Hi girls:
I got my Artistic Quilter a month or so ago and I have torn my hair out ever since. I put it on a Bernina frame, as my dealer assured me it would fit on this frame I already owned. The trouble with the left to right encoder sounds a lot like what you guys are having. It kinda dangles there and it's hard to tell if it is actually "riding" on the rail. Thus the back and forth stitch regulation seems to work but the left right (back encoder) is all twitchy and sporadic. I have basically given up on the stitch regulation. Don't know what else to try. The eyelash on the back problem was solved by tightening the upper tension, a few more turns than you would think after making sure the bobbin tension is about right. Also the "speed" version works pretty well but it's zero to sixty in a heartbeat. You better be prepared for that. One of the reasons I got this was the ruler mode as my dealer sold this one and regulation tin lizzies. Sigh. It's a load of cash for no stitch regulation. Plus the machine was too low on the carriage so I had to put door stops under it to raise it. For 6,000 dollars it's kinda disappointing.
M