Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I did a lot of research and soul-searching (!) before I decided to buy this package. My main conflict was: the 4 by 4 inch embroidery field. I really would like something larger, but I just couldn't justify the expense (there is a big jump in price among the brands, with Brother being the least expensive by far) when I am basically doing this for fun/hobby. Some history: I started to learn machine embroidery because the school where I work has a Viking embroidery machine that nobody knew how to use. So I offered to learn how to use it. The Joann store near my school started a free embroidery Viking club, that I have attended. Well, I kind of caught the bug, so to speak, but I just could never ever afford a brand like Viking or Pfaff. Hence the months of research and agonizing and coveting machines. But this package go such good reviews, so I made my decision. And I am very happy. I did contact customer service at the Mr.Vac/Mrs. Sew and they were really great, which is a plus. I didn't feel the most comfortable about buying a machine via the Internet (it's nice to have a real store in case of a problem), but it seems like if I have any reasonable problems that aren't operator (me!) induced, they would be very good about helping me. I've had my machine about 2 weeks and have been playing with it and learning how it works. So far I've had only 2 small problems, and both were my fault. I didn't thread it properly one time (and the machine gave me a message on screen that I needed to fix the upper thread!) and then it took me a while to figure out how to download/upload some free patterns I got from the Brother web-site. But once I figured it out (I was making it more difficult that it needed to be, but that's because I'm not comfortable with computers) gosh it was so easy! I've just been doing practice samples on fabric swatches and so far so good. I love the thread-cutting function, which the more expensive Viking machine my school owns doesn't have! The touch screen is small, but very user friendly once you know the icons and what function they serve. It's hard to see the pattern on-screen when it's being sewn out, but again, given the price point of the machine, I am not going to complain. I figure if I--a kind of technophobe--can figure out how to rotate, enlarge, decrease, mirror etc. without too much pain, anyone can. And this is really much more intuitive than the Viking I was learning first with. Now to the Grand Slam package. Wow. You have everything you need to get started, and given the quantity, this will last a good long while. The thread spools are huge and are working well in my machine. The only caveat there is that sometimes when threading, the thread unspools and twists around the spool pin. Keep an eye on that and you'll be fine. You can always use an enclosed spool net if needed. Tons of bobbins are included; a huge roll of what I think is a medium weight tear away stabilizer which should be OK for many types of fabrics (and you can always double up for more stability). A nifty little embroidery scissors. A CDrom set of zillions of patterns. I haven't used that yet, merely browsed, and while there are many cutesy patterns I know I'll never use, there are some elegant fonts and autumn leaves for example. And I've just browsed one CD so far. I did buy as an add-on, the three hoop package for $30 which was actually a great deal considering how expensive hoops are. I got the repositionable hoop, which is good if you want to add lettering above or below a design and don't want to rehoop; another 4 by 4 (which is nice to have as an extra so you really can jump from one project to another) and a small oval if I want to do any monograms or small designs. This makes sense when you do want to save on stabilizer. All in all, I think I made a sound investment. If you price out things like threads, stabilizers, bobbins and so forth, this really is a very good price for what you get. And honestly: with all the thread and bobbins and stabilizer, all I really need is maybe one or two more stabilizer types to use on other fabric types, and I really don't need anything else. I know that some day I'd like a larger machine embroidery field, and will probably go with the PE770 (embroidery only) because if it's as easy to use as this,I will be quite happy. I haven't even talked about the sewing aspect of the machine! It's easy to forget this is also a sewing machine. I played around with that a bit, too, just doing plain stitching (a nice, straight seam, and the reinforcement stitching/thread cutting is so nice) as well as some of the fancier stitches, just to see how the machine worked and what they looked like. The instruction manual has some pretty good information on using the various presser feet, for example. If you don't have a lot of money to spend, I really recommend this machine/package. I could really live without the Project Runway tie-in, but oh well. Actually: the little carrying case and rolling cart is quite sturdy. It took a while to figure out how to place all the inserts with velcro tabs inside the cart, but once I figured it out, there is a nice space for the machine, the embroidery arm, and any little extras. It seems very durable and well-made. I figure a caddy like that would cost at least $50 on sale, so this is nice to have, too. Maybe I'll go play with my machine some more now!