There’s a good distinction between the instructions for winding the bobbin and threading the top half, so you don’t get them confused. The Brother LS14 is a really great place to start if you’re a novice sewer or wishing to start a new hobby with a beginner’s machine. This model was introduced to Brother’s range in 2011 it’s small and relatively lightweight with easy to use instructions and a simple threading system.

Brother LS14 Sewing Machine Review - Textile Futures Brother LS14 Sewing Machine Review - Textile Futures

To help you achieve the best possible stitch quality across different fabrics the Brother LS14 adjusts the tension of the upper thread using an Adjustable / Manual Control. Adjustable upper thread tension gives you complete control over the tension of the upper thread and this tension can be manually adjusted to balance the tension of your stitches. This model appears to have no special features for presser foot adjustment, so if this feature is important to you, you may like to consider machines with manual / adjustable presser foot pressure. The Ls14s also struggled to sew perfectly straight, even when I drew straight lines on the fabric. The foot doesn’t grip the fabric enough when you’re sewing multiple layers, so it does wander slightly to the left or right by 1/8″ (3mm). You can’t adjust the foot pressure to improve this. If you don’t care about sewing really precisely, then it’s not a big deal. Basic stitches include a straight stitch which while the most elementary of stitches, is useful for securing the start and end of seams as well as sewing two pieces of fabric together. As like most of Brother's sewing machines, the LS14S features a traditional metal chassis sewing machine. This not only gives the machine the ability to support all of its internal mechanisms with ease, but the rigid metal frame provides stability to prevent accidents.Expect the stitch length to become small and uneven over the humps. To be fair, all the beginner machines I tested did this too. As long as your thread matches the fabric, you won’t be able to tell. Inconsistent stitch length I would buy this as a first sewing machine for kids too, but again it wouldn’t be my first choice, it’s my budget choice. It doesn’t have speed control, or the ability to sew without the foot pedal (using the start/stop button). Freehand stitching is not available on this sewing machine as the feed dogs that grip your fabric underneath cannot be lowered allowing freedom in stitching. The first time I sewed buttonholes, the left and right bars were uneven. Brother obviously knows about this because they designed a “buttonhole screw” to fix it. It’s a bit of work the first time, but then you don’t need to do it again.

Brother Sewing machines | Argos Brother Sewing machines | Argos

It’s OK, but not amazing. You’ll get the most important stitches, but very few stretch, overcasting (=stops fraying), and embroidery ones. The blind hem stitch is really hard to use without the blind hem foot. This is not included with the machine. You have almost no control over the stitch length, width, or needle position. And the free arm is too big for small tubes. I like the clear top-loading bobbin (also known as a drop-in bobbin). It lets you see when you’re almost out of thread. And most importantly, it doesn’t get jammed like front-loading systems do. Another advantage of an LED light is the fact that you will not have to replace the bulb or replace its batteries so it lasts longer. Stitch types on the Brother LS14 include: Straight Stitch, Buttonhole, Decorative, Zigzag. The buttonhole process is a 4 Step Buttonhole. 4 step buttonholes are created in stages and are a more manual process than 1 step buttonholes. You can change the needle after turning off the product with the on/off switch. When cleaning the product you should disconnect it from the power supply.

This is a standard fitting finger guard, this screws onto your foot shank with the foot shank screw, see other photo And the blind hem stitch is really hard to use without a blind hem foot. I couldn’t sew perfectly straight with the standard foot, so many of my blind hem stitches didn’t catch the hem! I don’t think you’ll notice this issue if you’re sewing with matching thread. But if you’re topstitching with a contrasting thread, it will stand out and look messy.