Dressmaker Sewing Machine Review

Brilliant sewing machine!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the SE350 as a replacement for my wife’s now broken 6000i. This is a completely redesigned machine according to her, and can do jobs that the older 6000i couldn’t. It doesn’t get stuck that often, and can do light/heavy fabric. The embroidery feature is a beast of it’s own, as one can do many designs including lettering, pictures, e.t.c. without even being near the machine. Touch-screen feature feature is nice too have.

The most vital thing is for the needle upper to match with bottom, and using the right size bobbin.

Brilliant machine for the money that includes all the features + more!

Right Sewing Machine For Me
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have been sewing for many years, and recently found myself frustrated with my very basic machine, it was time to take advantage of some new features. I was concerned that the se 350 would not perform well due to the low price, but I have been very surprised. Garment construction is much simpler and more precise than expected, and the ability to embroider is fantastic. I do suggest purchasing the PEDesign Light software, the built-in, and down-loadable designs are simply too limited for me.

There is a sensor which is supposed to indicate when the bobbin thread is running out. It doesn’t work well, requires special bobbins and is very annoying minus one star.

Fantastic for beginners like me!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This machine has been fantastic so far. I’m a beginner in using a sewing machine so I felt that buying a sewing machine may be too complicated for me to handle; but it really was simple to use. The instructional CD was VERY detailed and the threading instructions were pretty simple to follow. The machine seems very durable and so far has lasted for the month. My main issue with it is the lack of embroidering design types in the machine and in the website (it’s all mostly flowery and “lovey dovey”). Other than that, I have NO regrets purchasing this product.

A fantastic Beginner Machine
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I give this machine 5 stars for ease of use, and 3 stars for the area where brother “fell down” on the job.

This machine comes with everything you need to start sewing except the cloth … including a spool of thread, bobbins, even a pair of sewing scissors! The CD that came with it was very helpful, and since my other machine was much older (and only sewed basic stitches), I was glad I watched it.

I started with a “test” piece of fabric, and was impressed at how simple it was to switch between stitches and to do some “fancywork” right out of the box. I have since went on to making a quilt, and I have come to like the button instead of the ancient fashioned foot pedal (that also comes included). The needle up/down and the cut buttons are a fantastic added touch.

While Brother Advertises this machine as having 70 patterns, 26 of them are letters of the Alphabet. But, the patterns are generic enough to be useful for a beginner.

The downside:

The additional embroidery patterns come on a “unique” card – and they are quite pricey. They do have a card writer Brother PED-Basic Software for Downloading Embroidery Designs with software that you can use to download your own. It is the only way to transfer new files (available on the internet) to the sewing machine. Given today’s technology, brother could have used any of the flash cards or usb port to do the same thing. (Brother does have USB ports in their more expensive sewing machines) So, when figuring the cost of this machine, you need to include this item if you want to expand your embroidery content.

I suggest that if you are into embroidery, the Brother PE700II Embroidery Machine with USB Port may be a better buy long-term … even though it is more costly. It offers both a USB port and a 5×7 embroidery area.

But, as a “normal sewer” who wants to go back and forth between both, this is a wonderful machine for the price.

EDIT – One other review stated that he/she was disappointed in the ability to do fonts. While there are basic fonts included on the brother, there are a number of pes files with much larger fonts that work well with the machine that are available both free (online) and at a cost – up to 4″ per letter. I have used them to decorate clothing for my granddaughter.

First new sewing machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had two hand-me-down sewing machines that were very basic. When the last one died I chose to treat myself. I probably won’t do much with the embroidery other than some odds and ends here and there. I typically just do mending and hemming.

Out of the box, I was pleased. Evidently the bobbins are “different” than other bobbins as far as size but I already had a package of the exact same size.

The only distress I’ve had was using 22 cent WM thread – the tension SOMETIMES wasn’t right. But then, using Coates and Clark at $4 a spool also sometimes the tension was temperamental.

The instructions are comprehensive, the tutorials broadbrush. In the month I’ve had this I’ve sewn two dresses and one quilt, and hemmed a couple pairs of pants. Here are my comments on each:

The dresses were a satin (here I had some distress with tension on the thin, slippery lining no matter the thread or tension setting) and a georgette (here I just really botched the dress on my own but it was tough to sew this very thin, gauzy fabric).

The quilt was a handmade one I’d just finished but I wanted to embroider a poem around the outer border. Some of the letters are a small weird – hard to line it up right but I reckon it turned out well for the most part. At some points, the machine would stop at the end of each letter, but most of the time it completed the whole word I’d programmed in. The size of the text was very accommodating – you can choose S, M, or L for the text size. My letters were anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 inches tall.

The hemming of the pants was flawless.

Once you get the “bobbin thread low” message, I can’t figure out how to replace the bobbin (much less fill a new bobbin without losing your place in the embroidery), making a seamless transition from the end of the ancient thread and the beginning of the new one.

I very much like that I don’t need to worry about the thread pulling out of the needle as the needle descends if the “tail” isn’t long enough, like my older sewing machines. I’ve never had that happen.