- Built In Block Alphabet and Numerical Sewing Font for Basic Monogramming, including 55 characters.
- Large Backlit LCD screen with computerized stitch selection8 styles of one-step, auto-size reimforced buttonholes, including bartack, keyhole, round, stretch knit, jacket, eyelet, heirloom, and straight stitch outline
- Oversized Wide Table for Quilting and Larger Projects with free arm/flatbed convertible sewing surfaceUnique Flip Stitch Guide on the machine
- # Unique Flip Stitch Guide on the machine # Super-wide (7mm) zigzag and decorative stitches # Automatic one step needle threading # Built-in thread cutters for top and bobbin thread # Fast, automatic bobbin winding
- # One-step bobbin replacement with quick set drop-in bobbin # One-touch start, stop and reverse button operations # Operates with or without foot control. Start Stop Button # Full Assortment of Accessories Including Sewing Feet and Quilting Accessories # Drop feed for free motion quilting and embroidery. Create free-form or traditional quilt patterns # Variable needle positions on straight stitch 25-year limited warranty
Product Description
80 built-in garment construction utility, decorative, hand look quilting, and heirloom stitches, each with multiple stitch functions (120 total stitch functions).
To see all Brother XR9000 80 built-in stitches
To see all Brother XR9000 120 stitch functions
Explore your creativity with the Brother XR9000 Computerized Sewing Machine, which offers 80 built-in utility, decorative, blanket, hand look quilting and heirloom stitches, each with multiple stitch functions (120 total). Create free-form or traditional quilt patterns with the drop feed. Features 8 styles of one-step auto-size buttonholes. Lightweight with a built-in handle for easy portability.
The XR9000 is very lightweight, I don’t know if that makes it less robust or not- it seems pretty sturdy but I would not use it for leather. The sewing mechanism is wonderful- very quiet and soft, like cutting through butter. Foot pedal is responsive and the speed limit slider works great. There’s also a button control but for whatever weird reason you can not use the start/stop button while the pedal is plugged in; I don’t foresee that button getting a lot of use.
There’s a reverse/reinforce button which unfortunately is a temporary switch only- not a toggle. It can be used in conjunction with the foot pedal or you just hold the button down and it will go in reverse at a slow speed.
Several extra presser feet are included, e.g. buttonhole, buttonstitch, zipper, blind hem. The one thing I am missing is a quilting guide. There’s a slot for it in the foot but it has to be purchased separately. While the accessories are fine, the accessory storage is not. There’s a front panel section that you have to pull out and then inside there’s a plastic pouch with all the goodies. You have to keep the stuff in the pouch or they’ll fall out of the machine. For $0.20 more Brother could have added a proper compartment with a hinge- instead they took a very cheap and impractical storage approach.
Lighting is provided by a bright but focussed white LED. I am somewhat spoiled by having a high wattage light bulb in the previous machine which lit up the entire working area. The XR9000 LED lights up the presser foot really well but that’s about it. The “automatic needle threading” is not automatic, but still extremely useful (I keep missing the eye when trying to do it manually).
Even though I wound 3 bobbins I still can’t tell whether the machine has an automatic stopping mechanism or just slows down a lot once the bobbin is full. Either way you can run the winding at full speed for a minute and it’s quite noticeable once it’s complete. The bobbins are full-size and top-loading. There’s a somewhat tricky part about catching a hook when loading the bobbin which is not well explained in the manual. The first time I missed that which resulted in unbalanced stitches; reloading the bobbin more carefully took care of it. Another nice feature is that you don’t have to pull up the lower thread before you can start to sew.
The stitch patterns are plentiful and half of them look quite nice. The other half has weird default settings where the default stitch length is too long, you can adjust that in the display but it still strikes me as odd. The monogramming feature works- it’s fixed size, fixed font and does not look all that great. The XR9000 does not have any adjustable settings for presser foot height or pressure. However, the included default presser foot has some kind of spring adjustment built in which is supposed to help with thick fabric layers. I have not had a chance to try it out yet. The manual and instructional DVD are great and cover all the essentials.
EDIT- 2 months later: I have been having problems with thin fabric veering off to the side which made it impossible to do blind hems or other straight stitches with tight tolerances. For 2 months I thought this was me using it wrong until I brought it to a local store. As it turns out the machine shipped with some defects- the shank was slightly angled and the feed dog timing was off. Repair was $60 and came with a warning by the mechanic that the Brother machines are not particulaly reliable due to lack of solid metal construction. Machine loses 1 star for this and the fact that Brother does not have many authorized service centers.
Rating: 4 / 5
I’ve used this machine to make lots of crafts and a full sized log cabin quilt with stippling. The top drop bobbin is easy to thread and the bobbin winder is simple to use. The extra feet and longer arm quilting table are wonderful extras. The font is nothing amazing but works nice for simple monogramming. I like that you can drop the feed dogs and free motion quilt. It is a low shank machine and I was able to get a generic walking foot for it. The backlit lcd screen is very nice and easy to read – not too dim or too small. The best feature though is the automatic start/stop, needle up/down, and reverse stitch buttons. I haven’t even used the foot pedal!
Rating: 5 / 5
I have been sewing for nearly 50 years and had not bought a new machine for almost 30 years. That one cost me, even then, three times what this one did and it can’t do a fraction of the functions of this or as well. What impresses me the most is the even sewing on both sides of the fabric, that it can go over thick spots such as seam junctions without skipping stitches, and the array of buttonholes it can make. It can also take the specialty threads on the market — thick and thin — without shredding or skipping. It does have a few drawbacks, however. As another reviewer said, it has a low shank so it is hard to start sewing in a thick area without dropping the feed dogs. It also has a long needle screw which protrudes out far enough into the bed that it is easy to whack your finger when the machine is running if you have to hold something close to the presser foot. The bed is not very long so sewing large or thick items such as draperies or upholstery is difficult to get through the opening. It also does not have a right needle position, but the ability to select a starting position (left or center), or up or down, is very nice and easy to change with different applications. The User Manual is very complete and has a good index. Brother Xr9000 Computerized Sewing Machine, Which Offers 80 Built-in Utility(xr-9000)
Rating: 4 / 5
I loved this machine at first. It was smooth, quiet, and I love the speed control for applique.
My issues are:
Straight line sewing seems to be a slight problem. I have to fight a little to keep my fabrics feeding thru straight. It doesn’t matter which feet I use, I change feet, thread, and needles according to what the manual says for whatever I’m sewing. If I wear my quilting gloves for regular straight sewing it’s a little easier. But I never had to do that with my old machine.
My second issue is skipped stitches. This just started happening a couple of weeks ago, and I have done everything the manual suggested. I have cleaned the bobbin case (it was pretty dusty), I have made sure my needle is inserted properly and the machine is threaded properly. I make sure I have the right needle, foot, etc for what I’m sewing. It still skips stitches, even on my applique now.
Today I am going back to my old singer. I live in the boonies and it is a full day to drive to and from a place that can service my machine. I am going to call brother customer service and hope they will be able to help, but I do not want to pay expensive shipping or repair charges for an inexpensive machine like this. I may end up donating it to my trash can and buying the more expensive machine I wanted in the first place.
Bummer!
Rating: 2 / 5
I bought this machine from a different site in February and with the snow I got it in March. Well by the second week it stopped working. The bobbion thread gets all tangles and locks up the motor. I called Brother and they were ZERO help. The worst part is that the machine broke in the middle of makign a crib set for my niece who will be born before my replacement arrives
Rating: 1 / 5