A row of small decisions

Wren laid pale buttons along the edge of the vermilion cotton lawn. The color was decided. It would be the bright thing in an otherwise quiet wardrobe, if the planned shirt made it that far.

Until now, Wren had managed small repairs by hand. A first sewing machine opened up a longer project, and the row of buttons made one part of the shopping list suddenly interesting.

Both the Brother XM2701 and the SINGER M1500 included a buttonhole foot. Wren had nearly treated that as the whole question.

What happens between the sides

The M1500 instructions showed four stages on the pattern dial. Wren would need to raise the needle and change the selection between stages, then do it again for the next buttonhole.

The XM2701 handled that sequence differently. With foot A fitted, the button in the foot’s guide and the buttonhole lever lowered and pushed back slightly, the machine changed sewing direction automatically.

There were still things for Wren to do. Mark the fabric, follow the threading and stitch-setting instructions, align the foot and start sewing. Stop the machine when the buttonhole stitching was finished. Move the fabric for the next one. The slit would be opened separately with a seam ripper.

Those remaining jobs were clear enough. Wren wanted to learn them without adding four dial selections to every buttonhole in a row.

The machine and the small supplies

Wren chose the US Brother XM2701 base package. The physical stitch dial suited the way Wren liked to work, and the included foot A supplied the part needed for the one-step mechanism. The package also included the US foot controller and power cord.

The needle packet deserved a closer look. Brother’s accessory list specified 90/14 needles, while its fabric chart put thin lawn in the 65/9 to 75/11 range. Wren already had a single 75/11 sewing-machine needle and size 60 cotton thread for the lawn. The included twin needle would stay out of this job.

Wren set those supplies beside the stabilizer and seam ripper. Brother recommends stabilizer underneath soft fabric and practice buttonholes on scrap before the garment. The scraps would need to represent the fabric and layers of the actual project.

The shared table had room for the fabric and a nearby suitable 120 V outlet. Wren and Cass had agreed on using it, with the cupboard ready for storage afterward. The machine would use its supplied cord and controller directly, without an extension cord. Foot and needle changes meant switching it off first.

See the Brother XM2701 base package on Amazon

Keep the red

Before ordering, Wren would check that the listing still showed the new base XM2701 package, with the right accessories and a total inside the $270 personal budget. A bundle name was no reason to lose track of the actual needle needed.

The M1500 could still make buttonholes through its four stages. For Wren’s planned shirts, the Brother’s automatic direction changes were worth choosing.

Wren put the needle and seam ripper in the tin with the buttons, then folded the red fabric over the pattern. Cass’s next call could happen with the table clear. The color was still very much decided.

When this does not matter

You only plan hand repairs or projects without buttonholes. This feature then has little reason to decide the purchase.

The practical fix

  1. For this first-machine choice, select the US Brother XM2701 base package, ASIN B00JBKVN8S, including foot A, the US controller and power cord. Check the package, seller and final total.
  2. Match the needle and thread to the fabric. Wren’s cotton lawn uses a single 75/11 needle and size 60 cotton thread. The included 90/14 pack and twin needle do not supply that single needle. Have stabilizer, matching scraps, pins and a seam ripper ready.
  3. Use a stable table with room for fabric and suitable direct household power. Follow the manual’s setup and threading instructions. Switch off before changing the needle or foot and unplug before cleaning.
  4. Mark the buttonhole and fit foot A. Follow the manual’s button-guide, stitch-setting and alignment instructions, then lower the buttonhole lever and push it back slightly. Practice on matching scrap with the intended layers and stabilizer.
  5. Start sewing and stop when the buttonhole stitching is finished. Open the slit as directed, using a pin to protect the end stitches and cutting toward it with the seam ripper. Keep your hands out of the cutting path.

This applies if…

  • You are choosing a first machine and expect to make repeated ordinary shirt buttonholes.
  • You want to avoid changing the pattern dial between the stages of each buttonhole and will follow the required setup and practice instructions.

The answer changes if…

  • You already have a suitable machine and make buttonholes only occasionally.
  • Your intended fabric, layers or buttons need a different setup from this cotton-lawn project.

The source notes

  1. Brother XM2701 operation manualBrother · Printed pages 5–8, regional controller, power and needle/foot changes. Page 24, fabric combinations. Pages 36–38, one-step buttonholes. Pages 47–48, cleaning. · Checked 2026-10-04
  2. Brother XM2701 included accessoriesBrother · Page 1, included foot A, bobbins, needles and regional controller. · Checked 2026-10-04
  3. SINGER M1500 instruction manualSINGER · Printed page 15, four-step buttonholes. · Checked 2026-10-04
  4. Brother US XM2701Brother · Main Features, Specifications and In the Box. · Checked 2026-10-04
  5. SINGER US M1500SINGER · Four-step buttonhole and included buttonhole foot. · Checked 2026-10-04
  6. Brother XM2701 US manualsBrother · Exact US XM2701 links to the operation manual and included-accessories update. · Checked 2026-10-04
What to check in your own setup
  • One-step buttonhole sewing still requires setup, operator stopping, repositioning and opening the slit.
  • This choice does not establish better-looking buttonholes, a particular learning time or a measured time saving. Fabric, layers and settings still matter.
  • The comparison covers the US XM2701 and M1500. Check other models, regions, fabrics and button sizes separately. Price and package availability can change.

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