Overall, this is my favorite machine if you’re on a tight budget, but it’s not my favorite one for beginners who love sewing (go here to see my best sewing machine for beginners review). The Ls14s is good enough for occasional use and everyday projects. I think you’ll love how simple it is to use.

There is no speed control which can be useful for beginners or even for more advanced sewists when approaching corners/intricate sections. You can control the speed using the presser foot though, you’ll just need to practice on some scrap fabric to get a feel of how much pressure you need to apply for your desired speed.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. Use only twin needles that have been made for this machine (part code: X57521-021:2.0/75 with a 2 mm width). Other needles could break and damage the machine.

The manual is quite brief, however there are good basic instructions for the features of the machine as well as an instructional DVD. We have designed your machine so you can sew with this needle and two top threads. You can use the same color or two different colors of thread for making decorative stitches. The flat bed attachment is described as a storage compartment in the instructions, but as there is no ‘compartment’ so to speak you will need to put the accessories in another bag inside the compartment to avoid them spilling out when you open it. The included screwdriver is a flat metal piece, so is more slippery than a standard mini screwdriver. It kept slipping out of my (completely dry) hands. This would be even harder for anyone with arthritis or other hand mobility issues.

It’s very small compared to other machines. You can fit all the accessories the machine came with though. Normally a tension of 4 is the standard, but on this machine, I preferred tension 5 for cotton. It makes the straight stitches look straighter on both sides. On tension 4, the stitching on one side was a bit loose, creating a slight zig-zag look. Large zig zag stitch = tunnelling Yes, I think the Brother Ls14s is good enough for basic quilting. Its throat space is big enough for large quilts and quilting feet are available to buy separately. It can quilt straight lines OK, but the machine does wander slightly to the left/right, so it’s hard to sew perfectly straight. You can’t drop the feed dogs for free-motion quilting, and it doesn’t come with a “darning plate” to cover the feed dogs either. You’ll need to buy that separately.

There’s nothing wrong with the blind hem stitch itself, but in practice, it’s really hard to use without a blind hem foot.

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?”

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.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! This machine does not come with any quilting feet, but you can buy them separately. You’ll need the walking foot, quilting guide, 1/4″ foot, and free-motion foot.