Test Drive:
Brother QC1000

MSRP $2499 (Prices vary by dealer)
brother-usa.com
Reviewer: June Dudley

Stranded inside my house for 3 days while 31" of snow fell, I gave Brother's QC1000 quite the workout during Denver's pre-Christmas blizzard. I stitched borders on a quilt center that was ready and waiting. I quilted two twin tops that my nephews were anxiously waiting for. I quilted a wall hanging with metallic thread and had no problems. A few more days of snow and I would have had everything on my Christmas list finished.

One of the first things I noticed when threading this machine was that no finger acrobatics are needed for the automatic needle threader. Simply place the thread and press the lever–and the needle is threaded. It's truly automatic.

It's a speedy machine for straight stitching on long seams. The extra-wide extension table that's included is very handy when sewing rows together, attaching borders to a quilt top or quilting. There are well-planned 1/4" markings for when the needle is set at either the center position or the left position.

The LCD screen provides easy access to every stitch, allows you to customize settings and combine stitches, and find help if you have questions or forget how to do something. You can lock the screen once everything is set so you don't accidentally change a setting in the middle of your project.

Free Pattern!
Make June Dudley's Afternoon Tea quilt. Download the PDF pattern.

Made by June Dudley. Fabric: FreeSpirit. Batting: Mountain Mist. Thread: Sulky. Machine: Brother QC1000.

I was intrigued by directional sewing: at the push of a button the needle would sew backwards, to the left, right or at 45° in 4 directions. I started sewing binding strips together by placing the corner next to the needle and letting the machine sew at 45° instead of marking the sewing line or trying to eyeball it–the seams were perfect every time. I still want to try appliqueing raw-edged shapes with this function.



The QC1000 has a continuous automatic pressure system: an internal sensor detects the thickness of the fabric and adjusts the presser foot pressure for even stitching over different fabric thicknesses.

So much more to explore: designing stitches with My Custom Stitch, loading stitches from Brother's website and 12 different buttonhole stitches. If you're looking for a machine designed with quilters in mind, Brother's Quilt Club 1000 is one club you may want to consider joining.

 By the Numbers

2 Stitch plates: one with sewing graduations plus a straight stitch plate for heirloom sewing

5 LED lights provide a well-lit work area

13 Feet included with 3 different feet for free-motion quilting

22x16 Extra-wide table is a standard accessory

283 Utility and decorative stitches, plus editing ability to customize stitches

1,000 Stitches per minute

 Favorites

Speedy Stitching. Long straight seams take no time at all.

Large Harp. Plenty of space to the right of the needle for quilting bed-size quilts.

Button Control. Needle up/down, presser foot up/down, thread cutter, reverse/stitch reinforcer and start/stop are all operational with a finger touch.

Directional Sewing. The needle sews straight stitches in 8 directions or zigzags in 4 directions.

This Test Drive article also appears in QUILTMAKER May/June '07 (No. 115). If you cannot find this issue at your local quilt shop, order back issues at VillageQuiltShoppe.com.