Help in sewing machine final decision

I'm looking at buying a good new sewing machine for not TOO much money. I've been looking at singers and brothers, but I want embroidery too. I want to be able to do my own images without having to buy software that's going to cost as much as the machine is! I also need a foot pedal - I'm not THAT hand coordinated. I've been mainly looking at the singer ce150 and the brother se-350 or 400, but if you ladies have a better suggestion at a reasonable price (preferrably under or right around $400) I'm open for suggestions. Thank you!

Sharon

 

I do have a JoAnn's nearby but the only ones that they have on display and ready to use are the Viking's - which are WAY out of my price range. I do have my eye on a Brother 400 now on amazon. Just wondering how hard it is to find the .pes files and how wide a variety there is - I'd be doing football stuff mainly - so I wouldn't have to drop nearly the same amount of $ on software.

 

I will... I just gotta figure out what I'm going to get first!
Any imput on the singer ce150 or the brother se400?

 

hey ladies!
I got the brother off amazon... with the thread, spare needles, stabilizer, 5lb box of polyfil, and everything else (I admit I went crazy) I think I came out under $600 (100 of that being fabric LOL). Joann's was having a sale right before presidents' day so I stocked up then, before I had my sewing machine even. I still don't have anywhere to really put the sewing machine but I did use it a few times. I made my hubby a nice monstrously huge overstuffed pillow that makes a good hugging pillow for him (and a back rest for me LOL). The embroidery isn't the best on it but I think that's more me than anything so give me time on that. I also already broke my first needle *sigh* - the embroidery foot came loose and whacked the needle. Luckily it broke off above the eye and the thread didn't snap so there weren't microscopic metal pieces to be hunted down! Shedded cat claws are painful enough, rare as they are!
Overall the machine is nice, especially considering I haven't touched a sewing machine for probably 20 years. I caught on to threading it pretty easily and winding bobbins (although the big spindle holder thingie tends to cause issues but that's the thread spindle thingie itself, the thread keeps getting snagged up). The touch screen is nice, and my only complaint is that I thought when I bought the thread kit that I'd actually get a decent amount of thread. But that's not the poor machine's fault or anything - just mine.
I can't wait for when I have a desk and can make my first big project. I've got a piece of fabric with the entire globe on it and so I'm going to sew that onto a piece of craft foam with fleece on the other side. Should I start from the inside and work outside to pin it down or vice versa? I know I'm going to get distortion as the thread squeezes the foam and am thinking starting from the inside would work best but wanted to ask you ladies.
Also, does anyone know where to get good FREE patterns for this machine until I can afford the software that I need to make my own? OMG it is almost as expensive as the machine itself!
Thanks ladies!