Brother LS14 Metal Chassis Sewing Machine

When it comes to anything involving needles, I am the ultimate cackhanded one. I once spent a year making a blouse only to discover when I'd finished that not only was it horribly bloodstained, but I'd sewn the collar on upside down. Still, over the years, I've had the odd fantasy Chanel moment, when I've dreamed of turning out headturning works of tailoring, draping, flouncing and ruffling. So far, I've managed draping (over gates, fences and random people after a few too many Proseccos). I've managed flouncing, usually when I don't get my own way, and I've definitely ruffled more than a few feathers in my time. What I haven't managed is any tailoring. Now, that I've got my Bro, I hope to at least manage the basics of machine sewing. And sew far so good! Having managed to prise it out of the box without getting polystyrene everywhere, I successfully managed to plug it in and turn it on. Then I turned my attention to the DVD, only to find it didn't work in my laptop. A quick rummage online and I found a tutorial which, despite the annoying 'I'm talking to a prize idiot' voice (which to be fair she was), I managed to learn the basics. In less than 30 mins, I had learnt how to thread the bobbin, theread the needle and insert the bobbin, and before you could say 'bottlefoppytwogs', I was actually off and running. I was elated (I don't get out much!). So enthused was I, that I went on Youtube and watched several sewing tutorials. I even learnt about shirring and later on, after a quick dash to the fabric shop to get some elastic thread, I found myself shirring away instead of Shiraz-ing away. (NB: I think an unlooked for side effect might be that this machine is good for my liver). To sum it up. I like it. It's simple. It's light, though sturdily made. It has a good variety of stitches. The threading process is a doddle. If I can use it, there's hope for us all. Even better, I got it for a mere £59.85 on Black Friday. I'm off now to make an extravaganza of a ball gown and await the call from Posh to join her team. Or, maybe I'll just practise sewing a straight line. And hem and haw a bit. And try to work out what the hell tension means that doesn't involve a headache. Yo Bro, we're good to go.

Bought as a Xmas present for my teenage girls who want to learn to sew and we found this to be a brilliant first time sewing machine. They have no previous sewing experience but had this up and running 15mins after taking it of the box. They followed a youbtube video on how to set up, rather than use the instructions it came with, and found it very easy to load the spool, pop it in and thread, following the guide numbers on the machine. They are delighted with it.Having owned a sewing machine myself for 30year+, I found this to be more light weight than my old one, but still sturdy. I got a little confused as the foot lifting lever and thread cutter are in different positions to my old machine, but everything else was virtually the same, and also it offer almost the same facilities.Only negative is this machine may struggle with thick seams and heavy duty fabrics etc, but I do consider this to be a very good machine & excellent value for the money I paid. I may even buy another one for myself.

This is a absolutely fantastic machine, to say I was a total novice would be a understatement !, I bought this for basic clothes repair so I have no need for the more advanced options.I saw it on amazon and could not believe how cheap it was so I did a little research online and found it to be a good basic entry model, when I received it I unpacked it to see if it was OK as it only came in the manufacturers box, the included manual and DVD more than covered what I needed it for.The instructions to thread the machine are easy enough so its impossible to get the set up wrong.I used the factory settings for a straight stitch so did not have to adjust the tension .I got what I needed doing in half an hour it looks very professional and the stitching is strong I think the fabric would tear before the stitching came undone :-)I cannot say how good the machine is for wear and tear as it will only be getting light use from me but for what I need it for it is more than adequate .Very happy customer :-)

I bought this machine to use in a second home as my Frister & Rossmann, bought in the 70s, is far too heavy to cart around. The Brother has a hard act to follow as the F&R is a very well built, solid machine - but this is its downfall. I am in my 60s now and find it hard to lift the F&R onto a sewing table. The Brother is everything I wanted (as well as being light enough to carry around), it is a basic model - in that it sews straight lines, a few zigzag options, enough for a buttonhole, and reverse sewing which I imagine most sewing machines have. This is enough for me as I am not overly ambitious with my sewing projects. The cost was good for me, and using Amazon Prime I was able to pick my delivery date so it arrived exactly when it was expected.I have bought a range of different presser feet, but have not had a chance to use them yet, and some different needles to suit various projects I have in mind. So, once I have sewn a dust cover for it, I shall move on to the patchwork quilt I plan for my first big project. I have tried it out by making a cover for a printer, and found the tricky process of turning a corner easy to do. The loading of the thread upper and lower is different to the way I am used to, but there is a helpful DVD, instructions on paper to follow and info stickers on the machine.The reason for only 4 stars is just the fact that it was unexpectedly mobile across the table when I was operating one of the controls, but now I am ready for that it's not so bad. I bought the "Metal Chassis" version as it suggests weight to make it more stable - perhaps it is against other modern machines. Perhaps 4.5 stars should be better.