My $250.00 Brother from Wal-mart lasted 3 years and fell apart literally. (i only sewed on it every 3-4 months to do button holes only)I sew almost everyday on 41 year old machine, so I was disappointed. New singer's do not have the quality that the olders one did. The higher end brother's are good machines. I would suggest you do a search for sewvacdirect.com, they're in college station, Texas. You might be able to get a higher end machine for less money. The automatic button hole feature is very nice and a beginner would appreciate this. Hancock fabrics and Joann fabrics also have machines. That would help you compare to Walmart. Good Luck,
Susan in Bama

I have the Brother machine from Walmart that comes with the table extension and the walking foot. I believe it is 197.00. If you would like your wife to do any quilting at all I would definately spend the extra money and buy that machine. The walking foot is important for quilting and can get costly to purchase seperately. I like my machine and use it almost on a daily basis. It is however a beginner machine in my opinion. It is light weight and slips around alot, which can be remedied with that waffled shelf paper under it. It also has alot of plastic peices and I often feel like I am going to break something. But this is just a transition machine for me until I can afford a higher end machine that will work on a quilting frame system.

If you want your wife to have a machine that she can grow with I would look into purchasing a good quality used machine. Other wise you will probably end up purchasing her a new machine in a few years. Just my opinion anyway.

You can check out Ken's Sewing Center. they have a website and they deal in quality merchandise. Alot of women recommend this site on the quilting forum.

Amy

If your wife would not object, then definately look into the used market...you will get more bang for your buck that way..and if your dealer is good, you will have someone to turn to if your wife has machine problems. You usually get some kind of a lesson with a machine (new or used) which Walmart doesn't give and if you are really serious, get someone who is a sewer to go with you and look at and try the machines for you (if this is a surprise gift for your wife). If you go the used market route, ask before purchase on what they will do for you if you decide to upgrade your machine in a year or so, if your wife gets serious she may just want to do that. I personally think you can find great machines in the used market in your price range, you have to look around and see what each machine can do...tell the salesperson what you told us...the amount you are willing to spend, what your wife's skill level is, and especially your wish she be able to eventually do some quilting - all this will help the salesperson direct you to something that could meet and exceed your expectations. It can get awful discouraging for a sewer to work with a machine that gives constant trouble....no matter which way you go, make sure you get a manual...with good clear instructions and pictures...they are a wonderful source of information. Also check the attachments what come with the machine....if the book says it comes with "zipper foot, cording foot " etc. Tell the dealer you want to have them. I had one dealer who wanted to sell a machine and then charge extra for the attachments....sell them one at a time to me....no way...a manual (even photocopied - is still a manual), attachments and someone who will stand behind the product. Good luck.

I say check out the Kenmores at Sears made by Janome I don't have anything nice to say about a machine bought at Walmart.
If you decide to buy used look at the bed of the machine and check for wear. There are lots of machines that never get used much but then you wouldn't want one after I am done with it. I put a lot of hours on a machine as a dressmaker. You could ask about the previous owner and why they traded it in. Upgrade? ot they had problems with it.
Yes the one step buttonhole is a must if she is going to make clothes.
Aline

I bought the WalMart Brother sewing machine that is a quilting machine for $149.97. It has the extension table, quilting walking foot and darning foot included - which I think is a bargain. I paid $25.00 for the quilting foot for my Elna and a few months ago paid $23.00 for the embroidery food - just to give you an idea of what they cost.

I use the Brother as a back-up machine to my Elna and just love it. I would definately recommend you getting that one for your wife. There is nothing wrong with a used machine, but I wanted to be able to try out the Brother before I decided to keep it and my Walmart says you can use it for up to 90 days. I told the fabric department employee that I wanted to try the machine and she said that was fine, just keep the box and receipt and they would take it back within 90 days.

Since this is a Christmas present, your wife could try it out and decide if she likes it. Now, I must mention, that the operation manual is poorly written - just to worn you. But I really like the machine. Monica

My GD was given a Brother from WalMart when she was 13. I think her machine is good for her skill level. If she really gets into sewing she can upgrade years from now.

So much depends on your wife's skill and what type of sewing she does.

Thanks for all of the replies. MonicaTX's reply is great and I think I will go with XR-65T. She is just starting out here so even a crappy manual would be better than nothing. We have gotten some books and I'm hoping that this turns into a serious hobby for her. Thanks guys and please share any other thoughts that you might have.

Well crap. Was just looking at the website that LoganHogan recommended.

http://www.sewvacdirect.com/sewingmachines100to149.html

Tons of options here and I have no idea what the differences are :)

Is the oversized table an advantage such as the Brother XL-3500t has?

I have the brother cs-6000t it came with the extension table and I absolutely love it. I only take it off when I am hemming sleeves or something round. They also have this machine on the website for 149.00 I paid 197.00 at walmart. And even though I think of this as a beginner machine for me, it is absolutely fabulous. I really like it and will continue to peice with it even after I get an professional machine for my quilt frame. If you have the oppurtunity to purchase a good machine with all the accessories in your price range go for it. The price for the walking foot, darning foot and oversized tables can get expensive if you have to buy it all seperately.

Amy

Ya, I saw the 6000t right after my last post and it looks great. Oversized table, still has the one step button and I'm assuming it being computerized is a plus as well. They have the quilting foot for $12. Do you guys suggest I get that as well. I apologize for my ignorance about all of this but after all I'm only a man :)

I assume you're thinking of surprising her, maybe for Christmas? I know if it was me...I'd rather choose the machine myself! Maybe you could take her on a special shopping trip - have a nice lunch and take her to see several machines you have researched, then let her choose. She'll love you for 1)shopping with her, 2) doing research about her new hobby and 3) letting her make the final choice! Plus, if it turns out she's not happy with the new sewing machine, it's not ALL your fault!

Donna

The quilting foot, I'm assuming you mean the walking foot. It is used to quilt with. Comes with the 6000t actually the 6000t comes with everything you will need for quilting except the 1/4 inch foot. But it does have a stitch that will adjust to 1/4 inch seam allowance which is used for quilting. And it does have the atomatic button holes. Actually like 5 or 7 of them. and some great decorative stitches I use for charm tacking. If you have any more questions let me know. you can either email me or post here. But just so you know I don't check in here as often as I should.

Amy

I am trying to decide between the Brother CS 6000T and the Brother EX 660. I want to make clothes, bags, etc. and quilt so I don't have to do it by hand but I can still make quilts to look hand-made. Does the 6000T have everything I need to quilt or do I need the walking foot, quilting foot and quilting guide. Does the 6000T not have those things? But the 6000T does have decorative, heirloom, quilting and 7 styles of one step auto-sizing buttonholes. I like features from both so I don't know which one would be best. Or should I look at a totally different machine? Help!

I've been looking at Brother machines also and saw one at Costco that I'm interested in, it's the Brother XR7700. It seemed pretty nice and reasonably priced. Anyone familiar with this one?

I'm late in getting in on this, but I agree with Donna. Picking out a sewing machine for a woman is like picking out a car for a man. Here's my idea (for what it's worth) Find a picture of a sewing machine, put it in a little box, wrap it up and put it under the tree. January is usally such a blah month, but it won't be for her since she'll have sewing machine researching and shopping to look forward to. What fun!
Jen

Did a Google search and found comments on Brother XR7700....

Gwen

Here is a link that might be useful: sewing gossip

I agree with the others,let her pick out her own.I know this because dh bought me a new machine almost 10 years ago and i still havn't learned how to use all the bells and whistles.I was working full time when he got it,and i knew nothing about computor,and still don't know much.LOL Anyway,i couldn't take the lessons at first because of conflicting work schedules.Then when i retired i did go take the lessons,but they made no sense to me as i still didn't know the computor,and the teacher moved along tooooooooo fast for a beginner.We went back a couple of times,and dh even went along,figuring he could learn and then teach me,well you guessed it,he couldn't follow the teacher either,so i still havn't learned all the stuff about it.

It's the viking Rose,so i just use the cards for embroidery.Works for me.
Kathi

Just a thought, but check out both Overstock.com and allbrands.com.

I bought my first mechanical brother from allbrands for a song. It was refurbished, but I got a great bargain. When the bobbin didn't work right, I phoned them, and they had another one here the next business day before I had even boxed up the old one!! Now that was good customer service.

I got a new machine last year from overstock. Again it was refurbished but works great. I got the Brother Disney embroidery machine that time.

I just checked the XR-65T price on overstock and it was going for $109. Right now they also accept an online coupon of 10% off anything over $45 using code 116170.

No question - you want the Brother CS6000i computerized sewing machine - It's the most advanced machine while the easiest to use and costs just $150. It has 60 different stitches, automatic threading and a LCD screen that makes everything simple.
It's perfect for newbies as well as a real treat for seasoned sewers
The link on the bottom is for a site that really shows all its features as well as a video that shows it in action
I love mine you will too -

Here is a link that might be useful: Brother CS6000i

Hi,

Brother do a great little machine, model number L14 it's ã89 here in the UK, so I don'y know what it works out to in dollars. have a look on amazon or I buy from where I bought my LS2125. (GUR)

Here is a link that might be useful: Brother Sewing Mahcines GUR