I love the knee lifter when I applique.. I turn in the 'needle down' feature, and use the knee lifter to lift the presser foot while I rotate the fabric.. works like a charm.. I also love the thread cutter.. oh my yes!! I also use the feature to sew without using the foot pedal when I'm making covered cord baskets or mats.. after I get it started the more traditional way, and get to the part where there is smooth gentle curves, I just push the button and let the machine sew along while I line up the cord next to the sewn piece.. If I step on the machine pedal it shuts off the auto sew... It makes sewing something like that very nice and relaxing.. You just guide until you want to stop and touch the pedal to stop.. nice... You'll love that for some applications. . also for embroidery.