Brother Sewing UK

Another of the many projects I’ve made on my Brother 1800QC in recent months is this colourful coat, made from fabric I had sitting in my stash for many years. I decided I wanted a new winter coat but couldn’t find what I was looking for – a hooded A-line coat with front zip  –  so I raided my stash, unearthed this colourful wool coating with couched yarns, and set to! The pattern is McCall 7848 which is an easy design to construct with princess seams in the bodice, a waist seam and A-line bottom.  Using fabric from my stash meant I didn’t have enough for the sleeves and hood, but this wasn't a problem as I had some fur fabric left over from a fleecy blanket I made for my son. That was another fun project, made using his old Band T-shirts – I cut the motifs from the fronts, stabilised them with strips of interfacing down the edges and then joined them in a jigsaw for the front, with occasional strips of fabric between as sashing to make the different sizes fit. I b...

My Brother Innovis 1800QC has been a real boon in my many varied sewing projects over the lasts few months. Let me share how I altered a denim jacket on this fab machine. Prepping the jacket I was hosting some Upcycle Challenges at the Knitting & Stitching show at in Olympia, so decided I needed to do my own Upcycling to show I can do what I teach! I had already used an Embellisher machine to appliqué some large roses on the back of the jacket some time ago. These were just cut from a patterned fabric, held in place and attached quickly with an embellisher machine - fitted with five barbed needles that mesh the fibres together. Applique with the Innov-is 1800C  I then bought the 1800QC into play. To ensure the applique stayed in place through repeated wash and wear, I free motioned over the design using the free motion foot. No problem. Done in ten! Next, I added ric rac ribbon trim down the vertical seams on the front and stitched them in place with a zigzag...

Let's start by saying I love the Innov-is 1800QC! I have had it now for a few months and it just keeps on giving. I’ve made all sorts of very varied things – from many craft projects for the two books I am writing, to garments for the shows I attend, to samples for display at trade shows. It has coped beautifully with everything I have thrown at it! But back to the beginning. Out of the box It might be aimed at quilters (hence the QC and the range of fab quilting accessories) but as a dressmaker and general sewist, I love all the extras too! The machine comes with a whole host of attachments and feet including a large extension table – perfect when sewing big projects such as quilts or coats (as I did) – and a flat bed attachment that holds the tray of feet well thanks to its nicely wide design. The handy lift-out tray has numbered positions for the utility feet, making it easy to identify them and use the recommended foot for the stitch selected. There are also spare bobbins o...