We bought a Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine for Christmas.

I was worried because I'm new to sewing as I had a bad experience with learning to sew in Junior High School sewing machines.

I wanted to learn to sew (again) after a fun experience sewing with my neighbor so when I saw the Singer Brilliance on sale for a price I considered really good we bought it. Okay having a coupon made it irresistible.

The machine was easy to set up and use once I understood how important it was to check the needle tension. Before that I picked out several projects but afterward very few.

I may have started with a project that was much too small as my first project was Barbie clothes. I would suggest making your first project on any sewing machine a pillow or simple bag as they have long straight lines you can use to practice.

I haven't played with all the stitches yet but there are many options available. I have used the needle position and found it made it a little easier to sew very close to the edge of the tiny clothes I was making.

I had some trouble with the machine sucking in the fabric if I sewed too close to the edge of the fabric while backstitching.

Overall I've made a few barbie doll clothes and found it to be a very easy machine to use for an (almost) beginner to sewing. The instruction manual was fairly easy to understand and follow and I was set up and sewing pretty quickly. Do read the part about checking needle tension though as it will save you picking out your first project over and over and ... well you get the picture.

If I had to rate the sewing machine on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best:, I would probably give it a:

• 4 for ease of use for a beginner.
• 5 for quick setup and time to begin sewing.
• 5 on quality of stitches

Singer Brilliance 6199 Sewing Machine - Automatic Needle Threader, Automatic Stitch Length & Width, Extension Table, 8 Presser Feet included

• Dimensions 16" long x 8" wide x 12.5" high
• Weight 14.5 lbs
• Adjustable stitch length 0-3 mm and width 0-6 mm
• Built-in needle threader
• Adjustable tension
• Adjustable Needle Positions
• Simple bobbin winding system
• Large extension table and removable accessory box
• 8 Presser feet including
  • All-purpose foot
  • Zipper foot
  • Invisible zipper foot
  • Buttonhole foot
  • Button sewing foot
  • Blind hem foot
  • Overcasting foot
  • Roller foot
• 100 Built in Stitches
• 6 Automatic 1-Step Buttonholes
• Hard-sided machine cover
• Also includes:
  • Needles
  • Bobbins
  • Thread spool cap
  • Auxiliary spool pin
  • Spool pin felt
  • Darning plate
  • Needle plate screwdriver
  • Seam ripper/lint brush
  • Instruction manual with stitch guide
  • Foot pedal and power cord