Brother 1034D Review

Do you often sew or repair formal clothing, linen, throws or other fabrics? If so, the Brother 1034D is the perfect appliance for adding decorative and finishing stitches. It offers a range of versatile stitch functions, but instead of giving you the manufacturers description, we thought it might be more helpful to provide you with a thorough, honest review from a Brother 1034D user…

A Truthful Review

I think if you’re looking at this machine, you’re either a) new to serging or b) impressed by the price and interested in the quality. I’m completely new to sergers, but I did my homework before buying this one, and for the price and the performance, this serger has a perfect balance.

I was also concerned about being able to figure out how to use it on my own (so many people talk about taking a class) but within a day I felt like I knew it inside and out. It’s setup is uncomplicated and I was able to get right to work. There’s something to be said about passing over the machine that can “do it all” and buying one that just does what you need.

THIS IS WHAT IT DOES:

1. 3/4-thread overlock (uses 4 threads; best for use with knits or upholstery fabric)

2. 3-thread overlock (general use) in two widths – 3mm (using only the right needle) and 5mm (using only the left)

3. Rolled hem (great for edges of napkins, pajama bottoms, frilly skirts, etc)

4. Flatlock stitch (decorative or flat seams)

5. Blind hem

THIS IS WHAT IT DOESN’T DO:

1. Coverlock stitch (stretchy stitch with two straight lines on the front of the fabric). If you’re sewing for yourself (i.e. not selling what you make), you can fake this stitch on your regular zigzag sewing machine with a twin needle. It’s not quite the same, but close enough for me.

2. Chain stitch (a semi-straight stitch, similar to a regular sewing machine but easier to rip out (i.e. good for basting) and a good reinforcement for upholstery).

Other sergers I looked at that did the coverlock stitch in addition to overlock, etc. had complicated and time consuming adjustments to be made to switch to the coverlock. If you’re going to use it a lot, consider getting a separate machine that does it (the Brother model is 2340CV).

The one feature the 1034D is missing for me is the ability to do a 3-thread overlock and a chain stitch at the same time – good for upholstery but something available only on a 5 thread machine.

Still Not Certain?

If you’re still on the fence we suggest you read some of the other 160+ reviews written by users of the Brother 1034D. By learning from their experience you can make a better informed purchasing decision.