Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine

I have never used a sewing machine in my life until I bought this. To put that in perspective, I'm 42 years old and a father of 2. When I told my wife I was going to buy a sewing machine, she looked at me like I was nuts. Which, to be fair, might be totally accurate, but I have no regrets about this purchase. I bought this because I hate throwing stuff away: pants that could be hemmed, knees that can be patched, whatever. Clothes are expensive, and sewing by hand is tedious. This machine comes with a great DVD that I watched once and promptly threw away. I threw it away because basically you can watch the same video on youtube without having to fiddle with a remote. I found it a lot easier to just search for "Brother sewing machine instruction video" and watch Brother's video on a tablet sitting right next to my machine. And let me say this, at first, I was pretty worried. Bobbins? What's a bobbin? Feet? Sewing machines are pretty complicated, but the instructional video was very good. I didn't know *why* I was threading the thread the places I was, but once I got it done, I sewed my first stitch! I won't say it was the cleanest job in the world, but I hemmed a pair of pants in a totally serviceable manner. After my second pair, I was rolling. I changed the thread without even looking at the video: new bobbin and all. That's how simple this device is: a totally non-sewing 42 year old can learn it in under 30 minutes. The stuff I sewed held strong and eventually even got to the point where it looked sharp (which is more a reflection on my lack of skill than any problem with the machine). I know, I'm not doing anything complicated here. I'm not making my own clothes or using really complicated stitches, but I think this machine will work for the overwhelming majority of the tasks I'll see in my household. I get that this machine wasn't made for me (the purple floral pattern is a pretty good hint), but I don't think any guy should be afraid of learning to sew. It's a great skill, and this is a great machine to start with.

TL;DR The negative reviews scared me but the price and features ultimately convinced me to buy the machine, and I'm glad I did! I've been sewing very sporadically since art class in my senior year of high school in 2007-2008. I know the very basics of using a sewing machine but I've never used anything other than a straight stitch! I'd been using my sister's Singer Esteem to make masks for myself but when she moved a few miles away this month, I found it considerably less convenient to pop over to her house, so I started looking into buying my own sewing machine using Unemployment Insurance money. I knew I didn't want a Singer Esteem--that thing gets jammed if you look at it wrong. If ever faced with the choice to buy a Singer Esteem, please save yourself the trouble and just don't. There are things I like about it but ultimately it's mostly a pain in the neck. Upon conducting some research, I made a list of must-have features for me, a baby: adjustable speed, drop-in bobbin, & mechanical. I encountered the Brother XM2701 on many lists of best sewing machines for beginners, and it met all of my needs and generally received better reviews than, say, the Janome Magnolia 7318 at a better price point. I also had my eye on a Janome New Home available at Urban Outfitters for $165. You know, because it was pretty. I mean, it also fell in the lower half of my price range. Ultimately, though, that Janome only has 15 stitches, and paired with a truly cursed side-loading bobbin (which is also the scourge of the Singer Esteem that I hate so much), it seemed not worth the money when compared to a Brother XM2701, which has everything I absolutely need plus some nice bells and whistles like an automatic needle threader, some pretty decorative stitches, and a one-step buttonhole. Plus it has a thread cutter attached, which is essential; the Janome did not. For $201 (from Kasande Beauty Fast Shipping), this seemed like a no-brainer. I wasn't thrilled to be choosing between UO, a company I'd rather not buy from, and Amazon, a company I loathe because of its treatment of its own workers, but I figure a reliable sewing machine will be somewhat of a necessity for the next few years. I'm not better than you because I hate Amazon--we're the same because I still use it. And the brand has made itself a staple, so we're all going to come up against these moments where we have to choose to use it or look elsewhere. This was the most financially feasible option this time, so I chose Amazon. I did choose an independent seller without Prime shipping--but with free shipping--so the experience was really the best possible outcome. Anyway, Kasande Beauty Fast Shipping did, indeed, ship my item quickly so it arrived a few days later (I wanna say 2 or 3 days later?) in perfectly new condition as described. Setup was easy and I watched the instructional DVD via someone who'd uploaded it to Youtube because I just didn't feel like popping the disc in my PS4. I can't recommend that video highly enough--just brace yourself for the narrator. Her style of narration is extremely strange in ways I can't describe but it might grow on you. I followed her instructions to set up my machine. That narrator quickly ascended to the very top of my list of celebrities I'd like to meet. I also recommend keeping the user manual close at hand--it'll tell you everything you need to know about what settings to use for each stitch, and it'll have troubleshooting tips if things go wrong. I also recommend finding an independently-uploaded video on thread tension, because that can be tricky to grasp without precise visuals. For a straight stitch out of box, I'm using the setting just below 2.5, but it took a lot of trial and error to come to that conclusion. Other little things for beginners or seldom-sewers like me to get started easily? Use polyester thread if you can--choose a good brand like Gütermann if you can afford it. Using cotton threads and low-quality threads apparently gunks up your machine faster, which isn't the worst--you just need to clean it more often--but left untouched, can lead to it not working and needing servicing. I'm just paraphrasing what I read in the Questions section of this product page. If you buy extra bobbins (which you may not need--the machine comes with four, if I'm not mistaken), make sure they're Class 15 plastic bobbins. Have an iron (any old iron--I'm using my 10-year-old Toastmaster from college that I haven't used in about 8 years) and ironing board (or just a towel--because I don't have an ironing board) handy for lots of pressing! Keep an eye on the needle's sharpness and -do- change it when it gets dull rather than riding it out--if you work with knives, doing prep work, I know you feel me. If your needle's still sharp but not cutting it, you may be using the wrong needle for the job! You wouldn't use a nakiri to cut sashimi (well, you might use it to cut, for example, avocado "sashimi," so maybe this is a bad example). You wouldn't use a butter knife to cut steak. If the feed dogs won't feed because you're sewing the very edge of a piece or just a very small piece of fabric (which happened to me when I tried to sew a 1" x 6" pocket for a nose wire), put a piece of regular old paper--newspaper, notebook paper, printer paper, magazine paper--whatever you've got--under the fabric to cover all the feed dogs. It'll be louder than usual, but it'll get the job done! And you can easily tear the paper off the back of the fabric when you're done. Way less messy than it sounds. Overall, this machine operates smoothly and sews beautifully even stitches. It's easy enough to use--from auto-threading to bobbin loading--that I believe it would even suit a child as young as 9 or 10, if you were to find yourself with a kid eager to start on the DIY path (and if you had $200 to drop on a machine that will likely last them years, maybe decades--we'll see--with good maintenance habits). In my very short time sewing with it, I've learned so much and I have visual evidence that my sewing is already improving, getting neater, because I'm working with a quality machine that does everything it's supposed to do, and does it well without jamming. I assume that despite still-developing motor skills being what they are, a 9- or 10-year-old would be able to sponge up fluency in this machine even faster than I can. I don't know why I'm trying to push this machine for kids--I just like the idea of kids who want to learn to sew, and I wish I'd started earlier because it feels empowering. I'll drop by with an update in a few months. UPDATE 2022: Still love this machine. 💖

First of all, I am not a sewer! LOL I took this machine out of the box, followed the EASY instructions on how to thread the top thread and bottom bobber and got to work. What I really like about this sewing machine is, it has numbers ON THE MACHINE as to how to thread it. Step ...#1....#2...and so on. The machine readily and easily moved thru the seams of 3 pairs of jeans and also a sweatshirt that was too big for me. Its a tough, realiable machine for those beginner seamstresses, and I really appreciate that the thread doesnt get bogged down or knotted up. I set it on the middle stitch length and havent moved it. VERY NICE INDEED!

Absolutely enchanted with the Brothers sewing machine! My wife, who didn’t have much experience in sewing, dove right in and embraced the learning process. We chose this machine because of its reputation for being user-friendly, and I can’t stress enough how worth every penny it has been! In just a couple of days, she transformed into a seamstress extraordinaire, thanks to this incredible machine. The ease of use and professional results are truly remarkable! It’s no surprise that it’s the number one selling sewing machine out there. I’m so grateful we made this choice—it's truly a game changer!

I bought this machine to do some light quilting and general sewing. I have a much older Brother but it's having some mechanical issues so I needed a cost effective replacement to finish of a huge project and decided to stick with the Brother line. It's a fairly decent machine for the price. It doesn't have a lot of extra stitches, but I rarely use them. I found it does accommodate 2 needles (which is a specific type), that was interesting. It's easy to thread and use the bobbin. It sews in a fairly straight line. The biggest issue is the thumping noise, it gets loud and mostly happens if more than 2 layers of material and thin 100% cotton batting. It sews through it great, again, it's noisy. Overall there's some nice improvements from my 25yo machine and is very user friendly. The stitches are very consistent regardless of speed. For $90 it's a worthwhile purchase for light sewing.

I loved the sewing machine. Threading is super easy and the stiching is very smooth. Setting up the machine was very easy. It's sturdy and it has all the features I wanted. It's fun sewing with this machine.

Got this as my first sewing machine and it works GREAT!!! No issues yet! Super easy for a beginner to figure out, only needed to watch a few YouTube videos

This machine is "sew" easy to use. Lol! But seriously, I've had such a hard time trying to use other machines. This one I can wind bobbin, set the bobbin, thread the needle (which is super easy with the auto threader) and go! The different stitches are easy to understand and it switches easily. I've completed a few projects completely by myself which I've never done with a sewing machine before. So exciting!

Update: 09/27/2022: I have found out about quilting. My obsession has gone further and I fear no one can stop me now. I feel secure knowing my Brother can take me through batting and fabric and bring me out on the other side victorious! Though I do wish for a quilting machine, I will continue using this one as it hasn’t let me down yet. The needles have remained strong, the bobbin is chugging along, and the machine itself…we’ll what can I say? It’s a workhorse. A few good praises and any project I throw at it will be completed without so much as a worry to cross my brain. Still highly recommended. Update: 02/01/2022: This machine is still going strong! During the first part of Covid I was using this to make masks for everyone including all the people I see at work (can be over 1,000 people in a week or more, about half of that bought masks). Now it’s being used to make memory bears for many of the same people, and maybe even more if I get the nerve to branch out. I have made bags, fixed zippers, attempted sewing projects I never thought I’d even want to try and not once have I felt like anything was going wrong, nothing has broken, and I will happily continue to use this until it does break and become unusable. Original comment: The last time I touched a sewing machine was in 1997. Home Ec class. We sewed pillows and “egg” babies. Since then I’ve done my sewing by hand. Thanks to the ‘rona, I made myself a mask and now have people asking me to make them some too. Enter another sewing machine in my life. I chose this one for two reasons: 1. The price. There was some kind of promotion that was happening that included free shipping, so I only paid around $68 in total. I found this perfect in case I ended up with a dud; I wouldn’t be out much. And 2. It had a one week delivery time and I wouldn’t have to wait until the end of June to get it. My blood-blistered fingers celebrated when I pressed the order button. While waiting for my machine to arrive I eagerly researched the machine. For those who didn’t receive a DVD, there are versions of it on YouTube, although heads up, the voice of the lady narrator is annoying. Not to worry though, there are many other people who have this machine or a model really close to it that show in depth reviews from how to set it up, to how to use it. I also watched a few other videos that go in depth on general troubleshooting and what the different knobs on the top did, so I felt confident when my machine arrived and found the setup easy and quick. It is not hard to thread once you see what you’re doing (the video and instructional booklet make it a little confusing), and I haven’t had any issues with the bobbin, although threading it in the bottom part was confusing (again, the video and booklet make it slightly hard to see where the thread is supposed to go), but a bit of trial and error will make it clear. The top threading was simple to do and I love the automatic threader (yes, there are YouTube videos on how to do it and you’ll be surprised how stupidly simple it is). The foot pedal is a bit tricky to learn-probably harder the work than the machine, but once you get a feel for it, it works just fine. I can get mine to go slow and fast AND every speed in between, but I also sat there for a few hours with scrap fabric and practiced. All the stitches I’ve needed to use (mostly straight) have worked just fine - even the fancier ones that I played around with to see how they looked in practice, and I haven’t had any skipped stitches. In fact, any jam or nest that’s been made has been entirely from my mistakes (presser foot not down, fabric wasn’t in far enough for the feed dogs to grab, wasn’t watching to make sure I was holding onto the thread so it wouldn’t move). I also noticed that it also ‘jams’ on corners where the fabric is folded over many times for seams. In my masks, it’s about 12 layers which is slightly thick for this machine. I can sew through about 9 layers of 100% cotton just fine. With the corners, however, if I turn the handwheel to get it started then it works fine. The tensions is the only thing I haven’t touched or played with. I haven’t needed to, and don’t plan on changing it anytime soon. It’s not broken, nor causing issues, and I’m not that curious. All features seem to work as expected! The machine itself, though the outer casing is plastic, doesn’t feel cheap or fragile. There is a part that comes off and is said to be used as storage, but isn’t a complete piece: hole warning. What I did was keep the bag all the attachment stuff came in and use that inside the storage compartment and nothing falls out. The cons: It isn’t the quietist, although I think my Nana’s clunker was a lot louder. The LED light isn’t very bright. I mean, it helps, but only slightly. I ended up buying a cheap gooseneck lamp that I put behind the machine to help light my way. I haven’t had to contact customer service yet, so I cannot say if they’re helpful or not, but I have had a search around the Brother website and haven’t seen a place to order any back up pieces except for thread. Maybe it’s because I’m on mobile? I know some things are only specific to this machine, so I don’t know about that. The only feature on the machine I am a little unhappy with is the lever for the presser foot. It’s made of thick plastic and I can foretell it breaking with time and heavy use. Otherwise this machine has been amazing in the few days I’ve had it! Take those one and two star reviews lightly - I don’t doubt they have experienced those issues, but I also feel like most of them are user error. As a beginner sewer, this machine allows me to make products quickly and in better quality than hand sewing ever allowed me to do (and the people getting my stuff are a lot happier with the product, too). I’m looking forward to running this machine into the ground and getting an upgrade!

I know nothing about sewing. I decided I would teach myself and I bought this machine after reading reviews. This is simple! It threads easily, it's easy to use. I can fix our clothing and create small projects with confidence with this machine. It did not come with instructional DVD as stated. It's OK, it's on YouTube. Look up the model number and there are plenty more tutorials. I watched several before getting started so I would use this safely and not abuse my machine with my ignorance. I even sewed along with one video and made nice stitches while practicing. I can see where one would outgrow this machine, but for a beginner this is the one. I was worried about buying online vs a dealer. Don't. This was taped and packed with cardboard stabilizers and bubble wrap. The delivery person could have kicked it down the driveway and it would be completely safe. I thought I was never going to get all the packing and tape off of it. It came with 6 feet, I have no idea what they are all for but I will learn. I'm glad I purchased this machine.