I am so excited to announce that I have joined the Baby Lock team as a brand ambassador! I am well acquainted with Baby Locks machines through my work with Sew News magazine and watching the work of their other ambassadors. When my serger recently stopped working. I was looking to upgrade it so I polled my Instagram audience to get their recommendations. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of Baby Lock in terms of functionality, durability, customer service, and overall performance.
The social media team from Baby Lock saw my previous struggle with my other sewing machine and this new need for a serger. They invited me to apply to be a part of their ambassador team. After a meeting to discuss our mutual needs I was in!
Baby Lock has a wide range of machines with multiple purposes and I had to consider strongly what I wanted to bring into my sewing studio. Firstly, I chose the Accolade, a combination chain stitch and overlocker which forms stitches with up to eight threads.
The game changer is the ExtraordinAir® threader which takes the thread through all three loopers at once, instantly, with a gust of air. The time I will save and frustration the frustration I will avoid!
I am not proud to say it, but I have thrown a previous serger out of alignment by sewing multiple layers dense fabric. The Accolade’s presser foot features a 6mm height that makes serging on thicker fabrics a breeze.
Years ago, I had been advised against getting a combination machine because the changing between the two features was tedious. My test drive at my local store showed this to be less of a challenge than I expected. The included quick reference threading guide simplifies the threading process with clear images and color coding.
Ending stitching with my previous cover-stitch required a series of precise steps. If I got it wrong, I would risk unravelling the stitches and needing to start again. The beauty of the Accolade is that you can chain off your stitches by stitching right off the fabric like you would while serging. The stitches are secure with no fuss.
The Accolade has so many features I can't wait to explore more. The rolled hem, easy gathering, and the exclusive wave stitch are all I plan to use in my garment making. Stay tuned as I explore this machine.
For my main machine, I chose the sewing and embroidery machine, the Altair.
The garment sewing features top of the line stitch selections, multiple included feet for quilting, garment sewing, piecing, and home décor applications. The guide beam for sewing is a tool I never knew I needed! It shines a light on the stitching path and makes continuous sewing easy to keep straight.
With the new Compact Digital Dual-Feed System I will have 7.0 mm clearance for stitching on multiple layers or high loft fabrics. This will make working with the fabrics I use from Shannon Fabrics so easy. More than just a straight stitch, I can use a total of 36 utility and decorative stitches with this foot.
I thought the needle threader on my other machine was nice. In a few steps, the needle usually went in. If not the first time, three times max. On the Altair, the needle threading is absolutely wonderful and it is performed with the push of a button the first time, every time.
The LCD screen is the control panel for the sewing, embroidery, and IQ Designer controls. It has instructional videos, settings to customize the machine to your preferences, and beautiful screen savers when the machine is idle.
A sewing machine that does not alert me of a low bobbin is a traitor! The Altair not only alerts me, but also commiserates!
I sometimes video chat a friend while we sew. I have had to end the call with my other machines because they were too loud. The Altair is a quiet machine that allows me to conduct conversations in my studio while I work. With the Altair the conversation and the work can occur simultaneously.
I enjoy machine embroidery and occasionally write for Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine. The Altair easy converts to the embroidery features with a switch of foot and snap of the module.
I love the idea of the larger embroidery field, that allows up to 9.5" X 14" projects. The built-in IQ Designer software means I can digitize images I had not imagined possible without expensive software! The IQ Designer feature allows me to upload a photograph handwriting or illustration from my phone and have the embroidery machine convert it to a stitch-able file.
It comes equipped with four sizes of hoops with a specialized coding system on the hoops (the black and white areas). The IQ Positioning app allows me to upload a photo of the fabric the design will be stitched on.
The image is transmitted wirelessly to the machine allowing for accurate placement and scaling of the embroidery.
The third machine I received is the Baby Lock Zest.
This is a beginner level lightweight machine that I can take with me to my Houston Modern Quilt Guild meetings and to my local sewcial. The level of sewing I get done at these meetings makes this machine perfect for me to take around and not be overwhelmed by the size or features.
All of these machines come with instructional videos an inspirational projects through the online Sewed program.
These machines are more involved than any of the others I have owned. The education in those classes has made it easy to watch, learn and execute the lesson. The eight thread serger cover-stitch of the Accolade looked very intimidating. I watched the 15 minute video and was serging by the end of it. I have lots to learn and feel equipped to do fun things!
Stay tuned to see what I do!
Happy Sewing,
Bianca