Let me introduce my brother!

.....I mean my new sewing machine of course!

I picked it up last week and it was love at first stitch! I am the kind of person that will research something to death and that is exactly what I did when deciding which machine to go for. In fact I was doing so much googling, that I even roped my husband into researching what to go for. Slightly OCD I hear you shout! well, yes maybe, but I wanted to make sure I got the perfect machine for me.  I was worried that if I didn't and it was too difficult to use, it may dampen my enthusiasm for my new hobby and then it would gather dust in the back of my wardrobe along with the hula hoop that I bought to keep in shape and the jeans that will fit me one day!!

I narrowed it down to either Brother or Singer and plumped for the Brother as I felt I got a little bit more for my money than the Singer ones.

And here she is, behold the Brother XN1700, isn't she a beauty - all shiny and new!

I did originally look at second hand ones, but eventually decided on a new one. However if you want to give sewing a try but don't want to buy a new one in case you find its not for you, then there are plenty of good second hand ones to be had and would suggest you look at eBay, preloved, gumtree or your local freecycle group.

I bought mine from John Lewis for £119. It wasn't the cheapest one there but still in the bottom end of the price range. It comes with a 3 year guarantee as well. It has everything I need as a beginner from a sewing machine and can't wait to get stuck in!