Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought the Brother Designio after weeks of searching, comparing features, brands, models, and prices. This machine seemed to be the right fit for me - I sew clothing, so I probably will never use it to quilt. I bought this Brother to replace an older Husqvarna, so it had some pretty big shoes to fill. Because I like to sew knits like ponte, jersey, and stretchy poly/nylon/lycra/spandex blends, I desperately needed a machine with the additional feed dogs to help obtain higher quality seams that aren't stretched out and wavy. The Designio does an amazing job! This past weekend, I made some beautiful fingerless gloves out of a double layer of Hancock's Ponte fabric to test out the machine - and was able to stitch perfectly flat seams thru 4 thick layers of stretch fabric without ANY shifting of the layers. I even added some decorative top stitches to fell the seams, how fun!! The gloves turned out super cute. I'm extremely pleased with the functionality of the machine. The stitching is beautiful and the machine seems fairly rugged and durable, which is precisely what I was looking for. What I'm not quite as happy about: 1. the thread holder on top of the machine seems excessively fragile, and I'm confident that it's only a matter of time until I break it. Simply sliding the end cap over the thread spool is too much pressure for it - you have to hold it with 2 hands to make sure that you aren't pushing too hard. 2. The accessory tray is small and everything is "dumped in" there and it's tough to dig out what you're looking for without emptying everything (my Husqvarna had a removable tray that neatly held bobbins and presser feet, which is already greatly missed). 3. The free arm seems too wide and thick, and is "squared off" not nice and angular for easy twisting of long sleeves and pantlegs. If you're a quilter, clearly this won't be a problem for you. 4. Both Amazon and the Designio box promise 12 presser feet - but only 10 presser feet came with my machine. I need to take a moment to figure out which feet are missing so I can request them from Amazon. Those negatives are potentially big things or small things, depending on your preferences. The Brother Designio machine is priced right, looks sleek, sews perfect stitches (I tested most of them on scrap fabric), and is nice and quiet. Absolutely love the needle up/down feature which I've never had before. Winding the bobbin thread couldn't be easier. I'm very pleased with this purchase and would certainly recommend it to others, both beginning and advanced seamstresses. I also bought the matching Brother Designio 1134 Serger; and will be doing a review for that machine once I get some practice with it. Happy Sewing!