Brother PE540D Disney Embroidery Only Machine

We are real noobs and novices when it comes to sewing machines or embroidery machines. My wife and kids are fans of mickey mouse and we got this automatic embroidery machine due to the ability to embroider not only letters and numbers but also tons of other designs for decorating different clothing items. This is so easy to use and the excellent instructions provided with the machine made it absolutely easy for novices like us to produce some amazing embroidery patterns for holiday gifting. Do note that this is an embroidery ONLY machine and is not a sewing machine. The machine came very neatly packed and there are a number of nice accessories included such as bobbins, scissors, extra sets of needles, embroidery frame, USB cable, dust cover etc. Unpacking was easy and the set of quick start instructions as well as the detailed operation manual had detailed images and provided excellent instructions for getting started. If you want to begin embroidering some complex multi-color patterns, do get some additional bobbins and some extra color threads. The manual has specific instructions on the type of bobbin and threads to use. The mickey design pattern guide also provides what color threads you would need for specific designs. For beginners, there is essentially very little set-up involved. Unpack and slide the embroidery unit in to the main machine, plug in the power cable and you are ready to start. You begin by winding some thread on to one of the bobbins (four provided - three in the bag and one pre-installed in to the machine). The machine comes with a basic white thread and we started with it and tried a pattern (Welcome) on a dark-colored napkin. After winding, you pop the bobbin in to the machine and then thread the upper thread in to the machine. We loved that fact that there is a nice system that even threads it through the eye of the needle - So, you dont have to struggle manually for this. Once both threads are in place, you need to place your cloth in between the two frames, stretch and tighten it, pop it in to the machine and start programming the pattern through the touch screen LCD panel. The machine has a number of built-in designs including mickey patterns. You can also connect the machine to a computer and download designs (mostly paid ones, but also some free ones). You can also get an 'embroidery card' which is like an SD card (I would have preferred that the machine accepted SD cards or thumb drives). The negative is that machine has very little internal memory. So you cannot store many patterns on the machine. In our initial pattern, we chose the "font" (three different letter styles), keyed in the letters, their size and hit start. Voila, in a few minutes we had the design nicely embroidered on the napkin - neat! Our subsequent trials with complex patterns taught us a few things. Sometimes, the thread snaps - the machine automatically stops in such cases - you can then wind the appropriate thread, manually go back a few cycles (by pushing the - button on the LCD) and then start again. If you did not manually go back you often get a "missed portion" in the middle of the pattern. In addition, when the machine starts, it does a thick "holding stitch"; So you see a bunch of thread at the bottom side of the design. Also, you are able to adjust the thread tension if you notice the pattern produced has some loose stitches. The machine also has a number of other cool features such as generating outline pattern for an 'applique' fabric, auto threading the needle as mentioned above, a neat LCD lamp that illuminates the stitching area, seamless communication with the computer for design downloads and the machine itself is very compact taking less than 2'x1' near our computer table. Overall, a neat embroidery machine very easy to use even for a beginner, produces very nice results. Would have loved more memory or the ability to directly use usb drives/SD cards. The somewhat odd positioning of the embroidery unit does not make it easy to use existing shirts/blouses. Napkins and other small cloths fit more easily through there than shirt for example.

Great machine. Easy to understand and use and I love the Disney designs!

Great machine for small projects

Nana is having so much fun with this embroidery machine! Love the built in Disney and Pixar patterns. Also importing .pes patterns from my laptop is very easy to do. I'm looking forward to completing many more products for my grandkids.

I absolutely love it. Still trying to figure out everything it does but so easy to use.

So awesome for my classroom. Very easy to use and the kids love creating custom items!

This is my second Disney machine. I loved my first one when my children were little. Now, this is my second one to make beautiful things for my granchildren.

Wow did it ever meet my expectations and more. It is so much fun. The kids are always picking what they want to have embroidered. FUN!

This is my first embroidery machine - even though - it is ver basic - it does everything i need it to. I love it. very very easy to use.