The journey of my quilting has been an awesome one. Starting off with a little quilt and then moving onto a block of the month and then into not following anyone’s patterns or rules and going for the designer side of things. Along with this, my trusty sewing machine has been there for me. It has served me well.
I started with a small White sewing machine. This was sent to an uncle who fancied it up with some lube and oil and it ran like a dream for a year or so. After I got the hang of things I upgraded to a Janome. This I still have and it is seriously a work horse. I take it where ever I go and ran it hard. I did years of machine quilting on it and it still just kept on going and going.
This is the machine I ended up buying. A Brother Sewing Machine.
Brother CS6000i Feature-Rich Sewing Machine With 60 Built-In Stitches, 7 styles of 1-Step Auto-Size Buttonholes, Quilting Table, and Hard Cover
Check it out — this is what it does and includes:
And when I unpacked the little goodie bag– I found…. most of these additional feet cost additional money. They are so useful for the machine especially the zipper foot and hello— the walking foot!
After giving the machine a go with the regular straight stitch I gave the extra stitches a whirl. Love all those stitches. By far though my favorite was the button hole stitch. This stitch is missing from my Janome, so it’s sooo nice that it comes in this machine. I am totally excited to give that stitch a run!
The bobbin in a top loader and the loader is clear…..I’ve never had one of these before! Simple to fill and drop and stitch. Can’t complain yet!
Did you see that it comes with an extra long table? Oh yeah!!! I love this addition. A lot of times quilts get so big and hard to handle. This extra 6″ of table is wonderful. Easy to slide into place too and is very stable and secure.
There are a few functions that are taking me a bit of more time to get. One is the needle down– after you stop stitching, the needle stays in the down position. Push the button and it goes back up so you can release the fabric.
Another is the backwards button. It can take a couple of stitches with one push or it can take a few if you hold it down. Great option for a quick one stitch backstitch to secure the sewing.
And let me tell you about the speed option! I am a speed sewer. I love to sew fast. This machine allows me to book it through my sewing! Watch out! If you aren’t a speed sewer- no worries. There are two slower speeds you can use. I use those for tight corners and fussy sewing.
With all that good stuff this machine is on my top favorite machines. I can tell that it will be around for a long while and will allow me to sew and finish a lot of projects.
There is of course a few things on my wish-list for the machine.
— 1/4″ foot guide. It doesn’t have one and while I wanted to use another machines foot (which is ok) the needle isn’t able to be moved unless a different stitch is engaged. So I’m stuck using the wide sewing machine foot. It does have a mark on the foot, but to help me out a bit more I added a long piece of washi tape on the table to line up the fabric to.
— the needle only has two positions. Wish I could move it to the right one more time.
— the drawer is hidden in the arm and is not accessible unless you remove the arm then open it from the backside. Kind of inconvenient.
Other than that……there is nothing. This machine would be great for beginner sewers. Or even for tweens or teens.
The variety of stitches. The ease that is sews. The extras that are included. It’s so worth the investment.
If you are looking at getting a new machine I would highly recommend this machine. It’s a sweet deal and a great addition to your sewing room.
You can find the deal here:
What was your first sewing machine?
Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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You can buy the 1/4 piecing foot for around $10.00. Love this little machine.
Hey you got one! I know we were all talking about what a great deal this was, and has such good reviews. I think next time I get a trip to the US for shopping I’ll get one of these too. Mine is only a couple of years old but the sea air here plays havoc and already its rusty and groaning. Thanks for the detailed review.
Pat- I am for sure going to check that out….i love mine on my other machine and need one for this one! Deby- maybe i’ll have to bring one to you 🙂
Becky..you got a new machine…I have had my Brother for a little over 3 years now,,has 130 stitches…love the mirror images stitches..Love the push button speed and mine has 7 settings for needle placement…I can not explain how much you are going to love that coverstitch foot….Sew up towels,,,knits..flannel sheets…a dream…Have fun and sew up some great things…..
I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for getting me even more excited!
Hi. I just got a new Brother a few weeks ago. I was looking at your machine (and a ton of others!) and I decided on a DZ2400. I am so in love!!!!!!!!
My first machine was a hand-me-down Singer from my Mom when I was in my teens. Oh does that make me sound old! That machine was such a workhorse for many years. I have had other Brothers, White and now, beside my new Brother I have a Singer Featherweight .
yay Nancy! so glad you like your machine! I do love mine….
I have had this machine for 8 years. I love Brothers sewing machines, they are tough and can handle many things. With the right needles it works like a charm on most everything. When the needles get dull the machine will skip stitches and gather on bottom side of fabric. Any time I have problems with sewing I always change the needle. And you must use the appropriate needle for the fabric and thickness of the fabric. Also, you will find that if you sew the decorative stitches on high speed they skip.
I have learned the hard way about many things this machine offers. I hope this helps you enjoy it as much as I do.
I have a Brother Lock 2/3/4 thread, with differential feed serger also and love it as well, easy to clean and thread.
I love Brother sewing machines so much that I will be buying a Scan and Cut also.
P.S. I plan on keeping this machine for some more years.
Denise- thanks for the hints. I have found that as well– dull needle thing.
I’ve been looking at the embroidery machine that’s around 300. Again, not the most expensive, but sometimes they turn out to be the best!
I’ve tried the scan and cut…jealous you have it!
Hi Becky, I’ve had that same machine about 3 years and love it. My needle moves over at least 14 times by pushing the bottom plus key + on the window display. I just did it so don’t know why you’re only getting 2 needle positions unless I didn’t understand. I also got a 1/4 inch foot from a quilting shop that handles Brother. Also on You Tube look up sewing mastery and they have videos for this machine and they show how to set it for 1/4 inch sewing with the regular foot which is 37. Hope all this helps you.
thank you for your suggestions- I ordered a 1/4″ foot, waiting for it to arrive! I will give the button thing a try. Maybe I’m just not pushing it right! 🙂
This is a great sewing machine to bring to workshops! =) Thanks for the review.
I’ve had this same machine for 5 years and it keeps on going. Love the one-step buttonhole function on it! However, my CS6000i has started to emit the occasional squeak. And it does not like sewing through many layers. So, I’m on the hunt for a higher end machine that has a larger harp area and can sew thicker stuff. I will keep my Brother as backup because it is such a good machine.