Melissa,
Kathy is correct. The Brother SE270D machine from WM is what I have. I am so unhappy right now. I love(d) that machine, but it gave me problems so often! You can read some of my other posts to catch up on all about that machine and my problems with it, if you wish.
RIght now the machine is in Tennessee at Brother's repair shop.
My back-up is a regular Brother, and I'm having a hard time getting it to work, also.
There are lemons in everything we buy, here and there. I'm unfortunate to have gotten this with my last vehicle and my new Sewing/Embroidery machine!
Let me answer a few questions for you, though. I will try not to be negative since I had a bad machine. :D
The Brother SE270D would more than suit your needs if you only need something basic. It comes with many built-in designs. Not all are Disney. THere are some with flowers and things, too.
This particular machine will not embroider caps. It's maximum embroidery area is 4 x 4 inches, even if you get a bigger hoop.
YEs, you can embroider designs other than what comes with the machine. You do not need to buy the cards for it each time you want a different design other than what comes on the machine. Those can get VERY EXPENSIVE. I invested in the PED Basic for $129 (then found it on sale for $100). You can download many, many free designs from the internet. You can also purchase them online for reasonable prices. Store the designs on your computer, and transfer them to the "blank" card that comes with the PED via the USB hook-up. THen, the card goes into the machine. It will save money in the long-run. Some of the cards cost half as much as the PED!
I think you will do more than embroidering labels and applique with one of the Embroidery machines. THey are so fun and do such beautiful work! I wanted to embroider enough blocks for a quilt someday.
My first machine was also a WM Brother ($97 was the cheapest they had at the time and what I bought. I bought Brother bc my Mom had one for 20 years--now about 27 years-- that was still in good shape).
You may want to know that WM will only take back the machine for 90 days WITH YOUR RECEIPT.
KEEP YOUR RECEIPT IN A SAFE PLACE!
Also, after being given the run-around more 2 or 3 times from WM and more than that from BROTHER, I finally talked to a helpful lady at Brother. She said if I had my receipt, and it had been less than a year from the date of purchase, and I had my receipt, I could take the machine back to WM and fill out a work order. WM would send it back to BRother for me. This way I would not have to pay the shipping back to TN. Brother will fix it bc it is still under the one year warranty. (nobody told me this months before).
Do you have an authorized brother service repair shop near you? You can go to www.brother.com and find out. Mine is probably an hour and a half one way...
Check out my other posts if you want more info on my machine.
Good luck! Please let us know what you decide to buy. I hope mine works forever once I get it back.