If you’re looking for a dependable sewing machine that’s perfect for beginning and intermediate sewing and quilting, take a peek at these two favorites from Brother. They offer a lot of bang for the buck. Let’s look at the details to see which one would be the best for you.
Brother HC1850 Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine with 130 Built-in Stitches, 9 Presser Feet, Sewing Font, Wide Table, and Instructional DVD
The Brother HC1850 is advertised as a quilting machine because it comes preprogrammed with quilting stitches as well as a spring-loaded quilting foot and a quilting table. It’s able to do free motion quilting if you purchase the free motion foot, sold separately. Advanced quilters may not be satisfied because it’s impossible to raise the presser foot high enough for thick quilts and the table is small for large projects. But no one seems to complain about the wide assortment of stitches!
It comes ready to make one hundred thirty stitches, from quilting and sewing to buttonholes, monogramming, and heirloom decorative projects. The eight styles of one-step auto-size buttonholes alone is probably more than most people would ordinarily use. The HC1850 has enough variety and capability that beginner to intermediate sewers will come up with new projects just to test out all the options.
There are three sewing speeds to choose from. The slowest may be just perfect for a beginner who’s wary of the foot pedal. They can just set the slow speed and go, no pedal required. The fastest can crank out up to 850 stitches a minute, but yet the machine is still quiet as it works.
Threading and set up is pretty easy with an automatic needle threader and drop-in bobbin, although it doesn’t have a thread sensor or cutter like the XR1355 described below. The pressure of the presser foot can’t be adjusted either. For more details on how to operate the machine, Brother includes a free instructional DVD in the box.
There are two more convenient features to mention. One, the built-in LED light actually puts out enough illumination to handle sewing in a dim room. And two, all the accessories, like the 8 presser feet, can store in a drawer at the bottom of the machine.
More features of the Brother HC1850 sewing and quilting machine:
- Comes with buttonhole foot, overcasting foot, monogramming foot, zipper foot, zigzag foot, blind stitch foot, button fitting foot, and spring action quilting foot
- Brother offers a 25-year warranty
Brother XR1355 Computerized 130-Stitch Sewing & Quilting Machine
The Brother XR1355 has a few differences from the HC1850 we described above. For one, it has some advanced features that add convenience. It offers upper thread and bobbin sensors as well as manual thread cutting. It also has automatic threading to make setup super fast and easy.
Other than that, it’s quite similar to the HC1850. The instructional DVD (in both Spanish and English) explains how to get the most from the 130 preprogrammed stitches, the 8 included presser feet, and the quilting table. With this machine, a beginning to intermediate sewer can complete a wide range of projects, from quilts and home decorations to sewing clothes and accessories.
Owners have reported that while the XR1355 can handle sewing denim, very thick projects (like multiple layers of fabric) are difficult. But it has good speed and power for most sewing needs. In fact, like the HC1850, the XR1355 has a slow speed setting that beginners love. They can work without the foot pedal and get smoother results. The top speed of 850 stitches a minute isn’t fast enough for a production environment, but then this isn’t a commercial-grade machine.
More features of the Brother XR1355 sewing and quilting machine:
- Comes with buttonhole foot, overcasting foot, monogramming foot, zipper foot, zigzag foot, blind stitch foot, button fitting foot, and spring action quilting foot
- Brother offers a 25-year warranty
Recommendation
Anyone except advanced sewers and quilters will be pleased with the power, speed, and abilities of both of these machines.
If you prefer as much automated setup as possible, you may like the XR1355. It has automatic threading, thread sensors, and a drop-in Quickset bobbin.
If you don’t need those features, the threading setup on the HC1850 is simple and it also comes with a drop-in bobbin.
Click here to purchase Brother HC1850 on Amazon.com!
Click here to purchase Brother XR1355 on Amazon.com!