Review on 🧵 High-Speed Sewing and Quilting Machine Brother PQ1500SL, Up to 1,500 Stitches Per Minute, Wide Table, 7 Included Feet by Tara Ford

As a technician for almost 20 years and a seamstress for more than 40 years, I bought this machine primarily to process larger pieces for quilting and free motion quilting, as well as heavier garments like denim and weft. Although the car has many advantages, the disadvantages are so significant that I am considering returning it. PROS: As many have noted in questions and reviews, the machine has really nice stitching. The foot pedal is more than enough to control the speed of the machine once you get used to it. I knit and sew barefoot, which I think helps. The weight of the machine keeps it in place so it doesn't bounce around on the table when you push a big piece through the harp. The harp has a large working space of approximately 9" x 6". The variable feed dog levels and presser foot pressure features are very good and work well together. The variable stitch length has a good range: the stitches are small enough to work with a fine needle and long enough for heavy machine stitching. While I haven't used all of them, many of the legs that come with this machine are good and give you more sewing options, including the ability to add an invisible zipper. The upper thread may seem a little tricky at first, but practice makes the difference. much easier. After you've done this a few times, it's intuitive. The triple eyelet on the first thread guide allows you to better control the thread tension, but it is not always necessary to use all three eyelets. There are some thread guides that slip through and make threading a lot easier, but all the tabs in the top machine are closed and require hand threading. The eyes are a good size, so this is more of an annoyance than a problem. The actual cocking spring is placed a little oddly, being on the outside of the front of the cocking mechanism. When I first saw it I thought it was broken, but that's how it seems to have been built. Strange but works. The extension table that comes with the machine is wide but can be a bit deeper as it does not provide additional support after the fabric has passed under the needle. I solved this problem with a custom acrylic end table at an additional cost of $103. I had to order from another company. Again, this isn't a big deal, but if you need a deeper table first, it's something to consider. Table leveling feet are easily accessible and easily adjustable. The toggle lever is a nice feature, but it cannot be used when the machine is on a table. To use the machine, it must be placed on a table. CONS: Once you get to the needle, this machine will cause serious problems. Initially, everything is aligned to the left. If you're left-handed, this shouldn't be a problem. How uncomfortable to the right. The needle is inserted from the left. The automatic needle threader is completely useless. The documentation in the user manual is poorly written and I couldn't find any online videos or other help. I spent 5-10 minutes trying to get it working with no success. Threading a #14 quilting needle by hand is no problem. Attempting to thread a universal #9, 10, or 12 needle is a different story. I ended up having to take the needle out, hand thread it, and then put it back in the machine to sew. The needle itself is difficult to install as the hole that the needle goes into seems smaller than most and is difficult to find. I had to turn the car over several times to install the needle. For those who change needles regularly, this is a real problem. If an easy-to-use automatic needle threader is an important feature, this machine isn't for you. If you use different types and sizes of needles and need to change needles frequently, this probably isn't the best choice. Main barrel and bobbin case. Although the extension table has a flap that you can lift to access the spool mechanism, it's deceptively small. A total of 3 valves must be opened before the coil can be accessed. But I still had to remove the extension table that came with the machine to get to the spool. Because the side table seating mechanism is a two-step process, this is problematic. Despite this, the coil is so far to the left that it is very difficult to work with. Putting a bobbin case in a race is extremely inconvenient. The slot for installing the body is on the front of the machine (on the right if you're looking straight at it), and the lever you hold to lock the spool in the body while trying to install it opens after rear. Cars (on the left if you are looking straight ahead). This is not possible with the right hand and requires an unnatural rotation of the left hand. Because the entire spool mechanism is so far beneath the machine, it's impossible to see what you're doing, so hit or miss until you find the right position and the cover snaps into place. I have never seen such poor technique on a sewing machine. The upper thread cutter cuts the thread so short that the needle almost always loses thread. There are some opinions that one should not use certain brands of thread because of the manufacturer's tight winding, or that one should use certain devices to loosen thread tension when winding, or that one should keep one's thread as far away from the machine as possible , which requires an additional yarn stand, sold separately. I figured I was buying a fully functional sewing machine, not one that would require specific brands of thread, additional products, or alternate thread placement to work well. A machine at this level should be able to handle pretty much anything thrown at it, not least threads. I don't use this feature, although it was one of the benefits for me. Overall, I have to say that the machine gives good results, but the user experience is very, very poor. As I said, at the moment I'm seriously considering returning it. I've had it for about 2 weeks and am unable to get over the issues I'm having. I'm giving it another week to see if it's just a matter of getting used to this model, but if I can't get over it I'll have to look for a return and refund. This is not a beginner's car. This is not a machine for the visually impaired or those with thin hands and long fingers. This is not a machine that is easy for a right-handed person to use. That's good value for money, but what's the point if the machine is so difficult to use?