What do you think of Babylock?

What are you having problems with? What machine did you have before the
Quest? I may actually decide to keep mine. I've been appliquéing Sunbonnet
Sue blocks, and it's doing a wonderful job, much to my surprise. We'll see
how it acts once I'm ready to quilt. It still has some issues, but I'll see
what the dealer says once I get it up there, which will be the end of Sept.
and will leave it with him till the end of Oct. He's in MI, so just running
it up isn't feasible with gas prices.
Gen


"Musicmaker" wrote in message
...
I, like Gen, bought the babylock quest and am extremely unhappy with
it. The dealer can find nothing wrong with it, so I can't get any
satisfaction from them. Emailed Babylock, they said to talk to the
dealer, it's not their problem. So I can't endorse Babylock as a
company, and having no experience with babylock other than the quest,
can't endorse the machine either.

maybe I'll email Eleanor Burns? Musicmaker

I'm curious what the issues are Gen? It seems to be about the same
machine as the Janome 6600 I have not gotten along with.
Taria

Gen wrote:

What are you having problems with? What machine did you have before the
Quest? I may actually decide to keep mine. I've been appliquéing Sunbonnet
Sue blocks, and it's doing a wonderful job, much to my surprise. We'll see
how it acts once I'm ready to quilt. It still has some issues, but I'll see
what the dealer says once I get it up there, which will be the end of Sept.
and will leave it with him till the end of Oct. He's in MI, so just running
it up isn't feasible with gas prices.
Gen


"Musicmaker" wrote in message
...

I, like Gen, bought the babylock quest and am extremely unhappy with
it. The dealer can find nothing wrong with it, so I can't get any
satisfaction from them. Emailed Babylock, they said to talk to the
dealer, it's not their problem. So I can't endorse Babylock as a
company, and having no experience with babylock other than the quest,
can't endorse the machine either.

maybe I'll email Eleanor Burns? Musicmaker

Just turn the needle down button OFF. The needle will end up at any
height when you stop sewing since it isn't computer controlled - turn
the flywheel to raise it. jennellh

On Jul 28, 5:01*pm, WitchyStitcher wrote:
If you are talking about the Babylock QCP (Quilters Choice Pro). I had
that machine and recently sold it with my frame. I also have the
Brother 1500S and can tell you that they are absolutely identical
(although some will argue one is better than the other). Inside and
out, the only thing different was the color of the stripes.

I still use the Brother for all of my quilting tasks. It is an amazing
machine and incredibly sturdy. The one thing I don't like is that it
has only a needle down button, not a needle up. I love the pinfeed.

Linda
PATCHogue, NY

On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:27:52 -0700 (PDT), Sunny
wrote:

I am on the cusp of trading my Janome 5700 for a mechanical machine.
I've tried both the Janome 1600 and the Babylock model that's
comparable and find (disconcertingly) that I like the Babylock better.
Although it's lighter, it seems quieter and smoother. Also, it has an
extended bed and the Janome doesn't.

Have any of you had experience with Babylock? Please let me know....
our Janome dealer just folded and now we only have one sewing machine
shop in town. They carry Bernina and Babylock....

Sunny

Linda
PATCHogue, NY

I have the Babylock Quest also. After using it almost 10 months, I'm so
used to its features, that I don't even realize how often I use them. I
love the needle up and down, the even feed option, and the knee-lift for the
presser foot. I've only had two minor glitches. For awhile it started to
sew by itself.......I couldn't stop it, except by turning it off. (Some of
us would call this a "dream" machine!) The dealer checked and re-did all
the connections, and I haven't had the problem since. The stitch guide
broke off the all purpose foot, and they immediately mailed me a
replacement. So, no complaints here!

Alice in PA


"KI Graham" wrote in message
news:MOKsk.39359$hx.518@pd7urf3no...
Both my machines are Babylock: the quilter's choice professional is great
for quilting and basic piecing: fast, good stitch quality. I also have a
decorator's choice which has been great too: it does the fancy stuff too.
I bought both because they had what I needed at considerably less than
Pfaff or Bernina.


--
Kim Graham
http://members.shaw.ca/kigraham
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
THE WORD IN PATCHWORK


"Sunny" wrote in message
...
I am on the cusp of trading my Janome 5700 for a mechanical machine.
I've tried both the Janome 1600 and the Babylock model that's
comparable and find (disconcertingly) that I like the Babylock better.
Although it's lighter, it seems quieter and smoother. Also, it has an
extended bed and the Janome doesn't.

Have any of you had experience with Babylock? Please let me know....
our Janome dealer just folded and now we only have one sewing machine
shop in town. They carry Bernina and Babylock....

Sunny

The main thing that I was furious to find is that the length of the satin
stitch, as well as many other stitches only goes to .3. I've never seen a
machine that didn't go all the way down. The feet fall off easily. I find
it almost impossible to keep any where near a straight line when piecing
with their so-called 1/4" foot, so I use the stitch width setting and the
regular foot to get a nice seam. Their reverse is a joke..It works only
when it wants to, then is programmed to take 2 stitches forward then 4
backward. No way to use a horizontal spool holder. Thread frequently comes
out of the take-up lever, although I don't see how it possibly can. Foot
pedal is way too temperamental for me. All in all, this machine is a huge
disappointment. I spent probably a total of 3 hours playing with it at the
dealers and thought it was great.
I've almost always bought as near the TOL machines as I could afford, so
guess I'll do so again. I may trade this in on a new TOL Babylock
embroidery machine. I've already got one that I love. I'll play with
different one at the Novi Expo in Sept. Or I may sell it and just use the
Designer 1 till it quits----the main reason I got a new machine was because
I've about worn out the D1. I very seriously doubt I'd ever buy another
Viking, but I've learned to never say "never".
What are the problems with the 6600? I tried that one before looking at
the Babylock, but didn't like it enough to trade the D1 for. I can't point
to anything specific I didn't care for.
Gen

"Taria" wrote in message
news:gG0tk.876$lf2.87@trnddc07...
I'm curious what the issues are Gen? It seems to be about the same
machine as the Janome 6600 I have not gotten along with.
Taria

Gen wrote:

What are you having problems with? What machine did you have before the
Quest? I may actually decide to keep mine. I've been appliquéing
Sunbonnet Sue blocks, and it's doing a wonderful job, much to my
surprise. We'll see how it acts once I'm ready to quilt. It still has
some issues, but I'll see what the dealer says once I get it up there,
which will be the end of Sept. and will leave it with him till the end of
Oct. He's in MI, so just running it up isn't feasible with gas prices.
Gen


"Musicmaker" wrote in message
...

I, like Gen, bought the babylock quest and am extremely unhappy with
it. The dealer can find nothing wrong with it, so I can't get any
satisfaction from them. Emailed Babylock, they said to talk to the
dealer, it's not their problem. So I can't endorse Babylock as a
company, and having no experience with babylock other than the quest,
can't endorse the machine either.

maybe I'll email Eleanor Burns? Musicmaker

Mostly this machine just is not a good fit for me. Like you I
tried it out but I guess I just didn't try enough. My dealer went
under so I have no support. My foot pedal was problematic. The company
was little help and finally got sick of my griping and dh repaired it.
Wouldn't have been any big deal except I was going to have to pay
without my selling dealer available. A new machine should not take more
$$$ to have it work properly. So many folks really like their 6600 and
I am trying to learn to. I think a lot depends on the machine you had
before these machines. I have and Bernina 930 and a Brother 1500 that
had lots of the bells and whistles that 'wow' other folks. I have to
say I didn't have a machine to do a buttonhole type appliqué. I did
some of that today on the 6600 and I was actually pleased. I might just
drag out the Brother 1500 to piece and the 6600 for appliqué. It would
be easier if I had a bigger room to work in. I think the biggest
mistake I made with this machine was not taking it to the classes.
They insisted I use their shop machine. I could have probably gotten
things fixed early on because the shop went under not too long after
that class. I can't see selling this machine at anything but a big
loss so I am trying to get along with it. I think I really am a
mechanical machine person. The Yahoo group for the 6600 has some
fixes that actually might help some of your problems. You might
check in there. THe thread coming out of the take up is one that
I remember there being a fix for ( I didn't have that problem so
I wasn't paying attention)
Taria, tired and rambling


Gen wrote:

The main thing that I was furious to find is that the length of the satin
stitch, as well as many other stitches only goes to .3. I've never seen a
machine that didn't go all the way down. The feet fall off easily. I find
it almost impossible to keep any where near a straight line when piecing
with their so-called 1/4" foot, so I use the stitch width setting and the
regular foot to get a nice seam. Their reverse is a joke..It works only
when it wants to, then is programmed to take 2 stitches forward then 4
backward. No way to use a horizontal spool holder. Thread frequently comes
out of the take-up lever, although I don't see how it possibly can. Foot
pedal is way too temperamental for me. All in all, this machine is a huge
disappointment. I spent probably a total of 3 hours playing with it at the
dealers and thought it was great.
I've almost always bought as near the TOL machines as I could afford, so
guess I'll do so again. I may trade this in on a new TOL Babylock
embroidery machine. I've already got one that I love. I'll play with
different one at the Novi Expo in Sept. Or I may sell it and just use the
Designer 1 till it quits----the main reason I got a new machine was because
I've about worn out the D1. I very seriously doubt I'd ever buy another
Viking, but I've learned to never say "never".
What are the problems with the 6600? I tried that one before looking at
the Babylock, but didn't like it enough to trade the D1 for. I can't point
to anything specific I didn't care for.
Gen

I think that I've mentioned that I have the Bernina 930 and Brother 1500 too
and
thought of buying the 6600 when a friend raved over it ...but some of the
feet
looked so humongous to me that I was sure I'd hate it.
Are they hard to work with???? Not sure that I'm in the market
to buy a new machine but if a good deal comes up for that one I might
think of it again..Thanks for any input !!
Mary




"Taria" wrote in message
news:e5ptk.823$482.107@trnddc06...
Mostly this machine just is not a good fit for me. Like you I
tried it out but I guess I just didn't try enough. My dealer went
under so I have no support. My foot pedal was problematic. The company
was little help and finally got sick of my griping and dh repaired it.
Wouldn't have been any big deal except I was going to have to pay
without my selling dealer available. A new machine should not take more
$$$ to have it work properly. So many folks really like their 6600 and
I am trying to learn to. I think a lot depends on the machine you had
before these machines. I have and Bernina 930 and a Brother 1500 that
had lots of the bells and whistles that 'wow' other folks. I have to
say I didn't have a machine to do a buttonhole type appliqué. I did
some of that today on the 6600 and I was actually pleased. I might just
drag out the Brother 1500 to piece and the 6600 for appliqué. It would
be easier if I had a bigger room to work in. I think the biggest
mistake I made with this machine was not taking it to the classes.
They insisted I use their shop machine. I could have probably gotten
things fixed early on because the shop went under not too long after
that class. I can't see selling this machine at anything but a big
loss so I am trying to get along with it. I think I really am a
mechanical machine person. The Yahoo group for the 6600 has some
fixes that actually might help some of your problems. You might
check in there. THe thread coming out of the take up is one that
I remember there being a fix for ( I didn't have that problem so
I wasn't paying attention)
Taria, tired and rambling


Gen wrote:

The main thing that I was furious to find is that the length of the
satin
stitch, as well as many other stitches only goes to .3. I've never seen
a
machine that didn't go all the way down. The feet fall off easily. I
find
it almost impossible to keep any where near a straight line when piecing
with their so-called 1/4" foot, so I use the stitch width setting and
the
regular foot to get a nice seam. Their reverse is a joke..It works only
when it wants to, then is programmed to take 2 stitches forward then 4
backward. No way to use a horizontal spool holder. Thread frequently
comes
out of the take-up lever, although I don't see how it possibly can.
Foot
pedal is way too temperamental for me. All in all, this machine is a
huge
disappointment. I spent probably a total of 3 hours playing with it at
the
dealers and thought it was great.
I've almost always bought as near the TOL machines as I could afford,
so
guess I'll do so again. I may trade this in on a new TOL Babylock
embroidery machine. I've already got one that I love. I'll play with
different one at the Novi Expo in Sept. Or I may sell it and just use
the
Designer 1 till it quits----the main reason I got a new machine was
because
I've about worn out the D1. I very seriously doubt I'd ever buy another
Viking, but I've learned to never say "never".
What are the problems with the 6600? I tried that one before looking
at
the Babylock, but didn't like it enough to trade the D1 for. I can't
point
to anything specific I didn't care for.
Gen

I have never worked with a machine that stitched or freemotioned
better than my 1500. I tried the Pfaff that had the equilalents in
Viking and Janome (forgot the name), but it was more expensive and the
1500 was better. This is the machine I used to free motion except for
complex designs - then I use the Bernina 440 with BSR.

Linda
PATCHogue, NY

On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:44:48 -0400, "MB"
wrote:

I think that I've mentioned that I have the Bernina 930 and Brother 1500 too
and
thought of buying the 6600 when a friend raved over it ...but some of the
feet
looked so humongous to me that I was sure I'd hate it.
Are they hard to work with???? Not sure that I'm in the market
to buy a new machine but if a good deal comes up for that one I might
think of it again..Thanks for any input !!
Mary




"Taria" wrote in message
news:e5ptk.823$482.107@trnddc06...
Mostly this machine just is not a good fit for me. Like you I
tried it out but I guess I just didn't try enough. My dealer went
under so I have no support. My foot pedal was problematic. The company
was little help and finally got sick of my griping and dh repaired it.
Wouldn't have been any big deal except I was going to have to pay
without my selling dealer available. A new machine should not take more
$$$ to have it work properly. So many folks really like their 6600 and
I am trying to learn to. I think a lot depends on the machine you had
before these machines. I have and Bernina 930 and a Brother 1500 that
had lots of the bells and whistles that 'wow' other folks. I have to
say I didn't have a machine to do a buttonhole type appliqué. I did
some of that today on the 6600 and I was actually pleased. I might just
drag out the Brother 1500 to piece and the 6600 for appliqué. It would
be easier if I had a bigger room to work in. I think the biggest
mistake I made with this machine was not taking it to the classes.
They insisted I use their shop machine. I could have probably gotten
things fixed early on because the shop went under not too long after
that class. I can't see selling this machine at anything but a big
loss so I am trying to get along with it. I think I really am a
mechanical machine person. The Yahoo group for the 6600 has some
fixes that actually might help some of your problems. You might
check in there. THe thread coming out of the take up is one that
I remember there being a fix for ( I didn't have that problem so
I wasn't paying attention)
Taria, tired and rambling


Gen wrote:

The main thing that I was furious to find is that the length of the
satin
stitch, as well as many other stitches only goes to .3. I've never seen
a
machine that didn't go all the way down. The feet fall off easily. I
find
it almost impossible to keep any where near a straight line when piecing
with their so-called 1/4" foot, so I use the stitch width setting and
the
regular foot to get a nice seam. Their reverse is a joke..It works only
when it wants to, then is programmed to take 2 stitches forward then 4
backward. No way to use a horizontal spool holder. Thread frequently
comes
out of the take-up lever, although I don't see how it possibly can.
Foot
pedal is way too temperamental for me. All in all, this machine is a
huge
disappointment. I spent probably a total of 3 hours playing with it at
the
dealers and thought it was great.
I've almost always bought as near the TOL machines as I could afford,
so
guess I'll do so again. I may trade this in on a new TOL Babylock
embroidery machine. I've already got one that I love. I'll play with
different one at the Novi Expo in Sept. Or I may sell it and just use
the
Designer 1 till it quits----the main reason I got a new machine was
because
I've about worn out the D1. I very seriously doubt I'd ever buy another
Viking, but I've learned to never say "never".
What are the problems with the 6600? I tried that one before looking
at
the Babylock, but didn't like it enough to trade the D1 for. I can't
point
to anything specific I didn't care for.
Gen

I think I just might have been spoiled with my previous machines.
Can't wait to hear reports on your LA.

TAria

WitchyStitcher wrote:
I have never worked with a machine that stitched or freemotioned
better than my 1500. I tried the Pfaff that had the equilalents in
Viking and Janome (forgot the name), but it was more expensive and the
1500 was better. This is the machine I used to free motion except for
complex designs - then I use the Bernina 440 with BSR.

Linda
PATCHogue, NY

GMTA Mary. The feet are clunky. Compared to how your 930 feet pop
on and off they are a bear to use. I have trouble with any real fine
work. Leslie thinks they are great but she has sewn on Janomes for
years. That might be the difference. Learning curve and all you know.
If I had it to do again I would not purchase this machine but many
others really like it a lot. Sign on to the Yahoo Janome 6500 group.
(they address both machines) THere is a lot of info there.
Taria

MB wrote:

I think that I've mentioned that I have the Bernina 930 and Brother 1500 too
and
thought of buying the 6600 when a friend raved over it ...but some of the
feet
looked so humongous to me that I was sure I'd hate it.
Are they hard to work with???? Not sure that I'm in the market
to buy a new machine but if a good deal comes up for that one I might
think of it again..Thanks for any input !!
Mary