Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W: Sewing and Embroidery Machine with Wireless Capability: Full Review

Brother is a well-known brand in the sewing and embroidery machine industry. The Innov-ís NQ3550W is one of their newer computerized sewing and embroidery machine models. This versatile machine offers a wide variety of stitches and lettering options along with built-in embroidery designs and fonts.

With wireless capability, an easy-to-use LCD touch screen, and automated features, the Innov-ís NQ3550W aims to make sewing, quilting, crafting, and embroidery accessible and enjoyable for users of all skill levels. Its lightweight design and smaller footprint make it a good choice for those with limited space.

This review will provide an overview of the key features and capabilities of the Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W to help sewists decide if it's the right machine for their needs. Both the pros and cons will be covered to provide a balanced perspective. Read on to learn more about what this computerized sewing and embroidery machine has to offer.

Specs and Features

The Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W sewing and embroidery machine has impressive specs and features that make it a versatile and capable machine. Some key details:

• Dimensions - 21.57" W x 16.14" H x 15.04" D
• Weight - 37.5 lbs
• Large 5" x 7" embroidery field
• 300 built-in sewing stitches including 7 styles of 1-step auto-size buttonholes
• Advanced needle threader and drop-in top bobbin
• Automatic thread trimmer
• Large 3.2" LCD touch screen display
• Built-in tutorials and help guides
• USB port for importing designs or updating machine software
• Wireless capabilities to connect to a computer

With its generous work area, substantial weight, and wide range of features, the NQ3550W is designed to handle frequent use and larger projects with ease. The built-in tutorials and wireless connectivity make the learning curve gentler for beginners while still providing the tools needed by more advanced sewers and embroiderers.

Another fantastic choice in the Brother sewing machine lineup is the Brother LB5500S: Star Wars 2-in-1 Combo Sewing & Embroidery Machine. This special edition machine combines sewing and embroidery functionalities, featuring beloved Star Wars designs. It offers 80 built-in embroidery designs and a 4" x 4" embroidery field. The LCD touchscreen makes navigation simple, allowing users to customize their projects easily. The LB5500S is perfect for fans and crafters alike, providing creativity and fun with every stitch.

Stitch Options

The Brother Innov-is NQ3550W sewing and embroidery machine comes with 659 built-in stitches including 140 embroidery designs. It offers an impressive selection of utility stitches, heirloom stitches, quilting stitches, satin stitches, cross stitches, and more.

Utility stitches include basics like straight stitch, zig zag, and buttonhole stitches. There are multiple options for stretch stitches, overcasting stitches, blind hem stitches, and other common sewing tasks. For decorative sewing, you'll find an array of stitches like leaf patterns, vines, hearts, and more.

The machine excels at quilting with stitches like hand-look quilt stitch, stippling, feather stitch, and echo quilting. There are also 7 auto-size buttonhole styles to choose from.

Overall, the 659 stitches cover all the basics plus decorative stitches for customizing projects. With so many built-in options, you can add beautiful detail to any sewing project.

Additionally, the Brother Wide Table: 8 Included Sewing Feet enhances the functionality of the NQ3550W. This table provides ample workspace for larger projects, allowing for smoother handling of fabrics while sewing or quilting. It includes 8 specialized sewing feet, making it easier to execute various techniques, from quilting to embellishing. This comprehensive accessory suite is perfect for both beginners and experienced sewists looking to elevate their crafting experience.

User Interface

The Innov-ís NQ3550W comes with an easy-to-use 7 inch full-color LCD touch screen display. The high resolution screen allows you to easily select stitches, edit embroidery designs, and view tutorials.

There are intuitive icon buttons on the screen for frequently used functions like start/stop, reverse sewing, cutting threads, needle position settings and more. You can touch the screen to select stitches, adjust stitch width and length, mirror image, and combine patterns.

The LCD screen makes it very easy to edit embroidery designs before stitching. You can rotate, resize, move, duplicate or combine designs right on the display. There are also on-screen editing features like pattern tracing and thumbnail previews.

Overall, the large full-color touchscreen with icon buttons provides a user-friendly sewing and embroidery interface. The screen is responsive, bright, and allows you to edit designs seamlessly.

Embroidery Capabilities

The Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W offers impressive embroidery capabilities for a home sewing and embroidery machine. It comes with multiple hoop sizes, allowing you to embroider designs both small and large. The included hoops are:

• 4" x 4" hoop
• 5" x 7" hoop
• 6" x 10" hoop
• 8" x 8" hoop
• 8" x 12" hoop

Having a variety of hoop sizes gives you flexibility to embroider designs perfectly suited for any project.

The machine also includes powerful embroidery editing software. You can rotate, mirror image, increase/decrease designs, and combine designs. Editing designs is made easy with the large backlit LCD touch screen display. There are also 137 built-in embroidery designs and 6 fonts to get you started embellishing projects.

Overall, the embroidery features allow you to add beautiful detailing and customization to your sewing projects. With multiple hoop sizes, built-in designs, fonts, and user-friendly editing software, the Innov-ís NQ3550W offers excellent embroidery capabilities for the ambitious home embroiderer.

Ease of Use

The Innov-ís NQ3550W is designed for ease of use, making sewing and embroidery accessible for beginners while still meeting the needs of more advanced users.

Threading the machine is straightforward with easy to follow guides and diagrams. The needle threader is especially handy, allowing you to thread the needle automatically at the touch of a button. This saves time and frustration when dealing with tricky threading.

The bobbin winding system is fast and smooth. The bobbin winds evenly so you don't have to worry about uneven thread tension. The drop-in bobbin is effortless to insert and remove from the bobbin case. Clear markings on the bobbin case make it easy to see when the bobbin thread is getting low.

Overall, the well-labeled buttons and intuitive layout allow you to get started sewing right away without a steep learning curve. Handy features like the automatic thread cutter add convenience. The ease of use makes the Innov-ís NQ3550W a great choice for sewers of all skill levels.

Special Features

The Brother NQ3550W sewing and embroidery machine comes with some handy special features that make it stand out.

Wireless Connectivity

One of the biggest selling points of this model is the built-in wireless connectivity. This allows you to wirelessly transfer embroidery designs from your computer or mobile device directly to the machine. No more dealing with USB sticks or cables! The wireless function works smoothly and makes it so easy to import new embroidery patterns anytime.

Automatic Thread Cutter

Another great feature is the automatic thread cutter. After completing a stitch, the machine will automatically cut the top and bobbin threads for you. This saves you time and hassle, as you don't have to reach for a seam ripper or scissors to cut the threads manually after each stitch. The thread cutter works quickly and efficiently.

Noise Level

The Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W sewing and embroidery machine operates quietly, which is a huge plus for a lot of users. The noise level is comparable to other computerized Brother sewing and embroidery machines, hovering around 50-60 decibels when running. This isn't completely silent, but is significantly quieter than many entry level and mechanical machines.

The NQ3550W has a brushless motor and an internal cooling fan that helps keep noise to a minimum during extended sewing sessions. Users mention the volume is easy to talk over and doesn't become a distraction. For comparison, basic mechanical machines often reach noise levels of 70-80 decibels, which can become grating over time. The NQ3550W hits a nice sweet spot of being quiet enough for apartments or late night sewing, while still having an audible hum so you know the machine is running.

Overall, the noise level is very reasonable for a computerized machine and similar to other models in Brother's lineup. The internal components are designed to minimize vibration and noise. This makes the NQ3550W a great choice if you want advanced features without excessive noise.

Accessories

The Innov-ís NQ3550W comes with a wide range of accessories to get you started with sewing and embroidery projects right out of the box. It includes 7 presser feet for basic sewing, zipper insertion, buttonholes, blind stitch hemming, and more.

Several bobbins are included so you can wind different colored threads and quickly change between them. There's also a seam ripper, needle set, twin needle, screwdriver, spool caps, spool holder, scissors, dust cover, and knee lift. An extension table provides extra surface area for large sewing projects.

For embroidery, Brother includes 4 embroidery frames - two plastic hoops, a quilting square, and an extra large multi-position frame. Stabilizer material, bobbin thread for embroidery, and embroidery needles are also in the box. With this great assortment, you'll have all the key accessories to handle a wide variety of sewing and embroidery techniques.

Pros and Cons

The Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W sewing and embroidery machine has many positives but also some potential drawbacks to consider.

Pros

• Large variety of built-in stitches including utility, heirloom, quilting, and decorative options
• User-friendly LCD touch screen interface
• Automatic thread trimmer for convenience
• Built-in wireless connectivity to transfer designs from PC
• Brightly lit workspace with LED lighting
• Automatic needle threader
• Large 5" x 7" embroidery field
• Comes with wide table for extra workspace
• Quiet operation compared to other machines
• 25-year limited warranty

Cons

• Expensive initial investment
• Embroidery field is not the largest available
• Limited to .pes, .phc, .dst file formats for embroidery
• No built-in memory, requires USB stick for transfers
• LCD screen not backlit, may be hard to see in low light
• Software has steep learning curve for beginners
• Dense, heavy machine may be hard to transport

Overall, the Brother Innov-ís NQ3550W is feature-packed and versatile for its combination sewing and embroidery capabilities. For sewers looking for professional results, the extra expense may be worthwhile. But it does have some limitations to its embroidery functions and portability that should be considered. Test sewing on the machine before purchasing to ensure it will suit your needs.