Oh Brother, this is a nice machine! The Brother 1034D

The Brother 1034D…..


A great serger to have around….

This is a great serger for someone with general home sewing needs! It is inexpensive and has a ton of features for the money. We have had it in our home for about two years now and enjoy the easy operating and threading that we get with this Brother.

It is compact, lightweight and relatively easy to thread (once you get the hang of it). It has a lot of accessories and seems to hold up nicely to regular use. This Brother can do a multitude of stitches and the feet are easily interchangeable.


What is in the box?

My Brother 1034D came threaded with four different colors of cheap thread. The colors coordinate with the handy threading guide on the machine, but are only meant for show and demonstration. Larger spools can be purchased easily at any craft or fabric store.

This serger came with a multipurpose/bind hem foot and a gathering foot. I have found that we don’t really have a need for much more than that, and there are a wide variety of stitches we can use them for. In addition, the serger also comes with a pair of tweezers which is vital for threading! There are four thread spool caps so that you can use regular sewing machine thread on the machine instead of the big spools if you need to. There are also four thread nets for use with the giant thread spools to allow them to feed properly. A set of needles is included, although it is handy to know that standard sewing machine needles work on this machine. The Brother also comes with a hexagonal wrench, cleaning brush, soft cover, and a trim tray for the cuttings as you sew.

Lastly, there is an instructional video on CD and a product manual with instructions and care plus warranty details. There was also an additional CD on techniques which I admittedly did not give a try after watching the threading video.


Threading it - Very Scary the First Time Around!

I was looking forward to threading my machine and quickly opened up the instructional CD for my PC. Even after having experience with a serger, this video was not very informative. There was a woman trying to show me how to thread the serger and the camera angles made it impossible to actually see what she was doing. I later used the instruction manual to thread it, but even that was a little hard to understand. I had trouble deciphering which way the arrows were trying to tell me to pull the thread because the sketches were not very detailed. I actually let the thing sit for a few days because I was so frustrated with it! I asked my husband to do it for a day or so after that, but he didn’t exactly get right on that!

One day I decided that I was not an idiot and that if I followed these directions and took deep breaths, then I could do it! I patiently waded through the instructions both in the manual and conveniently located on the machine, and after about ten minutes the first time, I got it threaded perfectly! I tested it with some sewing and then pulled all the threads out and did it again. Once I had practiced it a few times, I got it down to a five minute procedure with relatively little pain.

Because of my first experiences with the threading, I would highly suggest that a person new to sewing buys it from a store or dealer that offers lessons! This machine has four threads to maze through, needles, cutting knives, etc. and it can be pretty intimidating to sit down to use it the first time if you don’t have a lot of experience. In hindsight, I would have purchased mine with at least one lesson versus purchasing it online, but I did figure it out eventually, so it is not impossible.


Stitches and Features, etc.-

This is a quiet machine! The speed is controlled with a foot pedal and it is very easy to start and stop, plus it can achieve 1300 stitches per minute! I am sure I was not going that fast, but it was helpful to have the speed when I was working on my bathroom curtains recently! I was using very thick fabric and this machine just breezed right through the task at high speed.

I like that you can remove the flat bed that you sew on to reveal a thinner sewing base which is great for sleeves and smaller items. I tend to actually sew like this most of the time, although my daughter enjoys the larger work surface and tends to leave it on.

I like that there are a ton of options and stitches with the Brother including a three and four thread overlock, rolled hem, and a narrow hem. It is very easy to adjust the tension on this machine to get the perfect stitch. The manual is very helpful about giving you the guidelines for settings on a particular stitch, and I admit I made a chart based on the manual for easy reference. This has enabled me to get more creative when using this machine.

The rolled hem is really nice. My daughter and I plan on making some cutesy little napkins for different occasions and this stitch is vital for that task! We also like to sit down and make purses on occasion for fun along with an abundance of other projects, so this Brother has been a nice addition. It seems to be up to most of our tasks!

The one thing this machine does not do is the cover stitch. The cover stitch is a really nice way to finish off your sleeves and hems just like store bought clothing. You can still achieve this look at home, but not in any way that is close to being as easy as a simple cover stitch. Once I knew I was going to use a serger and my daughter was using one, too, I went looking for another machine which could do a cover stitch.


Available Accessories -

The Brother 1034D comes with an accessory order form for convenient access to accessories directly from the manufacturer. In addition to replacement parts already included in the box when new, you can also buy additional presser feet. Presser feet available are the Blind Stitch Foot, Elastic Taping Foot, and a Piping Foot. They are just under $30 each and could open up a whole new world of stitches on this machine! In addition, you can also buy the Pearls and Sequins Foot for just under $40.

Prices for replacement parts seem reasonable and range from $2.00 for a light bulb to $8.00 for a new trim trap to catch cuttings. You can also replace your Gathering Foot for just under $40. I think the wide variety of accessories available in combination with the easy access to replacement parts makes this machine very desirable.


Our thoughts on this machine -

I was one of the last two fashion design majors at Washington Sate University. I learned how to sew there and quickly fell in love with the department serger. I also learned that I have no design talent and switched to accounting as a major. Well, sometime later, I decided that I really missed the ease in which sergers sew, but I didn’t want to fork out a ton of money because I wasn’t sure I would use it often enough. The technology has gone way up since those days and the prices have come down for good entry models. I decided that I would take a baby step into the serger market to make sure it was still something I would still use and enjoy. I found this Brother 1034D for around only $200 and figured that at that price, I had to try it!


It turns out that my baby step turned into a marathon and I have rediscovered my love of serging lost since those college days. I have since bought a Huskylock 936 serger in addition to this one, so my fourteen year old daughter has gotten to use this one more in recent months. Sometimes I will still jump on it for a few stitches if the thread is the right color. We both have gotten a ton of use out of it and I enjoy teaching her how to use it. She has turned into such a little fashion queen and is now asking for a dress form to go with this Brother serger!


Lastly -

This is a great serger for the price and a wonderful way to get your feet wet in the serging world without feeling bad about the money. It doesn’t do a cover stitch, but overall, the needs for home sewing are met nicely!

This serger comes with a five year warranty.


Little Side Note:

I recently spoke with the other last fashion design major from college and she was flying around Europe with Kenneth Cole on his personal jet…..oh well. I will have to make do with my Brother and my Huskylock and Project Runway!