved it so much that I bought another one for my mother in law, and another one for my best friend. They're quite sturdy, considering all the plastic in the housing. Very easy to work with and advanced enough that a new sewist will not outgrow its capabilities quickly. Nice stitch quality with a lot of decorative and utility stitches built in. I like the speed control and a Stop/Start button on the front of the machine so that you don't have to use the foot control. This was necessary for my friend who is a paraplegic. I don't recall it being particularly noisy, even when sewing heavier fabrics like "cork leather" or waterproof canvas. It handled all the fabrics I use most often though I did have to hand crank through the heaviest seam junctions. I eventually gave mine away, so I don't know how it's doing, but the other two are still functioning just fine at about 10 and 12 years old. Amazing amount of versatility and reliability for this price. For the beginning hobby sewist, I would consider this a starter machine - use it and upgrade when it dies - at this price, it's almost disposable. Add a Brother 1034D serger at about the same price and you're set to do any kind of sewing you like.

I bought this machine to replace an old Singer that had been in our family for about fourty years. About a year and a half ago, I discovered cosplay, and I’ve been sewing my own costumes since. My old machine was struggling after so many years, and I wanted options like fancy stitches and one-step buttonholes. This machine absolutely stepped up to the task. I can see through multiple layers of vinyl (granted, not at top speed, but still at a decent clip), the fancier stitches look gorgeous, and I love the little extra features that I’ve never experienced before. The see-through bobbin case is a big plus for me, as I love being able to double-check that I have enough thread. The needle threader, which I’ve never had before, works like a charm, and it takes me barely twenty seconds to retread my machine now. It’s also way quieter than my old machine, and just has a nice sound about it. All of the accessories that came with it work well. The walking foot is a revelation, and my new favourite toy when sewing stretch fabric. As aforementioned, it’s really easy and quick to re-thread the machine. There’s a sticker with a simple diagram up top, and each piece that you use when threading the machine is numbered. It’s pretty easy to switch out needles and feet. The computer part works well; I have no issues scrolling quickly through the stitches, and I appreciate that it tells you which foot to use for which stitch. I’ve sewn through a lot of different types of fabric, and this machine has held up well under all of them. I wanted something that was multi-purpose but had more options than my ancient Singer offered. This one was a fantastic choice, and I’m really glad it’s the one I got.

I am autistic and very sensitive to sound. I have wanted a sewing machine for a long time because i sew everything by hand and some things can take hours for something very small. This machine is very easy to use for beginners, quiet and enjoyable. I can’t really say much on weight as I’ve never owned a machine before but it’s light enough for me to carry from upstairs to downstairs when I need to use it and the case keeps it well protected.

I can start working again.

I am loving this machine! I've had many sewing machines, Kenmore, Omega, Janome, and this one certainly has them beat! I bought a brother basic machine in Walmart years ago and it was one of my worst buys ever, so I was surprised when my sister advised me to go with a Brother machine. After studying reviews I settled on this one. It is very lightweight which I don't usually consider a pro, however unlike many cheap machines there is no gradual moving across the table from slight bouncing as I sew so I can enjoy the ease of setting it up and putting it away. There are so many great perks that make it feel like a more expensive machine compared to the base model machines I have spent so much more money on in the past. I love the quilting table thing and will not sew without out it possibly ever again. Highly recommended this!

Valió la pena haber pagado por el envío, ya que no es un artículo Prime. La máquina vale lo que cuesta. Estoy muy contenta con mi compra. Es muy liviana. Viene con muchos accesorios e incluye la cubierta. Puede usarse con o sin el pedal. Incluye instructivo en español y es muy fácil de aprender sobre su uso, además de los tutoriales que hay en Youtube. Una de las funciones que más me gustó es que tiene un mecanismo para enhebrar la aguja, además que cose los ojales automáticamente con solo colocar el botón en el pisatelas incluído para tal propósito. La uso todos los días. Es especial para acolchado.