Brother Australia Innovis Launch

Last week I did my first ever media tour and it was to help Brother Australia launch the amazing Innovis NQ3500D. When Brother Australia asked me to be a part of the tour I was blown away with excitement, nerves and a healthy dose of “are you serious”? I’d never done this sort of thing before and I had no idea what to expect, but I’ve had such an amazingly supportive and fun time being welcomed into the Brother Australia family that I figured hanging out in person with them all would be a great way to spend a couple of days. (Who doesn’t love talking sewing, quilting and the joys of making your own stuff!)

I was coming off the back of my trip to Craft Alive in Bendigo and I was still battling my viral infection so my GP recommended I ditch the flight (concerned I’d do some serious damage to my ears) and catch a bus into Sydney. (Sure, it’s not as sexy as flying but it was so much nicer to arrive being able to hear that I didn’t care!) Plus, being on the bus gave me time to squeeze in some more shut eye and do some reading and a long over-due catch up on social media.

I caught a cab from Central Station in Sydney out to the Brother Australia offices in North Ryde and I remember as the taxi pulled up having the biggest wave of nerves wash over me. I actually stood outside the building for a couple of minutes and willed myself to go in. Looking back I feel so silly about it, the experience was so much fun and completely relaxed I’d do it again in a heart beat.

When I finally got myself upstairs and through the front door of the Brother Australia offices I got to meet all the amazing people I’d been talking to via emails and phone calls for the past few months and it was like being reunited with long lost friends. I got so lucky with the team from Brother Australia, seriously. 

The launch team consisted of Laura (Marketing Manager for Brother Australia), Kate (Graphic Designer for Brother Australia), Nicole (Public Relations for Brother Australia) and Michelle (Sales Account Manager (and font of knowledge!)). I’d met Laura before at the Brother and Simplicity Launch earlier and it was so lovely to be able to spend some quality time with her (she’s really passionate about all the amazing things that Brother Australia offer and it’s always so invigorating to spend time with someone who loves what they do). I loved showing Laura how to use the machines to make her own luggage tag because she was just so genuinely excited about it, it was so fun to share in that pure excitement and to see her share that with everyone else.

I hadn’t met Kate before, but I instantly loved her; she’s fun, quirky, wildly talented and is her own amazing person. Kate was responsible for pulling together all the fabulous marketing materials and made everyone the coolest thank you gifts. (I put mine in pride of place in my office so I can see it every day!) Nicole was just lovely and it was so great to be able to meet her after spending time communicating via emails while getting the event organised. She’s passionate about her job, has great attention to detail and is one of those people that you just wish you were.  She was just so laid back about the whole thing and that’s a fabulous trait to have in someone who’s in charge of organising.

Michelle was my rock for the two days. She knows the machines inside and out and is just so practical and hands on. I’d already had the benefit of her private tutelage a couple of weeks earlier, but I still learned more while I was in the offices. I find it really exciting to be able to see the full range of how a machine works and the cool things you can do with it and Michelle just has such a natural teaching style that it’s so easy to forget you’re receiving a lesson and not just having a fun conversation.

I would have considered the trip a resounding success had I just spent the two days hanging with these amazing ladies, let-a-lone getting to play on all the machines, see the Brother Australia offices and meet some amazing industry people.

The days were broken up into one hour meetings where various people from the industry would come and hear about the machines and get to have a play on them. On Thursday we had 4 sessions and on Friday we had 3. I remember freaking out a little before the event about all the people and the number of sessions and worrying that it was going to be too full on and I’d screw it up, but on the day it all went so smoothly and each session was a heap of fun and so different from the ones before it.

Over the two days I met people from Quilters Companion, Homespun Magazine, Australian Patchwork & Quilting, Inspiring Country Threads, Patchwork & Stitching, Handmade Magazine, Scrapbook Memories, Machine Embroidery & Textile Art, Into Craft, Expertise Events and Better Homes and Gardens. I also got to meet two fabulous bloggers who are doing wonderful things, Corrie from Retro Mummy and Lisa from Sweet Little Pretties. (Lisa is also working with Brother Australia at the moment on the Brother Under 35’s Quilting Competition (oh to be young again!) – go, check out her work!)

It was fabulous to meet so many amazing people who are doing great things to help keep our industry alive and to share their passions with the world. I wanted to spend more time getting to know them and talking to them about what they were doing, where they wanted to see our craft go in the future and what’s got them excited about craft in Australia.

During the meetings Laura shared some information about Brother (did you know Brother is actually a Japanese company that was established by 2 brothers back in 1908 and in that time they’ve sold over 50 Million sewing machines!) and the new Innovis range (did you know the Innovis range comes with the My Custom Stitch feature which allows you to combine and edit custom and built-in sample stitches – which is going to be fabulous for when I want to do more than just straight line quilting!).

I then showed everyone how to make their very own personalised felt luggage tag using the Innovis range. (I’ll be showing you how to do it too very soon on the blog!)

It was so much fun working with everyone to help them make their own projects. I thought the projects would all come out looking fairly similar but each session I was blown away by how people made theirs unique just by using the different features on the machine. (Which also helped to highlight to me that I need to spend more time playing with my machine and thinking about all the cool things I can do with so many features!)

Meeting so many people from different areas of the industry just got me so jazzed about all the things that are happening and all the amazing things that we can do with our craft. I would never have thought that I would ever consider purchasing a magazine like Machine Embroidery & Textile Art, but Yvonne (the Editor) was so enthusiastic about the work that her readers and contributors do, and she took the time to teach me while she was there, that I left the event on Friday afternoon and tried to track down a copy of the magazine before I caught my bus.

It was such a good lesson about being open to new possibilities and trying to not be limited by what you think you can and can’t do. I know that too often I’m guilty of making assumptions and writing things off before I try them and I’m robbing myself of enjoyment and fun. Yvonne’s excitement was contagious and I’m really looking forward to having some fun with embroidery and mixed media and seeing how my style and skills evolve. Yvonne was such a great role model for how we should be when it comes to our passions – excited, generous and open.

I also spent some time talking with Danielle, the Editor of Inspiring Country Threads, about the fabulous work that her team and readers are doing with country inspired projects. Again, it’s probably not something that I’m naturally drawn to because I make massive assumptions about the work and my aesthetic, but after our session together I came away really excited to start to think about whether I have a little bit of country in me. (I do listen to an awful lot of country music!) Seriously, it was like I’d had a light bulb moment while standing there talking with Danielle. Why am I pigeon holing myself instead of just having fun and trying everything???

I came away from this event with a new found desire to be more adventurous. I have this amazing machine at my disposal, we have such a depth of talent in this country that I could be learning from and all I’m doing is making excuses and limiting myself by thinking inside my own box. I need to get out – have fun – take adventures with my craft.

The days just flew by and I was so sad to have to head back to Canberra on Friday afternoon, especially because I had to leave so quickly. There were no long drawn out goodbyes, which was probably a good thing because I might have had a bit of a tantrum about having to leave them all behind. I’m so very grateful for the experience and the faith that Brother Australia placed in me when they asked me to help launch such an amazing range. I’m really excited to get back into the sewing room and start to have some serious fun learning my new machine, branching out a little more and trusting in my own skills.

And because I know you want to see the Innovis range so you can start formulating your argument for why you just can’t live without one here’s a handy range overview for you!

Range Overview

Innov-is NQ3500D	•    Sewing, embroidery and quilting machine •    290 built-in stitches including 58 combinable stitches, 10 one-step buttonhole styles and 5 sewing fonts •    173 built-in embroidery designs including 35 designs featuring Disney characters, 140 frame pattern    combinations and 11 embroidery fonts •    Large260 x 160mm (10″x6″) embroidery area •    8.3″ from needle to arm – 14% larger workspace (versus previous model without extension table) •    3.7” colour LCD touch screen display •    Built-in USB port to import designs from your memory stick •    Embroider and sew up to 850 stitches per minute •    Automatic Height Adjuster (AHA) feature •    Pivot Function for fast and easy fabric manipulation •    Enhanced My Custom Stitch feature with the ability to combine and edit custom and built-in sample stitches •    On-screen editing in embroidery includes letter editing, enhanced zoom, resizing, rotating, repositioning and combining designs •    Hard case included •    Wide range of included accessories
Innov-is NV800E	•    Embroidery-only machine •    138 built-in embroidery designs, 140 frame pattern combinations and 11 embroidery lettering fonts •    Large 260 x 160mm (10″ x 6″) embroidery area •    8.3″ from needle to arm – 59% larger workspace versus previous models •    3.7”  colour LCD touch screen display •    Built-in USB port to import designs from your memory stick •    Embroider designs at up to 850 stitches per minute •    On-screen editing includes letter editing, enhanced zoom, resizing, rotating, repositioning, and combining designs •    Advanced needle threading system and automatic thread tension
Innov-is NV1800Q	•    Sewing and quilting machine •    290 built-in stitches including 58 combinable stitches, 10 one-step buttonhole styles and 5 sewing fonts •    8.3″ from needle to arm •    14% larger workspace and included wide table for large projects such as quilts (versus previous model without extension table: 36% larger with extension table) •    Sideways sewing •    Automatic Height Adjuster (AHA) feature •    Pivot Function for fast and easy fabric manipulation •    My Custom Stitch feature allows the creation of personalised stitches •    Improved sewing with longer feed dogs and zigzag foot •    Reinforcement stitch button to automatically sew a tie-off stitch and to easily sew a row of decorative stitches •    Advanced needle threading system and automatic thread tension •    Jam-resistant Quick-Set drop-in top bobbin •    Hard case included •    Wide range of included accessories
Innov-is NV1300	•    Sewing and quilting machine •    240 built-in stitches including 58 combinable stitches, 10 one-step buttonhole styles and 5 sewing fonts •    8.3″ from needle to arm •    14% larger workspace (versus previous model without extension table) •    Sideways sewing •    My Custom Stitch feature allows the creation of personalised stitches •    Improved sewing with longer feed dogs and zigzag foot •    Reinforcement stitch button to automatically sew a tie-off stitch •    Advanced needle threading system and automatic thread tension •    Jam-resistant Quick-Set drop-in top bobbin •    Hard case included
Innov-is NV1100	•    Sewing and quilting machine •    180 built-in stitches including 40 combinable stitches, 10 one-step buttonhole styles and 5 sewing fonts •    8.3″ from needle to arm •    14% larger workspace (versus previous model without extension table) •    My Custom Stitch feature allows the creation of personalised stitches •    Improved sewing with longer feed dogs and zigzag foot •    Reinforcement stitch button to automatically sew a tie-off stitch •    Advanced needle threading system •    Jam-resistant Quick-Set drop-in top bobbin •    Super easy bobbin winding system •    Hard case included

 

• If you’d like to find out more about the Innovis range, click here.
• If you’d like to see more photos from the event, click here.
• If you’d like to see images and videos of my adventures with my Innovis NQ3500D then be sure to follow my Instagram account by clicking here.

Disclosure: Brother Australia are financial supporters of GnomeAngel.com. All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by the businesses involved. For further information about my disclosure policy please click here.