Brother Embroidery Machine, PE770, 5” x 7” Embroidery Machine with Built-in Memory, USB Port, 6 Lettering Fonts, 136 Built-in Designs

This machine is awesome. I am so very happy with my selection in Brother and in choosing this particular machine that brings me fully into the digital age of sewing and crafting.Setting the merits of the machine aside for a moment, little did I realize just how many beautiful patterns are out there for download at surprisingly little cost. I see that machine embroidery is a lifelong hobby of which I will never tire because I am presented with endless possibilities that will enhance my crafting, making it more fun and satisfying.Back to the machine. The Brother machine was easy to set up and is easy to use. While I have done plenty of sewing over the years, I had never used an embroidery machine and had only viewed You Tube videos of how the machines operate. I admit that I am still learning how to use some features, but I was able to produce a pattern within my first hour after initial set-up. Since then I have worked out the kinks to produce some beautiful patterns for mini-pillows and kitchen towels. Yes, I've had a few broken needles because I allowed the thread to become tangled, and I have had some thread breaks. One does need to monitor the machine throughout the stitching process. However, these issues allowed me to learn how to change the needle and how to correct errors and still come out with a nice finished product. I have learned how to correct errors using the machine's computer to back up and re-stitch, and how to advance to a specific portion of a pattern when I've had to turn the machine off in the middle of a project. Changing the bobbin in the middle of a pattern is easy. It seems as though Brother has thought of pretty much everything in designing a machine that is user-friendly and one that produces surprisingly professional results for home crafters. I am very much amazed at the advances that have been made in home sewing.I note that it's important to choose good thread. I tried Embroidex but returned it after suffering through machine jams, and I could see that the thread was twisting as it came off the spool before it ever reached the needle. Coats and Clark works well but is prohibitively expensive. I have settled on ThreaDelight which is both very affordable and seems to be a quality product. I hope to get the full spectrum of 260 colors soon.While Brother provides quite a few starter patterns and some lettering that resides in the machine, the best way to produce beautiful projects is to purchase online patterns and fonts. I am using Embroidery Library patterns and will remain loyal to this online site because of the pricing and the fact that customers are treated to free patterns on occasion. Also, every pattern is quality -- every one has stitched out perfectly and accurately. The site also offers thread color conversion which makes it easy for using most any type of popular embroidery thread. The company employs digital artists who spit out wonderful patterns on a daily basis. I now have an "Embroidery Library" of patterns in my computer that will keep me in projects for the foreseeable future!I tried using two freeware digital editors to produce my own patterns or edit purchased designs but found that they were very limited in what they could do, and they both seemed to have bugs. I will eventually purchase Embird or one of the other editors for sale so that I have all available and up-to-date software features for functions such as pattern splitting, True Type font manipulation, etc.For anyone considering their first embroidery machine, I recommend that you be as organized as possible from the start. You will be downloading lots of stuff! Each pattern and pattern size that you choose to purchase online has its own digital file. Each pattern has its own associated "color change" sheet. I already have a couple hundred files in my computer for embroidery. While there's nothing confusing about downloading, it does require being organized. Since the Brother machine only stores a few patterns, and the patterns are not that easily discernible on its LCD screen, I maintain all of my embroidery files in a folder on my hard drive and bypass using the Brother machine for pattern storage. I load only one embroidery file at a time onto my thumb drive, for whatever project I'm going to produce, upload it into the machine, and delete it from both the machine and thumb drive when I'm done. This works for me.Brother might have done us a favor by revealing that maximum stitch count for any one pattern is 50,000 stitches. I discovered this on the Embroidery Library site (the site has a list of embroidery machines and the maximum stitch count of each). This limitation is no problem, however, considering that most every 5 x 7 pattern at Embroidery Library is under 50,000 stitches. Also, there is no information available, as far as my research found, of the stitch life of the machine, if there is one, and when servicing should occur. These facts would have been helpful in analyzing which machine to purchase. The spool holder might have been a little better designed because it does seem to lend itself to thread tangles, but the machine is sturdy, heavy, and looks nice on your sewing table. I'm still fascinated watching it stitch out the patterns. And while I don't relish thread breaks when they do occasionally occur, I figure it's part of the process of machine embroidery and partaking in this hobby.Overall, the Brother machine does what it purports to do at an affordable price. For the home crafter, it opens up a whole new world of crafting possibilities and allows one to turn creative impulses into completed projects that are professional, colorful and beautiful. I don't write Amazon reviews often, but the Brother PE770, in my opinion, deserves a 5-Star rating.

I am totally brand-new to embroidery - never even watched someone use such a machine - and I am on my third T-shirt now and as happy as I have not been in a long time in my adult life. This is so much fun! The machine works great right out of the box.I was so disappointed at the prices at the stores that I almost passed on embroidery all together. Some folks in the stores seem to think everyone can afford to spend thousands and if you don't, you are just being stubborn. When I found out about the low end Brother machines, I was excited again. The SE400 seems to be great and has great reviews, but I wanted the 5" by 7" embroidery area. Also, I already have a sewing machine, so I did not need the dual function of the SE400 that people like.The PE770 has some nasty one star reviews, though, so I hesitated. One review (not one star) mentioned Vince Arcuri's you tube videos, and that gentleman gave me confidence in the machine again. I watched his intro to the PE770, and he has such a calm and positive manner and shows the machine in operation that I could see it may well work for me. Thank you so much, Vince Arcuri! I am so glad I got a PE770. It is really all I needed and works great so far.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVRl7KhRRJo&list=PLY8PAYIO5y19XAvmOsD9zBqCsUVtzkEYO&index=1I did a few things to give us (the machine and me) the best chance:1) I ordered the two stabilizers and the glue spray Vince Arcuri shows in his video right here on Amazon, (have since ordered cut-away stabilizer also, since the T-shirt designs will probably distort with the wash away over time) and I am using two layers of the wash away on the bottom and the clear stuff on top with the spay to hold the fabric in place, Tear & Wash Away - Machine Embroidery Stabilizer Backing Medium Weight 2.0oz. Roll of 12 in X 50 Yds Sulky 12-Inch by 9-Yard Solvy Water Soluble Stabilizer Roll Sulky 4.23-Ounce Temporary Spray Adhesive 2) I researched and ordered the recommended bobbin threads for the machine in pre-wound bobbins since people said they work better than the home-wound bobbins - I think it matters to get the 90 weight bobbin thread and that was a little more expensive than the abundant ones that come in a case of 144, here is a link to the ones that work for me 20 Prewound 90 Weight Thread Embroidery Bobbins Size A Class 15 Style 15J For Brother Baby Lock SA156 3) I got very good thread - had a special pack of 35 Isacord threads that I picked up on sale when I was shopping for machines in the stores and found an even better deal on eBay (25 spools for 90.- where you can pick your own colors and sometimes people sell used spools that are still pretty full at a good price) - anyway, - Isacord is supposed to be one of the best and the machine runs great with those - it is making a mouse in a pin box, cute sewing design with 31 thread changes as I type this review and everything is working like clockwork – smiling from ear to ear every time I go back to the machine to change threads and see my cute design developing4) I did read the manual on threading the machine and carefully cut all loose threads off, stopping the machine after the first few stitches for each color to cut the top thread ( as Vince Arcuri showed in his you tube video) - one did get sucked in when I did not stop the machine in time - I cut the mess off on the bottom and it was no problem, but I try very hard not to let that happen and catch the loose ends before the machine gets going on each color - you can press a button to start, stop, and re-start - it is very convenient for me (am not mass producing, so no worries about the time it takes at the moment - maybe I can ask the machine to cut the threads but I have not been motivated to find out yet - just excited to see it work!)5) Not sure this helps, but it made me feel better to set the max speed to the lower setting before sewingSince I am so new to embroidery, I cannot say if the machine would meet expectations of someone experienced, but for a beginner like me, I can highly recommend it!With Amazon's return policy, I felt like I could try this machine even if there may be individual lemons out there - I am planning to use it as much as possible right away to test it. So far 5 Stars all the way.Oh, and by the way, that is in spite of the fact that the poor thing has been shipped upside down! I am not sure what brainiac did this, but someone put the PE770 box inside another box upside down, and the outer box was delivered right-side-up, of course, so the machine probably traveled upside down for a few days. Still - it is fine and I am keeping it! =]Beginners should also be aware that a machine like this cannot change your design and the screen for viewing the design is not very useful (does not bother me - I put one design at a time on my memory stick and I know what the machine sees on the stick) - software to manipulate designs is very expensive and somewhat complicated, depending on what computer skills you have and what you want to do (change colors or size all the way to digitize your own designs) – I felt that you really need some basic program, which may be found under 200.-, to view the design and the colors and stich order, so you can pick colors from the threads you have and know where in the design they show up – I did this with two free trial versions of software I downloaded for testing so far but they expire after 30 days - you also need some software to do multiple lines of text, like a quilt label and have the spacing perfect, I think - I did one line of text on the machine without software: my name - could reposition the needle to write the next line but would have to guess the spacing, from what I see so farI am fairly computer savvy and want to digitize photos of animals - downloaded a free trial version of PE Design 10 and Embird and decided to buy the Embird, but there is other software also - I heard about SewEasy, for example, but have not looked at it. Be prepared to pay as much for some software packages as you paid for the machine, or more. Embird comes in modules, to allow us to start with what we can afford and build on it. Nice for beginners, I think. The basic module does a lot and is 164.- to download from online. That’s the one I decided on.Just to be clear, the software I am talking about runs on a computer, which you need to have if you want to go this route, it does not run on the embroidery machine. Designs can be transferred from your computer on a memory stick to the PE770. That is a pretty cool feature, and I understand, not available on all embroidery machines. Even if you don't buy the software, the stick transfer can be used for designs bought on the internet with your computer. Free designs are also available on the internet. Pretty cool!

Love this machine. Does lovely work and is easy to use

Great home embroidery machine. It takes some practice to get decent results and keep in mind that it doesn't come with any software. It's pretty useless without software, so expect to pay at least another $500 for a basic software program. I've done company logos on shirts, jackets, and hats (hats are a bit tricky) with pretty nice results.Hopefully it lasts... so far so good.

I am very pleased with this item. I still need to learn how to use it but works perfect and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to imbroider. I'm obsessed with mine . Thank you again for awsome services.

I love this machine. Only don't think like I did, that you could embroider the embroidery from embroidery.com without any trouble. It's not because of the PE770 but because their colors are all wrong when you put it on your USB stick. You will need to embroider an item a few times to know what to change each color to. That can be frustrating and a waste of thread.

easy to use.