Brother LS14S Metal Chassis Sewing Machine

Product Information

In a matching thread you wouldn’t notice this, but if you use a contrasting thread it would look messy. For comparison, all of the budget machines I tested had this issue. 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. It would be hard to find a sewing machine that is as easy to use as the Brother LS14. Due to it been a budget sewing machine and therefore rather limited in terms of features, it is obviously going to be far easier to use than a computerised sewing machine. It is however, the limitations of the Brother LS14 that make it a good model for both beginners and kids. To select a stitch all that has to be done is to simply turn the dial to the required stitch, it couldn’t be easier. For more information on how to operate the LS14, see the official manual from Brother. Stitches and Buttonholes I measured how loud the Ls14s was at slow, medium, and high speeds. I used the Sound Level Meter (Android) app. For comparison, I also measured how noisy my personal machine was, the computerized Brother a150. Speed There’s nothing wrong with the blind hem stitch itself, but in practice, it’s really hard to use without a blind hem foot.

It’s definitely worth the money – although if you have any accessibility concerns, read that section of this review before you dive in. Not really. It’s one of the cheapest sewing machines on the market, so build quality isn’t great. I think it’s best suited for light use. The cons are: you have almost no control over the stitch length, width, and needle position. Its free arm is too big, so you’ll need to sew small tubes without it. And you don’t have many options for stretch, overcasting (= stops fraying), or embroidery stitches.When removed the flat bed attachment doesn’t give you that much of a smaller worksurface. Cuffs and narrow trouser legs most likely wouldn’t fit around the smaller arm unless their circumference is larger than 32cm. The path for threading the machine to the thread take-up lever is the same as for normally threading the machine (for a single needle). Refer to How do I thread my machine? I think its slowest speed is manageable, but it’s still faster than computerized machines. If you want something that can go really slowly, here’s what I recommend instead. Slow speeds are useful for careful tasks like topstitching. Overall it’s quite easy to thread. There’s no needle threader, but I like the threading instructions printed on the machine. 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

The manual is quite brief, however there are good basic instructions for the features of the machine as well as an instructional DVD. The machine has a small harp space (the central gap) so isn’t great for larger projects such as quilts or bulky clothing, but fine for alterations, making lighter weight garments and small-medium sized homewares. You can’t disable the dog teeth, which means you couldn’t free motion quilt on this machine.Its throat space is big enough to make large quilts. I could easily fit my 100″ king-size quilt inside, which was a happy surprise! The stitch length is affected by how fast or slow you sew. So if you start fast and then slow down, your stitches will be different lengths. For comparison, all of the beginner machines I tested also have this problem. You can’t lower the feed dogs for free-motion quilting. Basic sewing machines normally come with a “darning plate” instead which covers the feed dogs. But this machine makes you buy it separately, so that’s another expense. If the bobbin thread was incorrectly threaded, the upper thread may be too tight. In this case, refer to “ How do I install the bobbin wound with thread?” I also had problems with the top layer shifting. To be fair, all the other beginner machines had this issue too.