Does anyone have experience about linux kernel dev and test in QEMU?

I used to develop and test kernel driver in virtual box with full Linux Debian installed. It works but not efficient due to that I have to install a full functional Linux distribution. Previously, in this mail list, I noted some friends said that to accelerate the development process by using QEMU, a lightweight and fast VM than QEMU. After some searching works, however, I barely find any reading material or tutorial about the details of using QEMU in kernel development, especially the driver development. Can anyone give a clue?