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5 Best Brother Sewing Machines for Beginners, Updated in 2024

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Best Brother Sewing Machine for Beginners
Credit: Shanta Roy

Are you looking for a brother sewing machine for beginners? We got covered the top brother sewing machines’ detailed features, and performance.

In recent years Brother has been focusing on entry-level sewing machines. Affordable machines that are still technically advanced.

In this article, we will be exploring a selection of the best brother sewing machines for beginners.

We will review the machines, and then towards the end of the article, we will look at the most important features for beginners.

Many of Brother’s latest sewing machines are now made in a new factory in Vietnam.

This plant is the biggest brand-owned sewing machine factory in the world, and the savings made through this new facility allow Brother to produce quality machines at affordable prices. 

Best Brother Sewing Machines for Beginners – (Editors’ Top Picks)

TOP PICK
Brother CS6000i Sewing and Quilting Machine

Features at a Glance:

  • A choice of seven varieties of automatic one-step buttonholes
  • A massive selection of 60 built-in stitches to choose from
  • You can thread the needle automatically
  • You can adjust the sewing speed
  • A jumbo-sized table/work area
  • Illuminated working area
  • An easy thread routine
  • Simple bobbin winder
{ This Rating Provided Is Personalized }
Heavy Duty 4.6/5 Versatility 4.6/5 Durability 4.3/5
Easy to Use 4.7/5 Easy to Learn 4.7/5 For Beginners 4.6/5
Why We Love It? The machine has a wealth of automated features that you will be using straight away. But the machine also has advanced features that you can make use of over the coming years.

Product information:

Brand Name Brother
Material Aluminum
Weight 5896 Grams
Dimensions 16 x 6.7 x 11.4 inches
Power Source Corded Electric
Is Electric? Yes
Depth
6.7 inches
Country of Origin China
Material Care Instructions Hand Wash
Assembly Required? No
Batteries Required? No

Product Description:

This machine is an ideal machine for those wanting to create accessories and clothes at home. Clothes in your own unique style. 

Tasks like replacing a zipper, adding a buttonhole, and sewing a seam are made so much easier with the new technology that this machine incorporates.

You can thread the machine easily and thread the needle using the automatic threader, then select the correct stitch using the LCD display, and your sewing machine will reproduce it, as you watch in the illuminated work area. If a bobbin runs out, it’s no problem as the machine features automatic bobbin winding.

The machine comes fully equipped with a range of included accessories, such as a large-sized table, a selection of 8 specialist feet for sewing and quilting, and a hard case to protect your machine.  

TOP RATED
Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine

Features at a Glance:

  • A simple needle threader – it’s done automatically
  • Jam-resistant bobbins that drop in from the top
  • A library of 27 built-in stitches to choose from
  • A simple rotary stitch selector
  • Free arm for sewing sleeves
  • Selection of feet included
  • Attractive modern design
  • Useful instruction DVD
{ This Rating Provided Is Personalized }
Heavy Duty 4.5/5 Versatility 4.6/5 Durability 4.7/5
Easy to Use 4.8/5 Easy to Learn 4.5/5 For Beginners 4.7/5
Why We Love It? If you are just starting out and still learning to sew then this entry-level machine is just ideal. Even advanced users will find this ultra-portable machine a delight.

Product information:

Brand Name Brother
Color
27 Stitches
Material Metal
Weight 2.6 Pounds
Dimensions 12.1 x 5.9 x 15.3 inches
Power Source Corded Electric
Is Electric? Yes
Country of Origin China
Material Care Instructions Hand Wash
Batteries Required? No

Product Description:

Despite the incredibly low price, this machine is just bursting with features. Features like the 27 stitch varieties and 6 varieties of one-step buttonholes will automatically make professional-looking buttonholes for you. This smart-looking machine will astound you with its simplicity of use.

Great for beginners, the sewing machine comes complete with a jam-resistant bobbin that is simply dropped in.

Beginners will appreciate the fact that this entry-level sewing machine comes complete with a tutorial DVD and a user manual. 

The sewing machine comes with 6 different feet: button sewing, buttonholing, blind stitch, zipper, zig-zag, and narrow hem. 

EDITOR'S CHOICE
Brother CS5055PRW Sewing Machine

Features at a Glance:

  • 5 different customized buttonholes with just one step
  • The feed drops so you can do free-motion quilting
  • LED light illuminates the workspace
  • Simple automatic needle threading
  • Clear LCD display screen
  • Quick set-up top bobbin
  • Vertical spool pin
{ This Rating Provided Is Personalized }
Heavy Duty 4.5/5 Versatility 4.4/5 Durability 4.3/5
Easy to Use 4.5/5 Easy to Learn 4.6/5 For Beginners 4.4/5
Why We Love It? The sewing machine comes with a variety of built-in stitches which serve particular purposes and are not just decorative.

Product information:

Brand Name Brother
Material Metal
Weight 14.75 Pounds
Dimensions 19.48 x 10.75 x 15.96 inches
Power Source Treadle Powered
Is Electric? Yes
Batteries Required? No

Product Description:

An excellent computerized sewing machine that manages to produce really quite complex work yet remains very simple to

learn and use. This budget-priced machine is complex enough to create professional work.

No searching for handbooks with the list of available stitches. On the CS5055PRW the stitches are on display all the time. Conveniently printed on the front of the machine. Once you have chosen your selected stitch just enter it into the front-facing LCD display.

The LCD display will then show the selected stitch, including the length and width. It then goes one step further and suggests the correct foot to use.

A straight stitch is the most common stitch, these can be adjusted in length. Another common type of stitch is the stretch stitch.

If your fabric is stretchy, a straight stitch will cause the material to ruffle. This is overcome with one of the specialist stitches or even a zig-zag stitch will open up as the material stretches. So many of the pre-programmed stitches on this machine serve functions as well as look good.

BEST OVERALL
Brother XR3774 Full-Featured

Features at a Glance:

  • Drop-in bobbin resistant to jams
  • Versatile Quilting machine
  • Built-in needle threader
  • 8 sewing feet included
  • Very affordable price
  • 37 built-in stitches
  • Bright LED light
{ This Rating Provided Is Personalized }
Heavy Duty 4.7/5 Versatility 4.7/5 Durability 4.5/5
Easy to Use 4.4/5 Easy to Learn 4.7/5 For Beginners 4.6/5
Why We Love It? The machine has 37 unique stitches built-in, and some of those are really attractive decorative stitches. The rotary stitch controller has a grand total of 74 stitch functions.

Product information:

Brand Name Brother
Material Metal
Weight 15.87 Pounds
Dimensions 15.3 x 5.8 x 12 inches
Power Source Corded Electric
Is Electric? Yes
Country of Origin USA

Product Description:

Quilting is made much easier if you have a sewing machine with a large bed/workspace. This brother sewing machine has a large area to the left of the needle that makes the task much more comfortable.

This Brother machine comes with a special quilting foot included, together with a number of other specialist feet. Surprisingly there is no drop feed facility on this machine for free-motion quilting, but there is a darning plate that can be installed, and this covers the feed.

Just because they highlight quilting in the product description does not mean that it is only good for quilting. The machine is a versatile workhorse and can do so much more.

Nor have they forgotten those features that make life that bits easier, such as a jam-resistant bobbin with a top drop load function, an automatic needle threader, and a bright LED light to illuminate the work area. Considering the price, the machine is very versatile and has a quality feel like Brother CP100X.  By the way, if you want to gather information about this model you can read the brother sewing machine ce1100prw review.

BUDGET PICK
Brother XM1010 Sewing Machine

Features at a Glance:

  • Drop-in jam-resistant bobbin
  • An automatic bobbin winder
  • Free arm configuration
  • Rotary stitch selector
  • 10 built-in stitches
  • Full-size machine 
{ This Rating Provided Is Personalized }
Heavy Duty 4.6/5 Versatility 4.5/5 Durability 4.6/5
Easy to Use 4.5/5 Easy to Learn 4.6/5 For Beginners 4.8/5
Why We Love It? It is an attractive machine that has a free-arm facility built in. You have the option to remove part of the base plate to use this option. The machine also has an easy-to-use tension control for the top thread.

Product information:

Brand Name Brother
Material Metal
Weight 6.78 pounds
Dimensions 15.4 x 5.8 x 12.1 inches
Power Source Treadle Powered
Is Electric? Yes
Material Care Instructions Hand Wash
Assembly Required No
Batteries Required? No

Product Description:

This model is easy to learn sewing machine, which is just perfect for everyday use. New sewing machine users are not overwhelmed with too many stitches. The inbuilt selector is restricted to just ten. 

However, these ten stitches include the most common ones that a beginner would use. These would include stretch stitch, blind hemming, and buttonholes.

The machine also arrives with 4 snap-on feet included, together with an instructional DVD, instruction manual, and free lifetime technical support. The starter kit also includes a needle set with three needles, four spare bobbins, a foot control, and a screwdriver.

The buttonhole has a special buttonhole foot, and the automatic buttonhole will create the holes, just the right size for the button.

For those users who are nervous about the fully-featured machines with large stitch libraries and what appear to be complex controls, this machine is ideal as it has the essential controls and no more.

Some common tasks that are easily performed on the Brother XM1010 are blind hems, mending/darning, quilting using the built-in straight stitch, and applique work.

What Do We Need to Consider When Buying Brother Sewing Machine for Beginners?

Brother Sewing Machine sewing
Brother Sewing Machine sewing

What is the most common thing that goes wrong with a sewing machine?

The most common reason for a sewing machine to fail is “tension.” Your thread tension may be too high or too low; both can cause problems.

If the tension is too high, then the thread will be forever breaking, and if it is too low, then the machine will get jammed. The tension will need to be adjusted on the top thread and on the bobbin.

Manual or automatic?

The simplest of machines on sale today will have a choice of straight stitch or zig-zag. There will be no built-in stitches and no automatic buttonholes. Many of the features that you have read about in the reviews, such as automatic threading of the needle, jam-resistant bobbins, automatic bobbin winders, drop-in bobbins, and maybe even the free arm will be missing. 

There is so little difference in price between these manual machines and the kind we have reviewed that it really is a false economy, as these manual machines will be so limited.

Computerized Sewing Machines

Some sewing machines are computerized and can connect to the Internet or accept a flash drive into a USB port. Often this feature is primarily used for downloading embroidery patterns or stitches. It can also be used in some cases to download certain upgrades to your machine

Why are Brother machines so low in price?

It is quite simple. Brother has focused on lower-priced machines, and that is where the volume of sales are. They have also invested in brand new production facilities, and the latest one in Vietnam is the largest Brand owned and operated factory in the world. To put it simply, they are very efficient in producing sewing machines.

How many stitches do you need?

The machines we have reviewed have a large difference in the number of stitches they have built in. The Brother XM1010 that we reviewed had just ten stitches installed in the machine. Others had substantially more. 

To be brutally honest, you only NEED a straight stitch and a basic zig-zag stitch. A skilled seamstress can manage those. However, you may WANT more than ten as certain stitches can automate tasks that would otherwise have to be done manually. 

Similarly, a good seamstress can make perfect buttonholes with just a zig-zag stitch. Where the automatic buttonholer comes into its own is the consistency of results and the speed it can work at.

Types of Buttonhole functions explained

  • An automatic buttonholer will often measure the size of your button and then makes the right-sized buttonhole.
  • A one-step buttonholer will automatically create the buttonhole for you after you have set the size you need.
  • A four-step buttonholer involves the user sewing each side of the buttonhole manually, using the zig-zag stitch. A degree of skill is required for this.

Sewing Machine cases

To protect your machine and to reduce the dust that can clog up the works, it is advisable to have a carrying case. For extra security, a hard case is preferable. Check which sewing machines come with a case included.

A Final Word

A good sewing machine will last for many years if you take care of it. Brother sewing machines are particularly durable and reliable, so purchasing a sewing machine is a long-term investment. Whilst none of us know what we will be doing in years to come, consider that your sewing may become more complex in the future, and your need for a sewing machine may increase.

Unless you are someone with a terror of all technology and just cannot cope with anything more than the simplest machine, I would advise that you get a machine that has features that you could possibly need in the future. 

The price difference between the machines we have reviewed is not actually very great, but some are considerably more advanced than others. It may well be worth considering future needs and going just one stage more advanced than you initially were attracted to.

I hope that you have found this article useful and that it has helped clarify your search for the best brother sewing machine for beginners

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