OK... I am admittedly NOT a seasoned seamstress (seamster?) and bought to to teach myself how to sew and basically stop paying for the simple things (replace a zipper, hem some pants, etc.). I took a couple beginning lessons at JoAnn's and they agree, this is a very nice machine. I've had no issues doing pretty much anything and now can tailor and create and just plain have fun. This has tons of options I'm yet to explore, but it works perfectly, is VERY easy to use and frankly I am very pleased with the results.