Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat for beginners or casual quilters on a budget
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024
I watched a few youtube videos before choosing a machine and one of those videos made the claim that you couldn't quilt successfully on a machine that cost less than $500. That was pretty far out of my budget, considering I had never used a sewing machine before and didn't know if it was something I would even want to invest a lot of time into learning. So didn't know much about what to expect out of this one for $160, or if I would end up returning it, but it's a decent machine and it was very easy to learn. I'm 6 months into owning it and have made 3 44x60 lap quilts, a toddler quilt, and 2 quilted toddler sleep sacks along with countless other small projects like organizers, quilted totes, pillowcases, toys and appliques. I've spent who knows how many hours putting this machine to the test and it's still going strong, so clearly you don't need an *expensive* machine to quilt. This little gem comes with nearly everything you need to get you started on your journey. Mechanically, it's pretty basic and mostly self explanatory if you just look at the diagrams below the dials. There are 37 stitches with a few decorative stiches thrown in, you adjust the stitch length all the way to the left to the SS setting to access all the stitches. I skimmed over the manual and somehow missed that bit of information multiple times.
If you're looking for a budget quilting machine, this one does well on either thin fabric or thicker quilting projects. It also sews through canvas and upholstery fabrics with no problem. In my experience it does struggle to sew through thick layers of fleece or minky type fabrics, such as in the corners when using the backing material of a quilt to bind it. Thin fleece and fleece batting is no problem though, so I guess there are some materials that probably only a heavy duty machine is going to sew well and multiple thick layers of plush fleece is likely just one of them, so I cant fault the machine for that. I've sewn a quilt "sandwich" consisting of quilt top, single layer of cotton batting, single layer of extra loft poly batting, and backing fabric, all doubled so essentially making it 4 layers of batting plus 2 layers of quilt top and backing, no issues with that.
Now for a couple of cons, for one it's not very quiet, which I'm told is a common issue with cheaper machines. The grips on the bottom of the machine are inadequate when working on large heavy projects, and there is a fair amount of vibration as well as movement if you're sewing fast. I quilted a sewing machine pad out of a couple of fat quarters and two layers of thin cotton batting, then once finished I glued the pad to a cheap rubber shower mat for grip. The suction cups on the shower mat hold it in place on my sewing table and the machine doesn't budge, so if you find that to be an issue consider either making or buying a similar mat. It helped tremendously with the above issues, so the base you sit the machine on can make all the difference.
The automatic needle threader really comes in handy but I think mine got very slightly bent and now it's finicky to use. So be careful that you don't try to push the needle threader down into place if it gets hung up, which it does from time to time especially with the walking foot. This is probably an issue caused by me and not the machine, so I cant really complain but I wanted to warn others it can happen.
I don't love the extension table that comes with it. It comes in handy for lightweight projects and sewing patchwork, but it often comes loose when working on larger things, and then back of the table tilts downward. I haven't figured out a solution to that, other than checking often to make sure it's still in place.
I used my mom's brother lightweight to hem some pants (not sure the model) and was pretty underwhelmed by hers in comparison. This model costs only about $40 more more than those basic models Brother makes and it's a much more versatile machine with a lot of accessories, clearly the better value if you're undecided. The walking foot will be your best friend as a new quilter and if you had to buy it separately that one foot alone costs about $20. This machine doesn't come with any small cleaning tools, I recommend picking up a box of pipe cleaners. They work exceptionally well for cleaning the lint from the machine because lint really clings to them, they can be molded into shape and fit in small spaces.
I'll eventually upgrade to a different machine because now I'm hooked and there are nonessential features I would like that this one doesn't offer, but for now it's perfect.
