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Guest Editorial

by Stephanie Kimura
Industry Designer

Creativity inspired by Brother’s QC1000

The QC1000, Brother International Corporation, arrived today. Harry Potter and his Nimbus 2000 have nothing on this magic-maker! I opened the box, turned it on and pressed every button. I thought I should read the manual, but the QC1000 took me for a ride and there was no stopping us. The stitch speed was incredible and the quality of the stitch for free motion was spot on. As a designer who uses free motion to “sketch,” this machine was heaven sent.

I read the manual enough to know I was going to check out three features immediately. I was especially curious about the Automatic Height Adjuster™ (AHA) feature that would continuously detect a change in fabric thickness and adjust the presser foot pressure. Wow, equal to the magic of GPS! The other was a new pivot function. Now there’s a way to do free motion with triangular shapes. I always save the best for last. As if 127 built-in stitches weren’t enough, with this machine you can program your own design.

Well, I am never one to test on small pieces of scrap fabric and then throw them away. I plunge into a project and I am determined that it will turn out beautiful. I received some wonderful Asian pieces from Michael Miller Fabrics and some new and improved batting from Air Lite, so I put them together and put the pedal to the metal. I didn’t know where I was going so I let my fingers do the driving.

I used 30-weight rayon thread for definition and a Geisha appeared. Next, I summoned a bamboo forest and it glided its way over the throat plate. I added a red sun filled with triangular free motion shapes to check out the pivot function. The points were perfect, even with the thicker thread. I used the screen and program to create a tic-tac-toe motif for the kimono. Now, for the part that separates the women from the girls: I sewed through two layers of batting and eight layers of fabric (including seam allowances) and then on to the same plus pockets with batting. It was a breeze. No broken needles and no whining. The QC1000 has inspired me and I am ready to start creating award-winning wearable art.

Brother offers a full line of home sewing machines, from basic to top-of-the-line sewing, quilting and embroidery machines. The company is recognized for its high-quality state-of-the-art machines and accessories, all which offer ease-of-use and flexibility at affordable prices. Brother can also be found on the Web at www.brother.com.

Reprinted from Quilting Now, May 2007

Stephanie Kimura is the designer/owner of a wearable and decorative arts pattern company. She is the author of Bags With Style, Bags And Accessories With Style, and Art To Wear With Asian Flair published by Krause Publications. Her goal is to promote creative sewing and embellishment through trunk shows, lectures, demos, patterns, books, and her Web site www.StephanieKimura.com. Two of her projects, Flowers For The Empresss and Getting A Handle On Leather And Suede, can be seen on Sew Much More on the DIY Network for HGTV, Kaye’s Quilting Friends, and Living Well for PBS. Some of her accolades include: The Fairfield Fashion Show 2000 and the Sulky Challenge. Her future endeavors include a collection of embroidery designs, surface design patterns, and a fourth book. Stephanie can be reached at info@StephanieKimura.com. She resides in Jensen Beach, FL.