Today I am really excited to be sharing with you the first of many sewing machine reviews by BAQ’s that you know and love. I know that when I am thinking about a new machine the first thing I do is talk to my friends about what they are using and loving ( or not loving). I do this before even thinking about what I want to get.
I place a lot of trust in the reviews my friends give but always remember a machine is just about as personal as a spouse! What one person loves another might hate so keep that in mind as you read and leave comments or questions.
My hope is that over time we will establish an amazing array of reviews that will be here when you are looking for that next new machine!
Today’s review comes from Melissa Brooks of www.millybeequilting.co.nz . I saw her talking about her machine online and wanted to know more about it and thought you would as well! A BIG THANK YOU to Melissa for all the time and care she put into this review!
( If you have a machine you want to brag on drop me a line!)
***************************************************
When Maddie asked me to review my bad ass sewing machine, I was over the moon. I’ve never been asked to do anything like this before so it was certainly a challenge for me to even know where to begin.
Before I go through all the ins and outs, pros and cons of the machine, firstly I wanted to share with you why I chose this machine to begin with.
Please note that I’m in New Zealand, machine availability and prices over here are a little different than other countries, and I hope I have the right information for some of the other machines I mention, apologies up front if I’ve misinterpreted their websites. Also can I start by saying I love all sewing machines big and small!
It took me close to a year of research to come to my decision to purchase this particular machine. And before I get any further, although I already had a Brother Innovis NV400 (A Babylock Melody for the US peeps) I swear, it is pure coincidence that I ended up with another Brother sewing machine.
When it came down to it I found that, within my budget range and given the requirements I had, there were really only three contenders: the Brother PQ1500s, the Juki TL98, and the Janome 1600P (given that the Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter and the Pfaff Hobby Grand Quilter are the same machine as the Janome 1600P just rebranded and sold for a higher price, DISCLAIMER: so I’ve been told by a retailer) I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Brother and Juki may be distant cousins, just going off looks…
All of these are in the same class of straight-stitch-only machines boasting 8.5-9” throat space, and 1500 stitches per minute etc..
The main thing I wanted to do was freemotion quilting (not on a frame) and have a sturdy, no fancy computer, good, hardy machine. I did want the machine to be able to go on a frame for if in the future my luck changed and I “just so happened upon” a quilt frame for it.
So, after doing my homework, I found the Janome 1600P didn’t have the ability to actually drop the feed dogs, it had an additional kit you could buy to cover them up as well as the extension table also being an extra cost… so that one eventually dropped off my radar, it wasn’t built with freemotion in mind, it has adapted well, but I wanted to keep looking. The Juki TL98 was then the strongest contender, but the Brother PQ1500s had the kicker of four various feed dog positions with one of them including a pin feed system for particularly tricky to deal with fabrics, whereas the Juki has the up or down setting only.
The Brother comes with everything you need for freemotion, and the extension table comes standard. All these things meant the prices of the other machines were not so comparable anymore. Then, after checking out the quilting/darning foot the Brother definitely won the battle of the straight stitch machines.
There was probably a lot more to it than that in reality given the time I sat dreaming of a new machine over that year, but seeing as I’ll show you all the things I love (and maybe don’t love) about my Brother sewing machine now, it might mean a bit more if I acknowledge that it is not the only machine in its class out there.
Because my intentions for this machine are based primarily around tabletop/domestic free-motion quilting and piecing, my review will be very narrowly based around those functions.
So on with the show…
The technical stuff:
1500 stitches per minute (spm) = FAST
Four Feed Dog height adjustment settings = GREAT
Optional pin assisted Feed Dog mechanism = AWESOME for slippy fabrics
Front facing Feed Dog adjustment dial = CLEVER
Front facing thread tension dial = HANDY
Knee lift = EXPECTED
Extra large extension table = BONUS
Automatic thread cutter = EFFECTIVE
Easy needle threading system = EASY after a couple of practices
The machine alone weighs about 11 kilograms (24.2 pounds).
With the extension table on, you have a total of 11” x 23.2” inches of flat space to work on.
The all-important throat space (from needle to neck and up) is 8.6” in width and a 5.7” height.
But enough about all that.. why do I REALLY love it?
The best thing I really love about this machine is the free motion foot. It is oval, it has a large see-through window, is not too bulky and just glides over the quilt top. They’ve put a lot of thought into this foot, it works great, there is great visibility and its a dream to work with.
The next best things are the build quality and the portability. This is a DOMESTIC machine.. you can put it in the car and take it with you, but its big and sturdy enough to run on a quilt frame (if I had one!), and as my sewing machine serviceman put it, you can use it all day, everyday.
It will run with every thread you can imagine. It has a front facing feed dog adjustment knob, so no more reaching blindly through the machine throat when you just need to drop those darn dogs!
The bobbin can be loaded while the extension table is on, so if you do need to quickly get-in and get-out its easy to do.
There is a needle down button this makes sure that when you stop sewing the needle is always down, great for the forgetful’s like myself that often go into auto-mode and whip that presser-foot lever up without thinking!
It only has one stitch, straight. Granted you can sew forwards and backwards so I guess technically thats two, right? It can be great to have a machine that can do-it-all, but its also good to have workstations where you can do one specific job and do it well.
This machine is quickly also becoming my go-to machine for piecing, the quarter inch foot is great, and with the way it handles thread, my seams have greatly improved. The other thing that helps with piecing is the needle plate, because it is a single hole rather than the horizontal gap the zigzag machines have, the fabric is less likely to be pushed through and get caught in the bobbin race when beginning a seam. The other thing I wanted to add, I liked this foot so much that I’ve now got the same one in the clip-on version for my other machine.
This, for me, is a purpose built machine for my free-motion escapades, my other computerised machine can then do what it does best and embellish my applique with blanket stitches. This also makes sense for me as my computerised Brother NV400 has the relatively smaller throat space. The maximum amount of fabric I need to worry about at any one time is the quilt top. The quilt sandwich can then happily be dealt with using the “Big Brother” PQ1500s (I know bad pun, but thats what I call them!)
A couple of things it doesn’t have is a stitch speed limiter, an auto tensioning function and an optional stitch regulator, but given all these things would mean adding a more computerised brain and therefore more price, I’m quite happy that these things are left up to me to manually control. And these didn’t end up being an issue.
This machine will keep you honest, you may need to spend a bit of time really getting to know the machine at the start, but it will pay off in the end. In saying this though, you can be off and running almost instantly.
A few tips (just because you can’t get me to be quiet!)
Always make up a sample exactly like your sewing project to get all your stitch and tension perfect before working on the real thing.
When free-motion quilting I ALWAYS use my Machingers gloves, ALWAYS. I don’t use a hoop or a supreme slider, even though I have both of these, the main thing is those gloves. They fit nice and tight, they have the rubber finger tips and are a comfy material so let your skin breathe over the long periods of time you can be quilting for.
I love using Filtec Glide thread with the magna-glide prewound bobbins, if you get the magna-glide bobbins be sure to also get the bobbin case they sell that doesn’t have the spring in it. It will save you trying to attack the one and only bobbin case Brother gives you, and it means you have the original for when you use the bobbins you wound yourself.
BUT in saying that, PLEASE don’t get sold on one brand of thread because someone said so, try them all (or at least a few) for yourself. This machine can handle all sorts of grades of thread, its up to you to decide which ones you like because of its qualities rather than the brand name. You may need to play with tension and needle size to get it set up, but you can have a lot of fun with all of them.
Thanks for getting to the end of my first review with me! I hope this has given you some insight into my sewing machine decisions, and that you can see why I fell in love with my bad ass sewing machine.
***********************************************************************
WOW!.. like I told you…that girl can do a review… Melissa Brooks is one talented lady.. If you want to get to know her a bit better.. just check out her bio ( below) and pop over to visit her blog.. I am sure she would love a visit!
Melissa Brooks
Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand
I began quilting in 2004 when I found a magazine at my local bookstore, and fell in love with the cover quilt.. the rest, they say, is history.
I create custom made quilts for friends and family, from baby comforters to double bed covers and art quilts. I love to personalise them so they all tend to be a little different. I’m not sure you could sum up my style, like my taste in music, its a bit eclectic. I do tend towards applique and freemotion quilting when I begin thinking about my design process, I love to push the boundaries in the way I think about things.
In the past I have had a market stall selling various smaller sewn items. I’ve joined the Auckland Patchworkers and Quilters Guild a couple of times over the years.
My weapons of choice are a Brother Innovis NV400 for piecing and blanket stitch applique (and other decorative stitching). I also have a semi-industrial Brother mid-arm, the PQ1500s, for piecing and freemotion quilting (the equivalent machines in America I think would be the Babylock Melody and Jane respectively)
When I design my more complex pieces I use illustrative programs (like inkscape) where I can be super accurate when planning the quilt dimensions and take my time developing the custom applique images. I must confess though, I have only followed a full quilt pattern, that I haven’t made myself, once. Although I do have a mass of books, magazines and good intentions!
I grew up drawing or painting, and continue to fill my notebooks with sketches still. My other love is geography and geology which eventually became my livelihood. I have a full time job in GIS (mapping) with a background in CAD, cartography and general GIS analysis. I would love to create a map quilt at some stage, I’ve seen a few out there in blog land already, but I’ve got a couple of ideas in my head that are busting to get out..
Unfortunately there are about a hundred more ideas for quilts that would just die *insert girly squeal here* if I didn’t get a chance to make them.. ones in the pipeline include Space Invaders (how fitting that it is one of my UFO’s) and a Gnome/Kabouter based woodland theme.
My dream is to one day own a quilting frame for my mid-arm machine. I’d love to work on my freemotion quilting skills (and confidence) more in the future. And one day to make quilts on commission, now that would be awesome!
My short term goals are to continue developing my website, I’d like to include reviews and complete a section that will show and explain the steps of how to make a quilt (as much for myself as for others wanting to get started). Oh and I have a pipe dream of being a fabric designer!
When I’m not quilting or looking at quilting things on the net, I’m spending time with my husband and son. Oh, and by the way, my fav music bands are the Eagles, Iron Maiden, Jack Johnson, Prodigy and Pink! (I told you I can’t make up my mind! I love them all)
Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Contact me for a chance to achieve financial freedom through crypto investments! Contact: SCAZ Ltd., scaz@passiveincome.gg, Phone 020 3897 2233, Skype live:.cid.32e93569ca249c81
Hey there! Are you struggling to understand the dynamics of the crypto market? I’m here to simplify it for you and offer valuable financial advice Contact: SCAZ Ltd., scaz@passiveincome.gg, Phone 020 3897 2233, Skype live:.cid.32e93569ca249c81
Nossa, que bacana hein! Tú parece ser uma pessoa que sabe bem do assunto,
adorei particularmente do que tu falou pela metade do site, adorei mesmo.
Eu estava procurando um web site sobre isto este assunto
afim de começar a seguir. Agradeço!
Извиняюсь, но это мне не подходит. Есть другие варианты?
It’s an amazing article in support of all the online viewers; they will take advantage from it I am sure. http://Www.agchem.co.kr/freeboard/1805424
Hello! I’m researching for a new machine & came across your review. I’d like to know, 2 years later, how your Brother is holding up? And difficulties? Thank you for the article & I hope you’re able to reply soon!
Great machine!.. Have you had an chance to take it for a test drive?
Hi Paula, sorry for the delay, I’ve just seen your question! I’ve still got the same machine and it is still as strong as ever,, has not faltered once. I make sure I oil the bobbin case every couple of bobbins, and I oil the machine every 3 months or so if I’m using the machine most weeks. Still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one! 🙂
I also have this machine. I started quilting a year and a half ago. I had a brother PRW machine that I did my piecing on, but when I went to quilt them I wanted something with a larger throat area. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on another machine. { I only have about 5}. Anyway, I went to amazon and found this machine, and ordered it. At first I was having some trouble with the thread breaking and a few other issues. I was about to forget it, when I saw a video on how a girl set hers up. I set mine up like that, and now I love it. Have quilted several quilts on it. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone looking for a good quilting machine. Happy sewing.
I am so excited I get my new machine Saturday and this review has really helped thank you
It’s difficult to find educated people about this subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
I just got this machine, and I am so excited. I have a computerized Brother that I intend to use for piecing. This machine I thought I was getting for just FMQ, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be used for more than that.
I ordered this machine a couple of days ago, based on your review and a couple of others. It was a toss up between this one and the Juki 2010, but I couldn’t justify spending so much more on the Juki. Can’t wait to receive it and start playing with it. Thanks for your review!
I have to second everything in the review. Love, love my Big Brother. If it ever dies, I would replace it with the same model. One additional plus, it will drive at slower speeds than either my Viking or old Berina. This makes it superior to free motion quilt with. The rhythm of its free motion foot hopping at a slow crawl, depending on how hard I depress the foot of course, allows me better control over my stitch length, so I don’t miss having a stitch regulator. With gloves, absolutely. Funny, it is a high speed machine which is marvelous in piecing, but it is it’s slow speed ability (it does NOT have a knob for this), that I equally value it for. Had it on a Handiquilter frame I bought a few times, even bought the stitch regulator, but it was too limiting space-wise. I prefer spray basting and can’t imagine better results short of a long arm.
Mel, thanks for the link to the cancer quilt–great directions! But yes, I was talking abou the meandering loops with the nice long stitch length. When you fmq, do you set the stitch length to something? People keep saying to set it to 0, but your stitches are nice and long! Also, is that thread (yeah, after I asked I noticed and reread the whole thing about Filtec thread and mangaglide bobbins–I always ask first, read later–my bad) a 50 wt? Aurifil 50 is great for piecing, but it’s too thin (for my tastes) for quilting. So I’m going to try to score some 40 or 28 for my next quilt. 🙂
Hey Ivy, the stitch length is zero with the feed dogs dropped. also the presser foot is lifted right up and you just have to fiddle with the top tension a tad to get the threads twisting inside the quilt sandwich.
as for the stitch length.. the photo is showing you the most evenly spaced stitches! haha.. I should do a post on “what the stitching really looks like!” .. its a balance between speed of the needle (ie your foot pedal) and the speed of your hands moving the quilt. Do little bits at a time to allow yourself to re-position the weight of the quilt around you, always make sure there is some slack in the quilt so you don’t run out of steam half swirl. and don’t go too fast, slow down, I love the website Ivory Spring, she has great free motion tips.
oh and you certainly dont need one of these machines to do free motion, as long as you can drop or cover the feed dogs, and preferably have a darning or quilting foot you are good to go.
my best tip is to put on some of your favorite music (mines Jack Johnson) and do some practice pieces if you’ve not done a specific pattern before to get the feel for it. do patterns that work for you and are easy for you to draw.
the Thread is the Fil Tec “Glide” it is a 40wt, I use if for everything, I’m using aurifil as I have quite a few colours, but I’ve also got gutterman and mettler, but the glide is my go to for the freemotion, the others are mostly for my applique at the moment just for colour choice.. use up what you have.. thats advice I need to listen to myself!! haha
Fil Tec have other threads for different uses like an egyptian cotton , a glow in the dark, etc etc.. all sorts.
the Fil Tec “Glide” is Trilobal, ie its like a triangle if you had a look at the end of it.. it means it reflects light you can read up on it here http://www.bobbincentral.com/glide.html I also find it lints a little less than aurifil IN MY MACHINE, but thats a whole other conversation!!
just to clarify, when I said, presser foot is all the way up, I mean the presser foot height using the height adjustment knob on the machine.. the presser foot lever must be down of course to engage the tension plates on the thread!
Oh. My. God. The stitching on Baby Conrad’s quilt is gorgeous! What thread is that? It looks thick 🙂 I can’t wait to get my own Brother 🙂
Hey Ivy, that was aurifil I used on that one, just because I had that colour I wanted at hand. its thicker looking because I went around it twice, have a look at this post to see how to do those sort of words and it also shows how to work out the logistics of going around the shape twice without stopping!
http://millybeequilting.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/cancer-quilt-progress.html
sorry, if you mean the meandering loops, that was the filtec glide with the mangaglide bobbin in a cream(ish)/off-white, and I only went around that once! 🙂 I also have to credit my canon powershot for its macro lens on that one!
btw, the straight stitching on this machine is what it was born to do! it also has a walking foot. the speed is the thing that you have to get used to.. it loves to go fast!
Also, how do you get that neat tattoo on your machine?
http://www.hotstuffmerchandise.com/product-love-bird.aspx
I’m not sure about international shipping though ~
Thank you for this excellent review! Another machine that compares is the Baby Lock Jane, formerly Quilter’s Pro (?), which is basically the same as the Brother, but with a much higher price tag. I have seen the Brother online for $600, but the Baby Lock Jane sells for around $1300. I could get the Brother for $700 locally, but the online price is really tempting. I am still saving for it, so it will still be awhile before I can get it.
I want to use it for straight-stitch quilting (am hoping to learn FMQ on it) and piecing. I’ve heard that the stitch that these straight-stitch only machines make is beautiful 🙂
Hey Deidre, thanks 🙂
I came across that Babylock Jane as I was googling for pictures for the review, I’m pretty darn sure they are the same, I read once that both Brother and Babylock use the same machine manufacturers for some of their machines.
You will love it when you finally get your machine.. like you said, there is no rush, this machine is a diamond in the rough. I cant tell you the amount of times I went round and round in circles between machines, but then in the end, for me, it was a no brainer with this wee jem.
I actually got the Tatt for the machine from an automotive supplies store, we have the likes of Repco, SuperCheap Auto etc.. its actually a vinyl window sticker. I did have to slice it recently where the machine comes apart as I had it serviced and I’d rather cut it myself than let them do it, but its still awesome and you cant tell its been cut. I did come across this site http://quiltastick.com/ but I’m not sure if their price is worth it or not in the US dollars, theirs are built with longarm machines in mind, but as long as you have some surface area i’m sure any machine could handle them!
.. but seriously, just check out the places where you get car window stickers for starters! you could go all out and design your own at places like spoonflower.com or vistaprint I’m pretty sure they print vinyl/plastic window stickers too.
Let me know over at my blog what you end up getting!
I have the same Brother, and love it. I pieced and quilted many, many quilts on it until I got my HQ Avante. Now I do all my piecing on it, even though I have another machine as well. I’ve had it for over 10 years, and it has never given me any trouble.
Thank you for a great review. If I can ask a question, is the machine quiet? Recently, I just started looking for one of these machines, and was deciding between the Juki and the Brother, but a few people have told me that the Brother was very noisy. And, I didn’t realiza that Pfaff came out with a machine too. i’ll have to check out that one too. right now, I am leaning towards the Juki. i don’t have a dealer near me, so I would be ordering online without being able to do a test drive. I will be able to test drive the Brother and the Pfaff. They all seem to have the same basic features, so I guess the price point is what separates them.
Grace, I am going to put this up on the FB page so you can get more feed back! 🙂
Hi Grace,
Here’s what I posted up on Facebook, thanks for the heads up Maddie
I did get to test drive the juki at a craft show once, I’d say there is not much difference if any, this breed of machine is certainly no whisper jet, but with the brother I can happily play music in the background. I do have it on a very sturdy corner desk and sit it on a fabric place mat. The noise level is on par with my other brother nv400 machine, and because you are generally sewing a lot faster with the 1500, the sound is a bit smoother. As for the juki comparison, if I ASSUME they are from the same factory given their components, button and lever placements, then the only difference in the sound could come from the added feed dog mechanism. They do come with different freemotion feet also, the juki if I remember is a small circular all metal, darning foot style. And yes, price was a factor for me too
Also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1uknly4H1c&feature=youtube_gdata_player hopefully this link works, this is me with a video camera around my neck, quilting some giant feathers!
I watched the video. Seems to sew very nicely, and not too noisy. I live in an apartment, so the noise factor is key for my situation. Especially because I sometimes sew late at night or very early morning. Loved watching those feathers being done!
That would be great. Thank you.
That was one BA review! So, So helpul! I love my “lil” brother and I love love my Babylock!
Wow! What a review! I am in the market for a new machine, I can’t wait to read more!!! Thanks Melissa for the review and Maddie for this brilliant idea (like all your ideas!) 😉