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Bought a new toy today - Brother SE400 ... Now to swap it for the Elna Lotus I gave my granddaughter...
RipStitcher Intermediate Member since 5/28/12 Posts: 1404	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/28/12 5:15 PM So this was a total impulse purchase. I have a client coming tonight that is going to be bringing her PE270D Disney machine here - and I was going to make a trade with her so I could play with that machine for a couple of months. Mostly, I want to goof around with some digitizing software and see if I like this sort of thing. Need a machine to just stitch out some of my stuff and see how it all comes out. Anyway... she told me she paid something like $1,500 for a Disney Brother... (and I didn't know the model # yet)... so I figured it would be a decent machine. I ran out and bought $200 worth of threads and stabilizer yesterday afternoon so we could play with it tonight.... Then later last night, I found out it was this 270 model - and then researched enough to see that it doesn't have a USB port! Aaaargh. (no usb is a deal breaker for me) I can't wait to see if that is what she really shows up with here tonight. $1,500?!?!?!? Anyway... so I went on to Amazon today and they have the SE400 for $358. I hit the trigger on it... so it will be here tomorrow. Yay. Maybe after it spits out a few cute designs my granddaughter will go nuts for it instead of her Lotus. If she does, then I'll swap her out (evil grandma that I am)... and I'll still buy some decent embroidery machine once I make up my mind. I do want to take this one embroidery class next month... I would get to play with a 4 or 6 needle Babylock. :) ------ nightowlsally.com On my radar someday: Babylock Serger, and some machine for travel. My dearest wish is to have Bernina come out with a machine that doesn't give me a reason to *not* buy it. 2012: New Elna Lotus (mostly for granddaughter), Red Elna Press, Horizon 7700, Gidget 2 Table, Babylock Ellisimo Gold 1970's: Elna SU62 & ElnaPress
tgm and Kittys   Advanced Beginner WI USA Member since 3/8/10 Posts: 7048	Login to reply to this post In reply to RipStitcher << Like this post Date: 9/28/12 5:48 PM edit -- Edited on 9/30/12 11:45 AM -- ------ I am a gal from Kalamazoo.... oh what a gal... smile.... It is in Michigan... la la la ...love that Glen Miller classic! Home of Abigail The Babykins & Lil Mittee kitty >^,,^ Be Still, & Know That I am, God + Please say a prayer for my poor feet. ... + .10 weeks down ..4 weeks more to go.. Shoes & supports ordered. Thanks everyone for your prayers. 6/8/13 smile
karen149   Intermediate CA USA Member since 3/4/05 Posts: 2543	Login to reply to this post In reply to tgm and Kittys << Like this post Date: 9/29/12 1:12 PM Her lucky GD has the lovely and cute new Lotus. I had the Brother LB6800PRW version of this machine and my daughter caught on to it quickly but she wanted decorative stitches which the Innov-ís 950D has. The nice thing about this SE-400 is that you can use the Bobbin Work Kit on it
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 5223	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/29/12 1:31 PM I also started ME on a whim and now, approximately $10,000 later find I use it more for quilting stitches than designs. I have no little ones make cutesy things for. ------ “I don’t give them Hell, I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s Hell.” — Harry Truman
RipStitcher Intermediate Member since 5/28/12 Posts: 1404	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/29/12 11:01 PM OK... the thing got delivered today. Work got in the way for a few hours... but I've had the last couple of hours to play on it. I have been going through the manual on this thing (as my granddaughter is flying through a bin of scraps and turning them into her own little creations for dolls and the dogs around here... she's workin' on the Lotus) .... anyway.... This darn little machine is pretty sweeeeeet! The one thing I did try, though, was to see if my 1/4 inch seam snap on foot would fit on this thing (it could be a great class machine) ... but alas, the foot on the Janome/Elnas don't work on this Brother. The rod that the ankle clicks into is not the same distance from the needle position. So if the foot goes "toes up" (after all we talked about going over bumps lately!!!) ... anyway... if the toe goes "toes up"... the needle on the Brother will hit the Janome foot. Bummer, dude. I was soooooo not gonna buy extra footsies and stuff for this machine... but now that I'm up to about page 70 of the manual, I already want to try the slicing/dicing foot (it's got an optional foot you can buy that turns this little gem into a wannabe-serger!) And of course.. now I want to get a 1/4 inch piecing foot for it. The markings on the needleplate are enough to drive me nuts. The markings are created with the needle in far left position - not center. So the 1/4" mark is somewhere under the foot. Not directly in the center (heck no!) .. nor is it against the right of the foot (heck no, too!)... so that's just goofy to me. But for $358, what do I expect, huh? So the granddaughter wants to play with it... it's got 60some stitches instead of the New Elna Lotus' 18. I still love the feel of the lotus... its just so cute... so before this is over, Grandma is gonna have that Janome 12000 or a 10 needle machine... and that New Lotus as a class machine... and dear granddaughter can have this Brother. So tonight, I think I'm headed to the liquor store to get stuff to make this sangria I had a Joe's Crab Shack a couple of weeks ago... and then the goal is to get a design off Urban Threads (love the stuff there!) and into this little bugger and stitch it out. For what it's worth... if you haven't been to urbanthreads.com, you should check it out.. they have a freebie every once in a while that is super cute.. and right now they have some cute birdies wearing winter scarves. Stay tuned... ------ nightowlsally.com On my radar someday: Babylock Serger, and some machine for travel. My dearest wish is to have Bernina come out with a machine that doesn't give me a reason to *not* buy it. 2012: New Elna Lotus (mostly for granddaughter), Red Elna Press, Horizon 7700, Gidget 2 Table, Babylock Ellisimo Gold 1970's: Elna SU62 & ElnaPress
SouthernStitch   Intermediate Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 8394	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/29/12 11:14 PM Even my Brother Innovis 1200 had that needle left default, and I hated that! There should be a chart in the manual though, that tells you how to easily get a quarter inch, or other size seams too. But you might have to move the needle to the right every time. Have fun! I love urban threads too. Their stuff is a welcome relief from the multitudes of kiddy looking, or overly silly embroidery designs. ------ Bernina 730E, 530, and 350PE Juki TL2010 Singer 221 FW, 403a When life gives you green velvet curtains, make a green velvet dress.
sewplenty   Advanced WA USA Member since 4/1/12 Posts: 156	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/30/12 2:01 AM I have the Brother Innovis 900D which is very similar to yours. It's a great little machine and perfect for the small amount of embroidery work I do. It has a USB and I have downloaded designs. The only reason I do not use it for my main sewing machine is that it is too small. I like a large machine for sewing. But, this Brother has been a workhorse. ------ Brother PC420 Brother 1034D Singer SESQ6700 Singer Signature (New One) New Home Combi DX Singer 319 Singer Featherweight 221
RipStitcher Intermediate Member since 5/28/12 Posts: 1404	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/30/12 2:05 AM So this was fun..... Puckered just a little... but I wanted to see if the sticky stabilizer was enough on quilting cotton to make it behave... the answer: almost. This is going on another handbag of some sort.... I love it. ------ nightowlsally.com On my radar someday: Babylock Serger, and some machine for travel. My dearest wish is to have Bernina come out with a machine that doesn't give me a reason to *not* buy it. 2012: New Elna Lotus (mostly for granddaughter), Red Elna Press, Horizon 7700, Gidget 2 Table, Babylock Ellisimo Gold 1970's: Elna SU62 & ElnaPress
lgrande   Advanced Beginner MT USA Member since 1/18/12 Posts: 1110	Login to reply to this post In reply to RipStitcher << Like this post Date: 9/30/12 9:13 AM Rip, VERY clever!!! ------ Linda Bernina 830LE Bernina B530 Janome 6600P Pfaff 1209 Babylock Evolution Janome 644D
SouthernStitch   Intermediate Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 8394	Login to reply to this post In reply to RipStitcher << Like this post Date: 9/30/12 10:00 AM Ah yes, now you're hooked! Fun, fun! Sometimes makes me nervous, but most of the time it's all good. ------ Bernina 730E, 530, and 350PE Juki TL2010 Singer 221 FW, 403a When life gives you green velvet curtains, make a green velvet dress.

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