pattypurple

Researching machines for DIL. BROTHER Innovis 990D & 1250D. I will go with her to chose what she wants but we are trying to decide on gift certificate amount for Christmas. Not even sure what she is going to sew. DS says "she has all kinds of crafty ideas". She asked for the Brother on Amazon that is $300 but it doesn't have USB input.
if you have any experience with these machines I'd appreciate your thoughts

scrapnut

I own two Brother machines and think they are great. Extremely easy to operate and have never had any repair issues.

Bneighbor

I have the 1250D and it is a little workhorse. I use mostly in the summer, as it is my "motor home" machine. In the fall it comes back into the house to be used as a back-up machine. I piece quilts on it, BUT I also repair race car parachutes and racing fire suits. I have not had any problems. I also embroider on it. It has a 5x7 hoop and that all important USB drive. This summer I pieced 4 lap quilts, repaired 2 parachutes and embroidered 10 FSL Christmas ornaments. (Racing was waaayyyy too busy to have time to play on the machine). I just traded in my Quattro2 for the new babylock Destiny, but this little machine is expected to work just as hard as the high end machines. I do find that the screen is black and white (very different for either of the high-end machines), making it a little hard to see intricate embroidery designs. But it is just a minor thing, since after you open the design, it looks great. Your friend will be very happy with either machine. I personally would try to buy from a dealer instead of over the Internet. The Internet will not be able to answer questions, nor give lessons, and they do not do repairs. Finding a good dealer is just as important as finding the perfect machine.

Quilty-Louise

I have the Brother NV100 & Innov-Is 1500D.

Love both of my machines. I got the 1500D because I wanted a larger
hoop (my NV1000 only went up to 5x7).

Now I am wanting the dream machine or the 10 needle.

profannie

I bought a very basic Brother Cs6000 five years ago when I wanted to learn to sew. I have never before being interested in sewing, but a new baby brings some new interest... The Brother was so user friendly, fun and easy to use that I felt confident to go from a project to another. I bought the Brother PC520 six months after and a Brother PE770. I kept them for several years until I found a used Bernina 730 for a price so good I couldn't pass it. I have a very high opinion of Brother sewing machines. They may not be the most sophisticated machine, but they are in my opinion the best choice for a beginner because they offer so much features for such a low price that it make sewing fun and easy. They are strong and will survive a lot of beginner mistakes! So it's a good choice for your DIL.