Brother GX37 Lightweight Portable Mechanical Sewing Machine with 37 Built-In Stitches

The Brother GX37 Sewing Machine is a joy to use. Some improvements over the old models include: self-threading bobbin, automatic one-step buttonhole maker, and an auto-size feature(There is a place on the buttonhole foot to insert a button, and the machine will automatically make the right size buttonhole for it!). I would encourage everyone to view the instructional DVD, and then set up and use the machine while playing the DVD again. It's a very good idea to practice on a piece of fabric, so you can learn the ins and outs of the machine. I found a few things that didn't go exactly as the DVD said they would. I was able to adjust my application of the directions, and got the same great results(For me, they were; the auto-size feature on the buttonhole foot makes the buttonholes a bit too big. I just use a slightly smaller button than I'm going to put on the garment, and the buttonhole is the right size. Also, I have the bobbin thread a little longer than the video recommends. I like the see-through cover on the bobbin case, so I can see at a glance how much thread there is. Most of all, I like being able to go over the DVD instructions, and being able to pause the video and pick up again when I've mastered the instructions. The decorative stitches add a lovely touch to linens and quilts. There is so much more I'll be able to do with this machine, than with my old basic Brother. I went online and signed up for online sewing courses, and checked out Youtube--the possibilities are endless!

I was given this product free for my honest opinion. I have been a seamstress, not professional but, a seamstress nonetheless since I was about 13. My grandmother, a professional seamstress, taught me how to sew at an early age and it carried over into my teen years with Home Economics (when it was part of school curriculum). I have had a "Jeans Machine" sewing machine for about 30 years and it was about time to replace it anyway. This machine is incredibly easy to learn and use. Threading is simple, bobbin spooling very easy. It has some changes I'm not used to but will, in time, become accustomed to it. No quirks with the function of the sewing machine at all. The instruction pamphlet is very detailed as well as the disk that came with the machine, which I have yet to have to use to figure out the machine. I has a 37-stitch configuration, button holes, blind stitching, straight stitching, zig zag and the like. I love the variety of stitches available and, hopefully, I'll have a chance to use most of them. The machine operation is very smooth and quiet. My old machine sounds like a lawn mower these days, so it is a nice change. The machine also comes with a horizontal bobbin load with a clear case so no more, oops, I'm out of bobbin thread. I LOVE THIS FEATURE. I have always had vertical loading bobbins and, number 1, hard to manipulate (kind of a feel type load) but, this has the horizontal load "as nature intended" so to speak bobbin. I would recommend this product to anyone who is experienced and even the newbie just starting out. VERY user friendly machine. Plus Brother is a brand you can trust.