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

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.

This is my second experience with sewing machines. My first was a toy Singer sewingmachine that I just returned because it was was dead on arrival (well, shortly afteractually). That was a Christmas gift for my daughter - a great idea, and though wehad not thought of giving her one ourselves (my wife does not sew either) she was veryexcited about it when she opened it. Unfortunately when I called the Singer toysewing machine support line they recommended returning it because they suspected afaulty part that they did not have in stock. That turned out to be a lucky break forus.So we ventured to Sears to check out what else was available, where we saw the Singer 7442and a few cheaper models. It seemed like it would be nice to able to do more thanjust simple stitches, and the prices were not all that different ($140 - 200). A quicklook at Amazon at the 7442 lead us to this Brother. Because the reviews were slightlybetter for the Brother CS6000i (and because I had just returned a Singer, and was notall that excited about getting another of that brand) I bought the Brother. After usingit 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 canread about in other reviews here). Easy to use, with lots of options that actually workand 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 featuremight 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 inother reviews are:It comes with a cheap (bottomless) cover that can't be called a case. It can't even reallybe called a dust cover since it has a hole near the top so you can reach the handle of themachine 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 betterprotection than the 'case'. It's too bad they didn't spend just a little more on the boxpackaging and give up on the 'case' idea. They could have made the box a very functional andprotective 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 placeswhere it matters). The 25 year guarantee gives me some hope, but in general when I thinkof something made of plastic with electronics in it, longevity does not come to mind. WhenI was looking at the antique Singers (401a, etc), all made of metal, still working after30-40 years, I felt a pang of anguish for our society that has shifted from making and buyinghigh 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 mentionthe jobs. I will be surprised if the LCD and electronics in this system are still workingin even 10 years (I'm going to try holding on to the receipt for the life of the 25 yearwarranty because I bet it will come in handy at some point). Maybe I'll tape it to thatcheap cover....The manual is quite good (without really knowing anything about sewing I was able toget the machine set up and sewing in about an hour), but would be much better if it werespecific to this model. There are many places in the model where it says, "Or you can dothis if your model has this feature." Well, there are times when I'm reading it when I'm notsure if my model has that feature, and it takes some time to figure it out. It reallyseems like Brother should be able to print different versions of the documentation fortheir different machines at not much extra cost. I would pay a few more dollars inthe overall price to have a customized user manual. On a positive note, every time I'vehit one of those sections so far, this model does have the feature.

I bought this sewing machine for use by myself and my teen daughters. I had barely any experience using a machine, but they had all taken a class in middle school that taught them sewing machine basics. I wanted something that offered basic functions, but that we can expand on as we gain skill. Two of my daughters are also trying their hand at historical reenactment, and I wanted this machine to be able to make costumes. The machine has some nice features to expand to. Because it’s controls are digital, it takes a little learning. I found that the manual could easily be followed step-by-step. I used it like a textbook, and began working my way through it from front to back. I experimented with all of the different stitches and buttonholes on a scrap of fabric. It clearly described steps, and the terminology wasn’t over my head. However, there are two things I learned from videos and reviews more than the manual: how to thread the needle using the built in needle threader, and, most importantly, what brands of thread to use. Thankfully, the two most recommended thread brands - Gutermann and Coats & Clark - also happen to be the most common (and affordable) at our local Joann’s. The machine comes with three bobbins, but it also doesn’t hurt to pick up a few more if using many different colors of thread. The machine also comes with a decent selection of different presser feet, tools for cleaning, etc. The various small parts pack into a small pouch, and the pouch can be stored in the machine base. The quilting platform fits nicely onto the base to expand it, and can be helpful with other tasks, as well. We have used the machine so far to make rice heat packs, reverse engineer a costume, and make curtains for the windows and nesting boxes of a chicken house. The machine has performed well, and any problems have generally been user error because we didn’t review the manual instructions well. I have monitored how clean the machine stays, and kept up on minor maintenance. It is stored, cover off, in a large cabinet. I did buy a free standing lamp to help increase visibility at night because the built in light only illuminates a small space, and the ceiling light above our work area is not extremely bright and is off for the angle of work. Overall, I am very happy with this Brother machine. The price was not exorbitant, it does what we need, it doesn’t lose calibration (like a cheap Singer that someone once bought me as a gift) or need frequent repairs. Because of my experience with this machine, I would recommend Brother machines, this model especially, to those who want a good basic machine that offers the ability to have fun learning new skills.