Brother CS6000i Review

My pick for best sewing machine for beginners

For beginners learning to sew can be a daunting task. Complex programming and hard to understand controls can make the life a novice hard; it is clear that brother built this machine with beginners in mind. Brother have realized that beginners need to be able to learn the technical skills involved in sewing without the difficulty of programming and maintaining their machine. This is why the cs6000i is my pick for best sewing machine for beginners and my top rated sewing machine.

The CS6000i is simple to use and has plenty of great accessories giving you an excellent environment to hone your skills. Whether you want to start with quilting, clothes or anything else the CS6000i is perfect to start your sewing adventure and will help you become a master seamstress in no time!

Sewing machines aimed at novices often allow for a great learning experience however, uses abilities mature quickly requiring them to update to a more capable machine within a short time. That is where the brother CS6000i steps in. Packed with features it is easy to see why this is one of the most popular machines on the market. Full of features that make the learning process more enjoyable like the, automatic threader and speed control, whilst being versatile enough for more advanced users.

Continue reading my review of the Brother CS6000i to see why it is top of my list of the best sewing machines for beginners.

Key features of the Brother CS6000i

The Brother CS6000i is perfect for beginners since it is incredibly easy to set up and stress-free to operate while containing enough great features for more experienced users.

• 60 Built in stitches, an excellent number of built in stitch for you to use and enjoy when learning to sew including: 20 stiches for clothing, 20 decorative stitches, 6 heirloom stitches, 7 quilting stitches and 7 automatic buttonhole stitches.
• Simply variable sewing speed, changing stitch speed has never been as simple as with the variable speed control. Traditionally stitch speed is varied via a foot control (which is included). Brother have also included a slider that is much easier for beginners to use.
• Needle Threader – automatic, manual needle threading can be messy and difficult for beginners. Brother have included an automatic threader which in one touch will do all your threading for you.
• Large sewing table, great feature for the quilters out who may need more space. The spacious table allows for large projects.
• LCD Display, great way to select desired stitch which is then displayed on the screen.
• Well-lit work area, Brother have included a great light that will make sure that you can see what you are working on.
• Both reverse and forward sewing, this will allow for easy double-stitching with the need to alter the placement of the material.
• Needle up down button
• Light weight, beginners often take part in classes either in the community or education institute so being portable is a must. Heavy metal framed sewing machines that are difficult to manoeuvre are not recommended for beginners.

Perfect for beginners

The Brother CS6000i is one of the most popular sewing machines among beginners because of how simple it is to operate. You will not need to study the instruction booklet to understand complicated programming just to start basic stitches on your favorite fabrics. Computerized machines can often be complicated and difficult to use. The CS6000i has been designed to be really easy to use.

Brother always produce quality machines at great prices. The quality performance for so cheap is what makes this machine the best on the market for beginners. It performed great with any fabric I used. Having spent many using this machine I was very impressed. A great inclusion for the beginners out there is the ability to change the speed of the needle. I teach people to sew and it is great to be able to slow things down while my student build up some basic skills before speeding things up. This will be especially useful for those wishing to learn from home.

Foot pedal control can be difficult when you are starting out. Not a problem here since the CS6000i features auto sewing. When needed it is super easy to turn on the auto sewing, allowing your material to glide effortlessly through the machine. Activated by a simple button press you can switch it off to quickly move your work.

Another great feature is the needle up down button, as the name suggest pressing will raise and lower the needle, replacing the wheel on older machines. You can also program the machine to stop the needle in either the up position or down position depending on what you need. If you are going to need to turn you fabric then it is so handy to have the needle finish in the lower position. This will give you the chance to turn you material and continue the stitch without a skip.

Whilst many people prefer a more traditional display I would definitely recommend giving the LCD display a go. It’s a clear, ergonomic and clutter free way of showing you the relevant information without taking up to much space. I think having a LCD display is great for beginners as it makes selecting you stitch that much easier. Not to mention the handy diagram on the side of the machine that displays all your available stitches.

Often seamstresses are put off computerized machines because they are more difficult to use then a more traditional mechanical machine. Brother have made the CS6000i LCD display super quick and easy to navigate with only 4 buttons for the screen, navigation is no problem. For example to select a stitch you use the buttons on the bottom left of the screen. The button on the left will select your first digit and the right one will select you second digit. This makes it so quick and easy to select your desired stitch.

Great for Kids

I often get asked if I can recommend a machine for someone to buy for their child. When buying for a child what you need is a machine that is easy to use, in-expensive and safe to use. The brother CS6000i fits all these criteria and is really great pick if you want to buy your child there first machine.

If you are interested in buying a sewing machine for your child take a look at my top sewing machines for kids.

What’s Included?

Brother have included 9 accessory feet and all of the expected extras are included such as needle sets, bobbins, a screwdriver, maintenance brush, seam ripper, spool pin, spool cap and eyelet punch. You will also receive a travel/storage case, fantastic for transporting to and from classes. For those wishing to take on larger projects, such as quilting, a wide table that is detachable is included along with 25 year warranty and instruction booklet that is in Spanish as well as English.

The Feet that are included are the buttonhole foot, overcasting foot, quilting foot, monogramming foot and spring action foot. Depending on what type of project that you are doing the Brother CS6000i has a foot to help you keep proper tension and the fabric feeding correctly.

The built in flashlight illuminates your work space incredibly well so the brother works great in any room, even when the light is poor or working on dark fabric. This great feature means that you will not need to worry about when or where you do your sewing, the built in light will guaranty that the work space is well lit.

Quilting and Crafting

For those wishing to apply their newly acquired skills to crafting and quilting the CS6000i is a great machine. Its large table and array of additional features make it a fantastic choice for whose wanting to expand their knowledge to create beautiful designs on quilts, throws, clothes and embroidery. When a baby blanket for my new born niece I was surprised at how well it handles larger products.

Brother have included three fantastic accessories for those wishing to produce quilts and crafting. The quilting/walking foot will help you equally feed all your layers through the machine while the quilting guide will help you maintain stitch spacing. Brother have also included 7 stitches especially for quilting.  What I love most about these inclusions is how versatile this machine is. No need to purchase a separate machine for quilting, the CS6000i can do it all!

With the CS6000i we have a machine that has enough great features to keep more advanced seamstresses busy whilst being user friendly enough for a complete beginner to learn a wide range of skills. Having been built to an incredibly high standard it has all the basic features that a novice will want when staring out: zig-zag stitch for reinforcing buttonholes, forward/reverse sewing for easy double stitching and overcast stitches to keep your edges nice and neat. Not only that but you can say goodbye to messy needle threading since the CS6000i will do it for you!

60 built in stitches

Versatility is name of the game here! As well as 60 unique stitch types already built in the CS6000i includes 100 stitch functions as well as the ability to be programmed. There is a clear key on the body of the machine helping you choose the stitch that want without having to go to the booklet. Brother have included the ability to program stitches up to a length of 5 mm and a width of 7 mm. Featuring a fantastic sewing speed of up to 850 stitches per minute and variety of foot attachments its truly an all-purpose machine.

For many, sewing offers a fantastic opportunity to customize or even make their own clothing. To achieve this you will need to have the right tools at your disposal. Lucky for us Brother have included have included a fantastic range of stitches to help us make beautiful clothing.

27 unique stitches perfect for clothes:

• Blind Stitch, Creates an almost invisible stitch perfect for clothing!
• Variety of buttonhole stitches, 7 in total suitable for all different weights of fabrics and different styles.
• Overcast stitches, great for keeping edges nice and neat.
• Basting Stitch, allows for clothing to be sized correctly by temporarily securing seams.
• Triple stretch stitch, perfect for making seams strong on garments that may need to be more hard wearing.

In my experience machine offers great options for making clothes and along with the brilliant stitching options Brother also included some accessories to help along the way. The buttonhole foot is fantastic for making consistent buttonholes, accompanied by the button fitting foot. Adding zippers to your new wardrobe will be a piece of cake with the included zipper foot.

Down sides

While there isn’t much to complain able about there are a couple of things that you should be aware about before buying this machine.

The needles that come with the machine do break quite easily and will need replacing often. I suggest you buy yourself some high quality needles from the get go and save yourself some hassle.

Another issue is the lower tension. Sometimes the bobbin thread will tangle and you will get a big ball of thread gets sewed into your fabric. You then need to cut it out and rewind the bobbin. Anyone who has ever owned a sewing machines is aware that most machine will have some problems with the tension. I have owned many machines over the years and even you most expensive ones have some sort problem with tension, sometimes upper, sometimes lower, sometimes both. This is a really irritating thing to keep happening especially if you sew a lot. There isn’t really a way to avoid it, however once you know the tension problem that your machine suffers with you will learn how to fix it quickly. I wouldn’t let this put you off since this will always be a problem regardless of your machine.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Lightweight and includes storage case making it extremely portable
• Backlit display
• Built-in light keeps work area well lit
• Super easy to use!
• Detachable tale extension and foot options.
• Consistent stitching
• Fantastic value for money

Cons

• Lower tension issues
• May need to buy better needles

Conclusion

Taking everything into account, it is one of the most well rounded machines available – especially for beginners. What brother have managed cram into such a lightweight and compact sewing machine is amazing. The CS6000i is a fantastic machine full of great features capable of high quality pieces of work.

I believe this is one of the best sewing machines available for beginners however, it is also suitable for experienced users. For those looking for an easier to use machine regardless of their ability level you will hugely benefit from this machine. The CS6000i give you fantastic value for our money, there isn’t a better machine available in this price range.

For some users, they need to use more advanced programs which is completely possible with this machine. Once you have advanced past novice level and want to learn more difficult techniques you will be able learn these more advanced methods very quickly with this machine.

If you want to program the machine to do something more complicated, you can do that, too. In fact, this machine may be an ideal machine for beginners, but they won’t be beginners for long. It can help you learn different techniques and methods of working much more quickly than many of its rivals.

The lightweight and carry case is great for carrying around with you and its ease of use means that is incredibly easy to use. The LCD screen will allow you to keep up with what you are doing and make sure that you are using the correct set up for the type of sewing that you are doing.

This is a perfect machine for beginners with a great range of features suitable for many more experienced users which I highly recommend.