BrotherSE2000 Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine

This Brother SE2000 Sewing/Embroidery Machine sports a mid range price with high end features.I have long been a fan of Brother sewing machines because they combine excellent quality with affordable pricing and this machine is no exception. It is a full size sewing machine and when you attach the embroidery arm, it's an embroidery machine that will embroider designs up to 5" x 7". Because this is a large enough machine to machine quilt as well, be aware that it's quite heavy. The machine alone weighs over 20 pounds and that doesn't include the fairly heavy embroidery arm. If you want a machine to take with you to classes, etc., I would suggest one of Brother's 4" x 4" sewing/embroidery machines. Also, be aware that this machine does not come with a carrying case or rolling trolley. If you will want/need to take this machine places, you'll want to invest in one and fair warning, they are pricey in sizes large enough to fit a sewing/embroidery machine this size.The sewing features are excellent and include things like auto threading, drop in bobbin, needle up/down, stitching speed regulator, 241 built-in stitches, a color touch screen, 10 automatic buttonhole styles, a knee lift, assorted snap on presser feet, and a bright light to illuminate the sewing area. The legend showing all available stitches is located underneath the flip up cover on the top of the machine. It also comes with a detailed user manual and I strongly suggest at least skimming through it and then keeping it near your machine for the first few months so you can refer to it because you can easily miss out on many of the excellent features if you don't know they exist!I find the machine very easy to wind a bobbin on and easy to thread. The stitches are very nice and it's easy to tweak the stitch settings for various fabrics. I have been sewing for over 40 years and have done machine embroidery for 30 years. I own a very high end sewing/embroidery machine that costs thousands more than this machine and it is definitely quieter however, this machine is not excessively noisy and definitely not as noisy as low end sewing machines. I suggest buying a foam, sewing machine, mat for use under this machine. It will dampen noise and vibration quite a bit - especially when using the embroidery arm. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQX48GD3One thing I am disappointed in is that it doesn't come with an attachable sewing extension table. You can purchase one to fit this machine from Brother or a Brother dealer and the part number is BRO SAWT4 however, I think one should have been included because you need one for sewing large items or items made with heavy fabrics like drapery or slipcovers.The embroidery side of the machine is equally impressive. The machine features Wireless LAN connection for importing embroidery designs and it also has a USB port for importing designs using a flash drive. One of my favorite features is that it cuts the jump stitches automatically for you! Besides that, there are 193 built in embroidery designs as well as 13 embroidery fonts (alphabets). It comes with one, standard, 5" x 7" hoop but you can purchase smaller hoops that will fit this machine for embroidering baby items, cuffs, collars, etc. There is one version of this machine that comes with a magnetic hoop but you can also buy a magnetic hoop separately and save a little money. If you plan to do much machine embroidery at all, do yourself a favor and buy a magnetic hoop immediately! It has changed my embroidery life! It take soooo much of the hassle out of machine embroidery and it also allows you to embroider specialty fabrics with ease and no hoop marks left behind. This hoop is the one I purchased and it works brilliantly. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F2WHC4F I also purchased some extra magnets because I wasn't sure the ones included would hold the fabric taut enough. I don't know if I actually needed the extra magnets but I am using them and my results are superb.This machine doesn't come with embroidery threads (although there are some bundles that do, I think.) It also doesn't come with any other supplies like stabilizers so be sure and order some threads and some various stabilizers so you can start as soon as your machine arrives. Tips: I like polyester embroidery thread because it doesn't shrink or bleed and can be machine washed time after time with no issues. You do want to use good quality threads for sewing and embroidery so be sure and read the reviews if you are buying non-name brand threads. I also like tear-away stabilizers - especially for beginners. You can get adhesive varieties as well and I use them most of the time.Also understand that machine embroidery comes with a learning curve if you have never done it before. You need to choose the right threads, needles, stabilizers, hoops, etc., to get beautiful results. Beyond that, there are hooping techniques and other tips that help produce professional results. Luckily, there are loads of videos on YouTube to teach you how to do all of this but you'll need to invest some time in learning and practicing. Once you get the hang of it, you can produce spectacular clothing, baby items, home dec, and gifts. My daughter personalizes gifts every year with monograms for her co-workers and she is legendary for this. I always give personalized baby blankets and onesies to new mothers and they are treasured. Just understand you'll need some time to learn and practice.This machine also works with a new Brother app called Artspira. You have to use this free app in order to access the 50 free designs that come with the purchase of this machine. But this app is kind of a mixed bag. I like it well enough but understand that many of the features are not available with the free to use version. There is a paid subscription that costs ~$13 a month that allows you to use all of the features and save more designs in the cloud. It also lets you automatically digitize line art and drawings and even photographs and turn them into embroidery designs. This works surprisingly well and it's wonderful for parents of small children because you can digitize their artwork! But I think the subscription fee is high for what you get so I am not using it. I hope Brother decides to lower the monthly fee by half so more people can take advantage of it.You can also use software to digitize your own embroidery designs, as well. There are a number of them - even an excellent free one called Ink/Stitch. Most, like PE Design 11, are quite expensive so it's good to know that there are free digitizing programs, too. You will certainly need to devote quite a bit of time learning to digitize designs but again, there are many, many video tutorials on YouTube available to teach you.I purchased this machine for a foster daughter who just got a college degree and she loves it. She is already making gifts for friends, although I am here to help her learn to use it. I think it's a wonderful machine for an experienced sewist and a dream for a new sewist as long as he/she understands it will take some time to learn to use any fine machine like this to its fullest advantage.

This machine is easy to use, has a great selection of stitches, and is very quiet. So far I’ve embroidered in the hoop Christmas ornaments on both regular and stiffened felt and the results were great. Read your manual—I changed to the adjustable bobbin case (included with the machine) when using 40 wt bobbin thread as was advised. A pieced and quilted small wall hanging went together hassle free. Wish I had upgraded to this machine sooner!

This machine is not my first embroidery machine, but it could have been! Very easy to understand and has great features like trimming thread between letters in a font, awesome stitching speed, and plenty of sewing and embroidery options. I have loved using this machine so much, i believe it is the best option Brother has for a single needle embroidery machine.

I ordered this machine to start a small business and couldn’t recommend it enough! It takes a bit of practice but it’s a fantastic machine. It’s can be noisy but with a mat under it, it absorbs most of the sound. I’ve managed to pay the machine back in a matter of months, so definitely a great value for money. Would recommend!

With one exception, I'm loving the Brother SE2000 machine. It's my first embroidery/sewing machine. I bought it for the embroidery feature but also finding that the stitching for regular sewing is far better than the Brother CS6000 that I had purchased during the pandemic. The stitches are now much straighter and look more professional. I rated this 5 stars but I want to warn sewers that the automatic threading feature is not as easy at it appears on videos. I struggled with it and wound up breaking the lever after only a few tries. I hadn't even used that much force. I'm now waiting for a replacement. So - be sure that the needle is ALL THE WAY UP when using the lever. Otherwise it misses the needle hole. Also, leave the pressure foot in up position. The videos I watched seemed to differ. So, except for this, and now having to wait for a replacement lever before I can use the automatic threading feature again, I do love the machine. (which is extremely helpful and quicker when you are changing embroidery threads frequently). The quality of embroidery is lovely and it was easy to learn how to do.