New Machine!

I started looking into embroidery machines a couple of months ago. I REALLY liked the Husqvarna Viking Designer SE. It was a dream…..it was also $3000 and out of the question. Because I had never embroidered a thing in my life, I decided that perhaps spending that kind of money was not wise and that I should start small. I kept doing more research and decided I wanted the machine to have a USB port so that I could connect it to the computer without having to use cards and what not. The Brother Inno-vis 900 fit the bill to the T. It also came with preloaded Disney designs which hiked the price up to about $900. Again, way too much.

I found the machine I would ultimately buy while browsing the PR forums. The machine is the Inno-vis 900 without the Disney designs and with a different name. I didn’t care for those designs so that was OK with me. The Home Shopping Network (yes, I know) had it for $500 and it was the only place you could buy it new. I went to eBay instead and found an authorized Brother dealer selling factory refurbished ones for $399. Even better! It even came with the same 25 year warranty that the new ones have. After selling my soul (OK, OK, just a pair of shoes) I went ahead and ordered it. I was feeling sick to my stomach, imagine what it would have been like if I had bought the Viking one!

It arrived the day before yesterday and I immediately took it out of the box and tried it out. By night time, I had already even tried the embroidery functions. I won’t lie, I was having buyer’s remorse and I wasn’t sure if I would keep it or not but the more I use it the more I love it. It’s not the embroidery thing that is growing on me (although I do like it), it’s the sewing features that my other machine, also a Brother, lacks.

The machines are fairly similar in size with the new machine, HE 240, being heavier but that’s because my other machine, a CE5000PRW, is VERY light. The new one has 67 stitches and most of them are utility stitches. The decorative stitches are much better in the older machine. It’s hard to pick my favorite function because there are a few and I like them equally so I will just list them.

This machine has a thread cutting function. Once you are done sewing you just press a button and the machine cuts the threads for you. No more digging for tiny scissors under my piles and piles of junk. How did I ever manage without this??? Could I ever go back to cutting it myself? I don’t know but I don’t think I want to find out! Then there’s the Start/Stop function. Who says you need to make your foot sore pressing a stupid pedal??? With this baby, you just push a button and it starts sewing; push again and it stops. Hello! I am lazy so this is a GREAT function for me.

I hate threading needles and while my old machine has a needle threader, it’s not always accurate. This machine has a much better threading system and it threads the needle effortlessly EVERY SINGLE TIME. How about that button stitch? Love it! No more reaching around the machine trying to find that stubborn feed dog lever to lower it and then mess around with the zigzag stitch until you got it right. Just select the stitch, it automatically sets the stitch with to 3.5mm and the length to 0, put the button foot in the shank, place the button in the middle and stitch away. I sewed 8 buttons on today and it worked every time.

As for the embroidery, well, I definitely need to learn a heck of a lot more about it but the stuff I have embroidered has turned out great. I love sitting there watching the machine do its thing without any human input (other than design selection and Start button press). I remember the days when people had to sit in front of a machine with the fabric hooped in a round wooded hoop and manually move the hoop around under the needle. THOSE people can truly embroider, I just know how to push buttons.

I have the feeling I will be keeping the machine after all.