Brother SE-350 Mechanical Sewing Machine

I purchased this machine month back after 6 months of researching on it and I am absolutely loving it. I am not a professional designer but was looking for a computerized sewing machine with basic embroidery stitches + patterns and this machine is perfect for my needs. It is;

1. Light and portable.
2. Instructions are easy to understand and follow.
3. Regular stitching + embroidery stitching is very good. In fact this machine has a lot of embroidery stitches which is great for combining different stitches to make one big pattern.
4. The foot controller is optional hence you can use it without it also. Speed control is available to adjust speed if not using foot control.
5. Embroidery is very good but you make need to use a stabilizer material to avoid gathers while doing embroidery or embroider on a thick material at low - medium speed.

6. This machine comes with a USB port through which you can download images from the internet using the PED basic software + memory card inserted. this process is expensive but gives you the ability to emroider designs that are not pre-built. It is an option that is more convenient than necessary but always good to have.

What I did not like:

1. The 70 embroidery patterns include 26 alphabets that makes embroidery patterns other than alphabets only 70-26 = 44 of which some are nursery themes , a few florals and a few animals/objects. I would have actually liked to see some more mature designs built in.

2. The embroidery cannot be shrunk/enlarged to an extent beyond what is pre-built. So I cannot do tiny patterns or enlarge it enough.

3. Also no cropping is available. So for instance if I want to use just a small part of a design, I cannot crop out that image and embroider.

4. The automatic bobbin threader does not work very well as per instructions. This is a common problem with SE 350. However there is a work around to it where you could still have automatic threading but not as per instructions of SE 350. You may need to do automatic threading as per the Brother CE5000 PRW model.

5. The machine is made of plastic with everything attached to the body of the machine. If something breaks servicing is difficult as the pieces are part of the body and not detachable/replaceable. So it is very fragile and needs to be handled with care.

Wanting to purchase an embroidery machine but not truly certain as to how I would add the effects of the machine into my daily sewing routine, I was advised to purchase a machine of lesser value. Made sense to me. This Brother SE-350 has been absolutely perfect. In fact, when you add the vikant box with a usb-serial cable you are able to bring your art or downloaded artwork from the internet or your computer to this amazing embroidery machine. These two items run 130.00. You become your own limitation.

What is nice about this machine is that you place your fabrics into your hoop, and once the design has been chosen, the machine will tell you what color thread to put in and then its basically - stand back and let the machine do its work. You can actually sew on another machine while this machine does design work to other pieces.

Without the appropriate programs, perhaps one would feel this machine is too small for them, but there are many programs out there such as SewIconizer which will allow you to actually see the embroidery art on your computer, no matter what format it is in. SewWhat will allow you to convert any embroidery art to the .PES format. Combined, these two are under 100.00. The same company has SewArt which is 75.00 in comparison to the 750.00 art program found specific to this machine.

This Seller provided me with enough gadgets to go with this system to arm a small citidel and offers a superb warranty or return if you are not satisfied.

Having this system now a little better than a month and I have found free art files all over the internet, fancied up sheets with pillowcases, added new art to my just finished quilt tops, changed old dresses into something new and even added a few things to my neices dresses. In fact, after walking my 8 year old neice through the steps of putting the thread into the self threader, she was able to read what color thread to put in next and had the patience to stand there watching it sew while I was off doing other things.

Be certain to check out youtube and other online video places to look at embroidery machine video's. All of them are basically the same with the same features, the only difference will be in the size of the hoop and the size you are able to embroider. This is a most excellent machine for a beginner or even medium seamstress, especially if you understand the art of re-hooping or just like window panes moving your hoop to work with art that has been split so that you can create a much larger piece of work.

Lastly, you will also want to learn about stablizer's that go beneath your fabric whether knit, cotton, or satin so that your fabric does not move or shift while your machine is doing its job.

I bought this machine for EMBROIDERY ONLY . I knew it had a 4x4 hoop and would get me started with embroidery until I can afford a bigger stand alone machine.

Already owned a brother sewing machine so another brother machine seemed only logical to buy since i loved my sewing machine and had no issues with it.

I love that is simple to use .. i was able to take it from the box and set it up with ease.

Bought a refrubrished machine so the instructional dvd didn't work to give me any ideas on how to embroidery. Read the instructions and stumbled my way thru to embroidery with what came on the machine.

With some help from a friend I was able to figure out what software i needed to use the machine to embroidery designs bought off the internet. Then my friend helped me learn to use it and it didn't take long for me to catch on.

My only disklike is the small embroidery hoop, but I knew about that when I bought it so I can't complain.

Only had the machine a couple of months and still learning new embroidery stuff everyday but so far the machine is great !

I decided after much research to purchase this sewing machine/embroidery machine combo. The Brother brand I liked because I purchased a Brother Serger and have been very happy with its performance, so there was no surprise that this machine was built well. This machine has features all that a great sewing machine has with a bonus of being able to embroidery with it as well.

When sewing, you have to be careful of the correct thread weight and correct needle be used otherwise you will get a big ball of thread on the back side of your work. Once you have figured out that, then you have overcome one of the biggest obstacles. Also, be sure to use EMBROIDERY THREAD when doing the embroidery stitches, otherwise coverage of the design is affected.

I was a little disappointed with the embroidery stitches included as not as many decorative basic stitches were offered as on the regular Brother Sewing Machine, however, with a download, you can just about get any 4in x 4in design or running design that your heart desires.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase and will continue to learn how to use it. The Manual is all-inclusive and a big help with almost everything and the Brother hotline support has been very helpful too.

Love the start stop button. You don't even need the pressure foot to sew. And the slider on top controls the speed. Hey one less thing to carry. Well build unit and well worth the price paid. The LED light is like white, white, white light like on the new cars today. I wanted something smaller than my big expensive machines to carry to work. This fit the bill. Very pleased with the quality that brother put into this one. Don't be fooled..this machine rocks for the price. The thread cutting is wonderful. Just wished it would raise the pressure foot when done like on the more expensive models out there (ie. my Pfaff). Hey, you cant have everything..right..well this little baby comes close to perfect and I haven't even tried the embroidery unit. Bought the refurbished unit and absolutely shocked and pleased..quality is #1 and you can't go wrong...if you are questioning any machine...this one will be your best for the price...thanks...dan..oh on my 47th quilt and still going...