Wow! The end of the year is racing towards us and I’ve hardly had time to answer the comments and questions from the influx of visitors I’ve had to the site. I’m trying to carve out some time in the next few days to get to everyone but until then, I’ve put together this quick list of the most popular sewing machines for Christmas 2011.

This is certainly not very scientific but is based on the activity seen on the posts and sewing machine reviews on this site. Daily traffic is pretty heavy so the rankings are at least a decent, representative sample. In order based on this month’s activity, these are the top 10 sewing machines for holiday shoppers:
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Here’s a popular question these days: How do the Brother CP7500, CP6500 and the CS6000i sewing machines compare to each other? The features seem so close that it’s hard to tell if one is better than another.

The good news is that you almost can’t go wrong here. All three have great ratings and offer excellent value for the price (ALL three are under $200!) but one gives you just a bit more for your money. (Surprise ending up ahead: the better bargain is probably NOT the one you thought it was!)
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Just in time for Mother’s Day, Brother is offering a rebate on the LB6800PRW embroidery and sewing machine for purchases made at authorized retailers between April 15, 2011, and May 15, 2011.

While you can actually get the 6800 in a couple of different packages, each distinguished by the letters following the 6800 in the model number, the rebate is only good for the PRW (Project Runway) version.

This combination embroidery and sewing machine is identical to the very popular SE400 embroidery machine.
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Buy a sewing machine online and have it delivered within 24 hours?  Done!  Such convenience!  But would you?  Should you?

Under the right conditions I absolutely, without a doubt, would (and have!) but not everyone feels the same. 

Some of you will say “no way”, “nada”, “never”, and “not on your life”.  But, for certain people, buying online is a way of life.  Those with hectic schedules, or who live in locations inconveniently far from major shopping, or who get a thrill from leveraging online deals to save money go to the internet first.
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It’s not thread, it’s not fabric, it doesn’t even come in a box but our new sewing machine finder tool brings its own kind of fun.

Shopping for sewing machines is fun but it’s also a lot of work. The question I get the most often has to do with comparing different models to better understand the variances. This was what drove my mother crazy when she tried to find a great machine for my nieces.

It’s been a couple of months in the works but Sewing Machines for Beginners officially launches a new tool on our site that we hope will make some of that comparison process a bit easier.
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How’s this for easy? Over 500, independent Brother CS6000i reviews boiled down into one, easy-to-read graph. Get all the facts about strengths, complaints, and repeating issues from others who have used the machine without spending hours and hours reading each, individual page yourself.

The source for this information is the 517 reviews on Amazon – all 52 pages of them. It took days to read and categorize the information. It felt like there should be an easier way to present the most important information for anyone who wants to compare this machine to the other possibles on their list.

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The Brother LB6800PRW sewing machine may be the replacement model for the popular Brother SE400 combination sewing and embroidery machine. The only difference between the two is the model number, the Project Runway label and the included rolling tote bag. The other difference? The LB6800PRW is usually in stock whereas the SE400 has slowly been disappearing from retailers inventories.

Brother’s year end rebate through 2010 for the SE400 was perhaps a sign of things to come. Since the start of 2011, finding the SE400 in stock has been rough but the Brother LB6800PRW is still regularly available at places like Amazon.
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There’s still plenty of time left to do these five projects with a new sewing machine today even if you’ve never sewed before.

It’s Sunday, the most relaxing of days at our house. It’s the only day we can all sleep in, the day we’re all home in the morning, the day where exploring our hobbies and interests is expected and encouraged.

I spent a few minutes this morning lazily browsing through a magazine I’d purchased about a week ago but hadn’t had time to read.
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Reviews of the Brother CS6000i are incredibly favorable but a new model is on board, the Brother CP6500, and while they don’t look anything alike, you have to compare them. Why? Because while they might look very different on the outside, they’re exactly alike on the inside.

There are a few differences, though. They’ve been priced differently and there are some package deals that make it necessary to lay them out side by side in order to know which deal is best for you.

Here’s how they stack up:
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Here’s a final list of last minute sewing machine deals for your 2010 holiday shopping. I hope it saves some of you some time and a few dollars, too.

In typical fashion, I’ve crammed too much into this final week before Christmas which is why I love online shopping. I prefer my pajamas, a bathrobe and a cup of cinnamon coffee for finding deals rather than the hustle and bustle of the mall. (Actually, it’s not the mall I mind. It’s the parking lot!)

This means that I’m doing my Christmas shopping online tonight and I took some notes any time I came across a deal I thought worth sharing here. Hope this gives some of you just the idea or savings you were hoping to find for under the tree!
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