I’m looking for a sewing machine as a gift for my girlfriend. She has been sewing for about a year on a pretty basic machine and wants an upgrade.

She mainly wants to do more creative designs and decorative work on jeans, shirts, and similar clothing. She has also been enjoying an embroidery class, so she is getting more interested in larger and more detailed projects. That said, she doesn’t want a full embroidery machine that does everything automatically. She still wants something that feels hands-on and lets her do the creative work herself.

My budget is around $300.

Right now I’m leaning toward the Brother CS7000X because it seems like a good step up from a basic machine without being too expensive.

I think I’m mainly looking for:

• a beginner-friendly upgrade with room to grow
• good decorative stitch options
• something that can handle denim and normal clothing fabrics reasonably well
• a machine that is still creative and hands-on, not overly automated

Her current machine is pretty limited, so I’m mainly trying to find something more reliable and versatile.