Problems with FMQ foot for Brother PQ1500
 

I was going to try FMQ on my Brother PQ1500. I put the FMQ foot on that came with the machine. It is almost like an open toefoot. The opening is covered with clear plastic and has a teeny tiny hole in the center.


I put the foot on the shank but the hole and the needle did not line up. I took it off and put it on again. Same thing!! I took the foot off and turned the open toe part so it would line up with the needle. It was very loose and I tried to FMQ after I moved the bottom of the foot but after a couple stitches, the needle went through the plastic. When I turned the foot bottom back to where it was snug, the needle and hole would not align. Has this happened to anyone else??


I am so very discouraged!! I bought this machine mainly to do FMQ and feel like I wasted my money.

I have the babylock version. I found that the hole was not centered right either after awhile so I made it bigger. I saw somewhere that people took the center plastic out so i may try that. You reminded me that I need to check with my dealer to see if i can get a different foot.

I was with a friend when she had the same prob with her Babylock. We used a drill and made the hole larger. She was going to remove the plastic later...we were in a hurry to make her machine work!

This is something that seems to be a problem. I would talk with your dealer first before doing anything. Brother needs to be told about this difficulty so they can make a correction. I had Harriet Hargrave drill out the center section of my Bernina walking foot, I trusted her since at the time she had a Bernina dealership herself. This was the first walking foot Bernina manufacture and I think they eventually made changes with newer models. Companies do listen if we only take the time to tell them what is wrong with their products.

I modified my foot for the 1500 too. I took out all the plastic and cut out a big chunk of the metal circle. My hole lined up with the needle though. I won this machine when it first came out on a Shop Hop so maybe later versions of the machine and foot don't match exactly. The hole in the plastic could be off set just a tad. Leah Day has fmq feet very reasonably priced on her website that you can modify and not feel like you are ruining it.

I watched Leah Day video on how to modify your plastic foot. She cuts the center bar out.

Patsy Thompson also cuts the front of the metal bar out. I have watched her videos many times

I cut out the plastic part of my foot, but somehow that threw off the tension, and I was never able to get it right. So I swapped that foot for the foot from my Janome 1600. The Janome 1600 and the Brother 1500 are identical, and the feet are interchangeable. I second the recommendation of talking to your dealer, but if you get nowhere, try the Janome foot.

You might consider joining the Yahoo group for the Brother 1500. You will find LOTS of help and info there. :thumbup:

I, too, modified my foot for my Brother 1500. I couldn't see anything with it the way it was. I popped out the plastic and used tin snips to cut the front of the foot off. A quick sand with some sand paper and I'm good to go.

I'm not entirely sure which foot you all are talking about. I have one clear foot that came with my Babylock that doesn't have any metal on it.

But the thing I want to say is that the feet are not as interchangeable - sometimes - as what some people (and even sellers - like eBay or even sewing stores) say they are....

I put a video on YouTube that shows the differences between a Janome foot and a Babylock one....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GA8GO6QKQ

Hope that helps. :)