krysti

I have the Brother SQ 9050; bought from Walmart. It is a great little machine, and very user friendly. I do all of my piecing on it, and it comes with all the quilting accessories; table, feet, etc. It also has the drop feed dogs, needle down, drop in bobbin, etc. I did quilt my first quilt on it (was crib sized); and it does not have a very large throat space for quilting bigger things (to me, anyway) so I now have a Viking for quilting the larger items. Some people bad mouth low end machines found at Walmart, but at the time, I just needed a basic machine and I did read all the reviews of this one before purchasing. In fact, before purchasing, I thought I wanted the Singer Quilters Confidence; read all the reviews and steered clear. Like I said; great little machine for the money.

Nona

I don't believe the brother will last even half as long as other machines. Her 20 year old kenmore has proven the test of time. Save the money now and later buy a much more reliable machine later. Go to a good dealer and buy a trade in machine if she just "has to have one", but I am sewing on machines that are 40 years old plus. My new machine is 15 years old and I rarely use her.

Carly in SC

Put a piece of that squishy looks like a rubberized mesh shelving material under it and you will hold your machine place and eliminate any vibrations...works great under sergers; notorious for vibration at high speeds.

Lady Diana

Allbrands has the Janome 1050 computerized machine for $299...free shipping and no tax. http://www.allbrands.com/categories/...h-computer-sew Be sure to ask them if they have a coupon code this month...usually $10 off $199 purchase....another Kenmore/Janome machine that sold for $700 is now $399... http://www.allbrands.com/categories/...ty-167-215-sti

Check these our for features versus price. For her budget with a little help from you ($80), she could get the first one listed.
D in TX

kcmoquilter

I have the prior model, meaning less cutsie things on the body. Love it. Travel with it, do lots with it and besides servicing never had a problem.

dc989

My BF got a Brother to take to classes. She says it's possessed. Took it back several times while on warranty and after, but it just didn't work right. She finally traded it in on another brand. I would keep the Kenmore. My favorite machine was a Kenmore limited edition from the late 70's or early 80's. I gave it to my niece because I thought I needed all the bells and whistles. Dumb move on my part! Donna

Deborahlees

I am on my second Brother machine, have the top of the line Quantro and am extremely happy with it. I do think with any machine one thing to consider is service and repair, as we all know it will be needed at some point in time. I currently have to travel almost a hundred miles for factory service (which is the only way to repair your machine) In my very large town, there is just not any reliable sewing machine service people....I am sorry to say this is becoming a thing of the past and I am sorry to see that.... For my Bernina I do only have to travel 25 miles. But one thing I do like about Brother is that you can order Brother feet directly from them, Bernina you do have to go to a Dealer.
Do not be afraid of a Brother, decent machine....

matraina

I have the Brother SQ 9000 (the 9050 came out since) and It does very well. I wanted a lighter machine to take to classes and this is 10 #.

anita211

"But my biggest complaint about it is that it's so light it scoots away from me constantly as I sew!" Get some of that Rubbermaid stuff that lines drawers. It is soft... and it holds the machine in place. I have a CS6000i also. I have been sewing on my machine for close to 5 years. Not a bit of problems with it. And if your bought your machine new, Sewnoma, it should last at least 25 years. It is warranted that long.

GrammaBabs

Machines do not have to cost a lot to be good... Take care of it, use decent thread C&C is fine for the low end machines.... i have a brother dealer that explained to me that Brother has come a "long way"...
I read reviews for a machine a Walmart for about 90.00 that had fabulous reviews...
On the Singer note.. i bought a CG Singer model 500 for 185.00 on line,, that is one of the best machines ever!!!
fast and heavy dute,, you can find it on YouTube... but i would recommend getting the 550 for just a bit more....