Looking for a new sewing machine for a beginner sewer or someone who only sews occasionally? The Brother XM2701 is one of Brother’s entry level mechanical sewing machines. Learn about this sewing machine in our Brother XM2701 sewing machine review.
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About the Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 27 built-in stitches | LED light could be better |
| 1-step buttonhole | Thick or heavy materials can challenge it |
| Portable | Spool thread can wind around spool pin |
| Easy to use | |
| Great for beginners or occasional sewers | |
| Great value | |
| 25 year warranty |
Brother XM2701 Details
The Brother XM2701 is a basic mechanical sewing machine. This machine is great for everyday sewing tasks. It has a ton of helpful features and is very lightweight. It is a perfect sewing machine for beginners learning to sew or advanced users who do not sew very often.
This Brother XM2701 sewing machine has 27 different built-in stitches including a 1-step buttonhole. It also has basic stitches, decorative stitches, stretch stitches and quilting stitches. this machine has the quick-change snap on sewing feet that are so convenient to use. It comes with six different sewing feet, a buttonhole foot, button sewing foot, zipper foot, zigzag foot, blind stitch foot, and narrow hemmer foot. This machine has an onboard accessory storage container for holding all of these sewing feet.
If you remove the accessory storage, the sewing machine is capable of doing free arm sewing. Free arm sewing allows you to wrap your fabric around the sewing area. This makes it much easier to sew small items like insetting sleeves, finishing sleeve cuffs, edging collars, hemming pants, and sewing children’s and doll clothes.
This machine also has an automatic bobbin winder, and the jam-resistant drop in top bobbin. This makes it super easy to get your bobbin setup for sewing quickly. The machine threading path is printed right on the machine. Combined with the built-in easy needle threader, getting this machine setup and ready to sew is a snap.
This Brother sewing machine weighs 13 lbs, so it is nice and lightweight for taking to a sewing session or sewing class. It’s dimensions are 12 x 6 x 15 inches. This machine comes with the Brother at your side support, and a 25 year limited warranty. Be sure to register with Brother after purchasing this machine so you can take advantage of the warranty if you need to.
Product Features:
- 27 built-in stitches
- Automatic needle threader
- Drop-in top bobbin
- LED light
- 800 stitches per minute
- Weight: 13 lbs
- Size: 12 x 6 x 15 inches
- 6 sewing feet: blind stitch foot, buttonhole foot, button sewing foot, narrow hemmer foot, zigzag foot, and zipper foot
- Can do free arm sewing
- 25 year limited warranty
Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine Review – Is it worth it?
This Brother sewing machine is a fantastic sewing machine for new sewers or advanced sewers who only sew occasionally. This sewing machine has over 10,000 reviews from purchasers and a super high approval rating. Often you can find this sewing machine for under $100 which is an exceptional deal for a machine with this many features.
This Brother sewing machine has 27 different built-in stitches including a one-step buttonhole. It comes with six different easy change presser feet. It has the easy needle threader, drop in top bobbin, and the free arm capability. Combine all of this with it’s lightweight size and how easy it is to use and Brother has a winner in this sewing machine.
New sewers who buy this machine report that they can learn how to use the machine from the instructional videos within 30 minutes, and be off and sewing. It can be used for projects as simple as hemming pants to more advanced things like making your own clothes. With the 27 built-in stitches, you can even add some decorative stitching to your projects.
There are normally only minor complaints from users with this sewing machine. One complaint is that this machine does not handle multiple layers of denim well, for hemming jeans. This Brother sewing machine is not a heavy duty sewing machine. If you are sewing denim or sewing thick materials with this sewing machine, make sure that you use a new needle for sewing denim. A sharp new needle that is specifically for sewing jeans will help a lot with sewing thick materials. Also, fold and iron your hems before sewing. Then take a rubber mallet and pound the hems flat. Flattening the fabric like this helps the hem feed through the sewing machine easier and allows it to sew the fabric smoother.
Another minor complaint is that the upper thread can get wound around the spool pin if you sew too fast. There are spool pin caps that you can buy to fix this problem. If you do not want to buy a spool pin cap, you can always do what one user did and take a small piece of cardboard and punch a hole in it – then place that over the end of the spool pin. Using a spool pin cap on the spool pin after the thread spool is added keeps the thread spool from bouncing up and down on the spool pin, and prevents the thread from being wound around the spool pin.
A final complaint that users have with this sewing machine is that the LED light is not bright enough, especially when working in a dark room. If you find yourself often working in a room with less than great lighting and want to use this sewing machine, you should consider getting additional lighting. You can either use a lamp or light that you have currently and bring it closer to the machine You could also purchase a LED light strip that can be attached to the machine. You can find an example of the LED light strips for attaching to sewing machines here.
Overall, the Brother XM2701 lightweight sewing machine is great for beginner sewing projects and more advanced sewing projects. It comes with 27 built-in stitches, just enough for the basics and some decorative work. It can handle some denim sewing for hemming jeans. It would be a great sewing machine for someone looking to made their own clothes or home decor pieces.
Video of the Brother XM2701
Want to see the Brother XM2701 in action? Here’s the video from Brother USA about their sewing machine, the Brother XM2701.
Commonly asked questions about the Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine
Can you use metal bobbins with the Brother XM2701?
This Brother sewing machine uses plastic SA156 class 15 bobbins. Using metal bobbins in this sewing machine can damage the machine and lead to costly repairs. Using metal bobbins in this sewing machine may also void your warranty – leaving you on the hook for the repairs. Do not use metal bobbins with the Brother XM2701 sewing machine.
What size bobbin does the Brother XM2701 use?
The Brother XM2701 uses SA156 class 15 type bobbins. These are plastic bobbins. You can find these bobbins for sale here.
Can the XM2701 Brother sewing machine sew denim?
The Brother XM2701 sewing machine can sew denim and other heavy and thick sewing materials. However, this machine is not intended for sewing a lot of denim or other thick materials. This machine would be great for occasionally hemming jeans or heavy pants. You would not want to go beyond 3 layers of denim with this sewing machine. If the machine is struggling to get through the material, stop. You can try beating the material down with a rubber mallet to make it easier for the machine to go through. If you are sewing denim with this machine, make sure that you are using a sewing needle for denim and make sure the needle is sharp. You would also want to make sure that you are using a thicker thread for sewing denim.
If you find yourself often sewing denim or other thick or heavy materials you would be better served by purchasing a heavy duty sewing machine. To see our recommendations for heavy duty sewing machines, check out our article with the best heavy duty sewing machines.
What type of warranty does the XM2701 come with?
The Brother XM2701 comes with the Brother 25 year limited warranty. You can find details about the warranty here. Make sure that you register with Brother for the warranty when you purchase your new sewing machine. Brother sewing machines also include the Brother at your side support. This gives you the capability to call Brother and receive over the phone support whenever you have an issue with your sewing machine. Often, this can help you troubleshoot an issue and get it resolved without the need to send your machine in for service.
Where can I find the Brother XM2701 sewing machine manual?
The manual for the Brother XM2701 sewing machine is here.
Where can I find the Brother XM2701 instructional DVD online?
You can view the Brother XM2701 instructional DVD here.
What is a mechanical sewing machine?
The two types of sewing machines are mechanical and computerized. Mechanical sewing machines have their settings controlled by a physical control on the sewing machines. These physical controls can be dials, levers, switches, and buttons. Computerized sewing machines have an onboard computer that controls the settings, either partially or fully. These machines often have a LCD or touchscreen display for interacting with the computer.
Is the Brother XM2701 a good sewing machine for beginners?
The Brother XM2701 is a good sewing machine for beginners. This Brother sewing machine is easy to use. It also has plenty of features and stitches for a beginner sewist to grow into. This would be a great sewing machine to learn to sew on.
Is the Brother XM2701 portable?
The Brother XM2701 is very portable. This sewing machine weighs a total of 13 lbs which is on the lighter side for sewing machines. It is on the smaller side for sewing machines with dimensions of 12 x 6 x 15 inches. With how lightweight this sewing machine, it is a great choice for a new sewer to take to sewing classes. Most full featured sewing machines like this weigh significantly more. So this mechanical Brother sewing machine is a great choice if you are looking for a portable sewing machine.
Is the Brother XM2701 a low shank machine?
The Brother MX2701 is a low shank machine. Most Brother sewing machines are low shank, with very few exceptions. The high shank sewing machines can be seen here on the Brother website.
Can you quilt with the Brother XM2701?
The Brother XM2701 mechanical sewing machine is not a dedicated quilting machine. However, you can still quilt with this sewing machine. It would be great for quilting smaller items like pillow covers, purses, and baby blankets. You would want to buy an even feed / walking foot for use with this sewing machine if you are intending to do a lot of quilting with it. You can find one here. Since this machine is a sewing machine, it does not have the larger throat area that a dedicated quilting machine would have. This may make it difficult for you to pass large quilts through the sewing machine to be sewn. If you are intending to create large quilts, you would be better served buying a dedicated quilting machine with a larger throat.
Can you embroider with the Brother XM2701?
The Brother XM2701 is a mechanical sewing machine, so it is not capable of creating the automatically embroidered designs of an embroidery machine. However, you can still create beautiful free motion embroidery with this sewing machine. Free motion embroidery is done with a darning foot usually. You drop the presser feet on your sewing machine and manually move the fabric around as you sew. This creates beautiful designs on your project.
If you want the capability to do computerized machine embroidery, check out our review of the Brother SE625.
Are Brother sewing machines good?
Brother is a well known and reputable brand of sewing machine. Brother sewing machines are generally good machines, with lots of reviews and high approval ratings. These machines are usually lower priced but full of features. This makes them excellent choices for someone learning to sew or for someone who only sews occasionally.
As with anything else, sometimes there are bad sewing machines. Brother’s 25 year warranty really helps out in this scenario. So if you do end up with a defective machine you can use the warranty to get it repaired.
In summary
The Brother XM2701 is a great sewing machine for beginner sewers and sewing enthusiasts. This mechanical machine is easy to setup and to sew with. It has plenty of features to make sewing easier, like the automatic needle threader and free arm sewing. With 27 built-in stitches this machine can handle some advanced sewing tasks like adding decorative stitching to projects. This is an excellent sewing machine for a new sewist or an advanced users who only sew occasionally.
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