Brother CP100X Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine

At 64 years old, and I'm brand new to sewing. I have had many back surgeries, so the idea of using my foot to make a sewing machine operate has been a non-starter for me, from the beginning. However given my new paper craft hobby, and my wanting to be able to add the feature of a real sewn look to many of my crafts, I decided to look into sewing machines to see what was available. I found this model and I love, love, love it!! Not only do I get to sew without having the foot pedal attached (it's still in the box), but I find the controls, that are right above the needle area, to be super easy to use.It's sliding-speed set is terrific, I can make it go very slow and actually count the stitches so I don't go off the edge, which is helping me to gain confidence as I teach myself to sew. I do use the high speed on the slide adjuster when I'm filling my bobbin, that's the only time. I hardly ever have it up past mid way. Yesterday I sewed 3 squares of fabric , and they were only 2 inches x 2 inches. I wanted to see how small I could go. I had to keep an eye on it to make sure the needle wouldn't go off the end, but being able to slow down the speed of the needle made it a very easy project and they came out great.I think that if you're used to a foot pedal, then you may just feel more comfortable plugging in the foot pedal, but if you're like me and simply can't sit with your leg at an angle, the foot pedal is unnecessary on this model. It has a variety of stitches, and I've found that I don't always have to change out the foot to do a different stitch. I do make sure that the foot is wide enough to do a different stitch, and will change it if necessary, but I really don't find myself having to change it that often as I've come to discover what my favorite stitches are.I actually use it standing up, with it sitting on my kitchen bar area. Sitting down is not good for my back. I bought a small surge protector and that's where I plug it in when I bring it out. I love the lighter weight as I'm not allowed to carry much weight anymore, so the 10 lb. weight is easy for me. And I love the added table area that can slide on to the sewing machine. Gives me additional work space. The one problem I did have, which was probably error on my part, was sometimes when filling the bobbin the thread would not go on the bobbin, but underneath the bobbin on the metal post. I discovered that I can easily remove the bobbin, lift the bobbin holder up a ways, and use my small scissors to remove the bound up thread.I have heard that some sewing machine repair men don't like to work on machines used by people like myself who use mainly paper (I do junk journals, ephemera, etc.), so my husband got a small can of air and we occasionally blow the air through the areas of the machine to keep the paper dust from collecting. This could be a problem in the future given paper gives off much more dust than fabric, but I'll worry about that if, and when, that happens. So, if you're sitting on the fence on this one I'd say without hesitancy to give it a try. I'd originally gotten two different models for Christmas as I wasn't sure which one would work for me, and Amazon took the unused one back without any issue. The deciding factor for me was a combination of no foot pedal being necessary and the controls being located just above the needle area. It's super easy to use and if I can use it at 64 yrs. old, and 5 back surgeries later, then you'll do just fine!! So all in all, I LOVE this machine and hope that it holds up for years to come!

Great machine. Easy threading and use.

I dont really know much about sewing machines, but my mother picked this one out and so i bought it. Shes a huge sewer? That sounds weird but oh well..First, the machines have always scared me because they seem so non-user-friendly. This one i had put together and practicing my very first stiches in no time. The stitches came out as good as they could with a newbie sewer(i swear that sounds wrong to say it like that)So as of right now, i love the machine. Ive had it two days and i do a lot of things so i havent really had much time with it but it has not given me any issues yet.Also, team brother. Singers stupid.

Right out of the box the machine worked as expected. The auto threader took a minute to figure out but works great. Worth the money

Machine seems to be good, haven't had a chance to use it yet. Not exactly for beginners. A little hard to set up. When I did start setting it up, I realized the cover and attachments were missing. I checked into retting these items replaced, but found out I would have to return the whole machine, that parts can't be replaced. Since I already have the machine threaded and the bobbin put in I don't want to return the machine and go thru all that again. I will just use it as is and look more carefully at items I purchase in the future.

This Brother machine is a work horse. It’s a great machine especially for the money. It’s easy to use. The stitches are perfect. Winding the bobbin is super easy. The machine is very quiet. It took me awhile to learn how to use the automatic threader. An online tutorial helped me learn how to do it and now I love it. One thing this machine doesn’t have is auto thread cutter which I would have preferred. Regardless, it’s a great machine.

I am so happy with this purchase. A great machine for a beginner or novice. I have used it to sew two quilts already. I also use it to make baby receiving blankets and burp cloths.

So far I like this machine. They don't make them out of good heavy parts like they use to, so beware plastic is the choice of parts mostly here, but that makes it easy to pick up and move from place to place too. I got on Youtube and there are nice presentations on how to thread & operate which were super helpful. I would recommend doing this before you purchase to see if you think it would be the right fit for you. The Youtube video is what sold me on it.