you will get differing opinions on the stitch regulator. many folks find that once they learn the rhythm of the quilting, they don't use their regulator anymore. i have a different reason for having a regulator. i find that i need to stop from time to time, rarely moving all the way from one end to the other in one go. when starting and stopping on this 'journey', it takes me some time to get up to snuff again. so the regulator works well for me. by the way, the lollipop is a platform that is used when doing ruler work. i've been to the Bailey's shop and they are the nicest, most informative folks.