Who sews with Baby Lock? I am looking at the BL esante
 

Please let me know who uses Baby Lock esante. Looked at one today and fell in love. Will it be good for light quilting, and embroidery? And what about the learning curve. Will I get my money's worth, or will it stay in the shop more than at my house? Thank you QB friends.

I wish I could answer your questions.. I just bought a Babylock Ellamiso. I love it, but have a lot to learn. I have had 2 classes .... one on just learning my machine and the other on embroidery. I'm still lost on the embroidery. I have been quilting and love it. I have been pratcing on the embroidery but still have so much to learn. Hope others can help you.

Embroidery, I wouldn't know, but I have the Espire for almost 2 years. I love it. It quilts lovely if I can get the hand motions down but the stitch quality for the FMQ is excellent, does the esante have AHA that keeps the stitches great and I rarely have to adjust tension even when changing threads fabrics and thicknesses. Most people love their babylock embroidery machines so I can only imagine it will be great for that as well, There are so many stitches that can be used for quilting. Learning curve is pretty easy, however once you are used to your fancy machine you will miss these features when you use your cheaper machines. I do. Babylocks are little workhorses so it should be fine for light quilting.

I bought my Esante - I believe around 1997 or 1998. I have been using it steadily since. It is a workhorse for embroidery. I use it very little for general sewing - use my Bernina for that. The learning curve is fairly short - just begin with some of the patterns and fonts built into the machine. I use the Pallette software program for lots of the editing and for using designs downloaded from various sites on the internet. Overall - It's a great machine and I have had almost no trouble with it! If I can answer more specific questions - let me know.

I have the Babylock Quest Plus with the built in walking foot for quilting. Great machine, does not do embroidery.

I have an Ellisimo and I love it. No problems at all. The manual is extremely detailed, so always take a look at it before panicking! lol

I've had my Ellisimo for a year and a half now and having used many other machines have to say this is the easiest learning curve ever! I am very impressed with the documentation too! Can't imagine any Babylock products that wouldn't be the same. I have a friend with an Evolve serger and it is the same for her.

Ihave an old Baby Lok serger withthe manual threading and a Baby Lok Quilters Pro mid arm that is just fabulous. I can't say enough about the machines - they really put thought into how people use them and added all kinds of features that make it so easy!

I have the Esante BLN (the newer model) and absolutely love this machine. My previous machine was a Babylock Quilter's Choice and was perfectly happy with that until I test-drove the Esante. I've had my Esante 3 years and it was only in the shop once for cleaning and replace a cracked bobbin case (too many broken needles- oops my bad).

From what I've seen so far, the Babylock machines are very easy to learn and use. The manuals are well written and you should be up and sewing within minutes.

My embroidery unit is the same -- very easy to learn and use.

Babylock makes a great, reliable machine. I'm hoping to upgrade one more time and would love the Elisimo but will probably go with the Ellegante 3 (more in my price range).

I know the Esante BL is the older model but I'm sure it's a great machine. I would just say try it out and see what you think.

I have the Ellegante and will someday upgrade to another Babylock-hopefully the Ellisimo (Gold??) (I was told the Ellegante 3 has a few upgrades from my Ellegante, and some of those I already put on my machine). I asked several questions regarding repairs on the Babylocks, and was told that very seldom do they need repairs. Yearly maintenance-YES! Simply clean it often, especially when going from one project to the next. Use the right needle and thread for your projects. They are workhorses, yet sew very very smoothly. I am in the process of embroidering flour sack tea towels for gifts with the Ellegante, and I love that I can just go from the Ellegante to my Babylock Jane and piece blocks after the first couple of stitches are started, returning whenever to change the color of embroidery thread. I have used the included embroidery patterns, used those 13000+ design discs on Ebay, and purchased several from Emblibrary.com. Every single design I have used has stitched out perfectly. My machine uses every brand of thread I have tried, and I use Schmetz needles. There is a workbook for the Babylocks, and I have printed off and use the instruction manual from Babylock.com. I have never taken a class-I am all self-taught with sewing. The instructions, workbooks, and manuals are very easy to follow, with pictures included. The key is to practice practice practice. I still refer to the books after all these years for a refresher. I don't know anyone that has regretted purchasing a Babylock.

I have a BL Decorator's Choice and I love it. I had to travel to another city to buy it, so I only got a 1 hour lesson, then I was on my own. The manual is great and the machine easy enough that I have had no problem using it.

Here's something I go by.....if there are a lot of some machines on ebay I assume that folks don't like them....few on ebay and folks hold on to them or sell to their friends. I have not checked lately, but last I did there were few Babylock's on ebay.

I have an Ellisimo and a Jane (replaced the Quilters Professional) Love them both.

All of the Babylock machines work great.

Ditto! Sews marvelous, but thread can get caught in the feed dogs, and misalign everything.

I have 3 Baby Locks, and I sew a lot. What you need to learn is how to take the throat plate off and clean out the lint, have had most of the machines for about a year or so, and have had no problems with them.
I traded up on one of my Baby Locks to a Quilters choice and then got a Baby lock Decorators choice to take to class,
Belive me they are real work horses. I make a lot of tote bags and quilts, so they need to be heavy duty. I also have the Ellisimo, that I use mostly for my embroidery and I work that to death also, but I have learned how to clean it out. Haven't had to take them in have had not problems with them. Once you learn how to use the embroidery part you will love it. Don't be afraid to go to a dealer and ask questions if you have a problem.

I am on my 3rd Babylock which is the Ellure Plus. I also bought the Crafters Choice then upgraded to the Melody which I also still use. I am a Babylock fan all the way. Having a wonderful dealer near me is also a huge plus!

I purchased an Ellisimo Gold at a quilt show in November and got a great deal on it. Now that the holidays are over with I am going to start taking classes for it. This is my first Baby Lock machine as I have always been a fan of Pfaff.

I have an Espire and love that machine. Recently she had to go in for a tune-up and I pulled out the backup Pfaff. Let's just say not much got done because the lighting was too poor, the workspace too small, and I almost went frantic looking for the built-in scissors, lol. I wish she had a built-in walking foot but the attached walking foot works just fine too. If nothing else, the one touch threader is worth the price.

I like everyone else who have responded about Babylock, find that they are very reliable and user friendly. I have the espire and love, love ,love it. Trying out all the stitch combinations has been exciting to me. I also purchased the circular attachment and it is wonderful. Take the plunge and enjoy.

My husband bought me a Symphony and I love it. Doesn't do embroidery. Still learning had one class so far.

I bought my daughter a

just before Christmas and she loves it. She doesn't quilt (yet) but is busy with clothing alterations, repairs and makes dog coats, bandanas etc. and she loves it. It stitches

Another BL user here. I recently bought an Ellisimo - my first BL product. It's pretty easy to work with. I love it!

I have 3 baby lock machines love them all. #1 favorite is my Ellisimo, #2 is my Baby Lock Quilter Quest and #3 my babylock Decorator's choice, which I take to classes. All are very ez to use. and not fussy at all, ez to clean out around the bobbins, great machines. I know what I paid for my Ellisimo, and saw one on the internet for about $1800.00, can't see why they are selling it so cheap. I was looking for a picture to show some one my machine, put in on internet, picture of Baby Lock Ellisimo, and that came up. What a deal. I have had my Ellisimo a little over a year, no problems at all and do a lot of embroidery, heavy density patterns. If I have a problem I call the dealer to ask a question and they will walk me thru what ever I need. If you are not sure go to a dealer for a demo and or help.

I have the babylock Ellure Plus and love it. Extremely user friendly. Stitches are beautiful. I also have the designer gallery program which is very usefull.

Babylock puts out a great product. I have had their Embroidery-sewing machine for years
and can't say enough about them. The are user friendly and I had no problems with any that
I had. They also have great customer service, should you, need it.

Are you talking the ellisimo gold machine? It's almost like paying for a used car. The price really scares me. Is it really worth it? What kind of price did you get? Thanks

I have a Decorator's Choice too (about 10 years), and love it also, never had any problems with it. I have never had any lessons with it, because at the time that I bought it, I was working long hours and going to school at night. Unfortunately, I just had NO time for sewing classes.

I just bought the smaller Model BL40. I went in to buy a second machine, (cuz I thought I should have a back up machine) and my LQS owner was quizzing me on what I wanted it for, since I had no idea what I wanted, just a new machine. lol. Through his questioning, I realized that I did not need one with all the bells and whistles, because I never use them. (I used the decorative stitches for the first time last month). I only hand quilt, so I didn't need a larger throat. And, it was also 200 dollars off!

The bonus as he said, was all the accessories are interchangable, so I don't have to buy all new ones. Although, I did purchase the larger add on table for it, and ordered the table for my Decorator's Choice, for when it comes back from it's checkup and cleaning.

Although, now that I think of it, maybe I should get into embroidery................. hmmmmm.

I've had mine 8 or 9 years. I love it! It's never needed any kind of repair. I does everything I need and more, so I've never had a "yen" to get a new machine.

I have the Ellisimo have had it 2-1/2 years love it, use it all the time for my embroidery Ez to use. Also have two other Baby Locks love them also, not fuzzy. Do a lot of tote bags also, they are great machines for things that are think like making bow tucks bags. Not all machine will handle it.

I have the Babylock Esante and totally love it. Easy to use and understand the manual. Never have any problems at all. It's been a very good embroidery machine for me. I use my Janome 7500 for regular sewing and mainly for quilting. You won't be sorry if you buy this machine; Good luck to you.

The problem I see with the Esante is the limited technology. From what ive been told by a couple of owners is the cards are becoming dinosaurs and very $ if you find them. I have a friend who got one a couple of weeks ago and is already frustrated with it. I really like being able to use flash drives. I go to classes once a week and just throw my flash drives in my bag and go. No cables or computer necessary for class. With Esante you have to be tied to a computer in order to get designs into the machine. Not too bad if you always have your sewing machine next to the computer or a laptop. Look at the Ellageo. More current. Im sure the Esante sews wonderfully but...
I love my Ellageo

I have a symphony, for years I have only sewn with baby lock, this is my 3 rd sewing machine. I have had this machine now for over 2 years, it is quiet, consistent, great pivoting action, the keys are easily accessible and a wide throat makes it ideal for quilting...yes I will be a baby lock enthusiast for years to come...

Have an ellure plus.....it is ok.....also have an older Viking which in my opinion is much sturdier than the BL......on this one I absolutely hate the cut thread option.....causes the needle to unthread at next sew......so, I don't use it.....before I bought this one I had bought a Brother from Walmart, took it back, should have kept it......this all plastic thing is just the same as it........I have not taken the embroidery classes yet.......still use my old Viking most of the time.......JMHO

Babylock owns Amazing Designs. They still make transfer cards for the Amazing Box. I have CardWorks which is no longer made. For the machines tha use floppies and CDs, you can buy standalone readers.

If your needle is unthreading when you use the thread cutter, it may be the thread you are using. I have a BL Serenade, which does the same thing with Star thread or Coats and Clarks thread which is on the same type of spool---short and fat with a thick cardboard core. The thread cutter works fine with other threads, like Guttermann, etc.

Oh yes, the esante is a great machine. It's a work horse. I had one for 5 years. I upgraded to a commercial machine or I would still have it.

I have 3 baby locks... Baby lock quilter quest, baby lock decorator choice and my all time favorite my baby lock Ellisimo. I have had her over 3 years use it all the time, I do a lot of tote bags, uploaded the picture, not sure what the put them under. I have had other machines that didn't hold up as well and had to replace them with these. I had a singer, elna, and 3 or 4 brothers. If you want to PM me your Email will send you some pictures of my embroidery. Ellisimo is very user friendly I had about 10 mins of instruction other than that if I have a problem I just call the machine shop, some of the other embroidery machines need a lot of adjust as you go. Before buying any machine go to a dealer and test them all. See what you like, the high end embroidery machines are pretty pricy.

Yes, it is almost like buying a car, but some of the other embroidery machines are higher price and they are very fuzzy machines. I have had my Ellisimo for over 3 years have had no problems, I keep my machine clean and change the needles often. I do take it in for service about once a year. The only problem I had was sometimes , it doesn't like some of the threads, also I had to have them reload the software, since then no problems at all. If you have a problem always take it to your dealer. It is still my all time favorite machine and I would never sell it.

I have the Esante BLN, too, and I really like it. I use it for quilting, sewing and embroidery, and I find it very easy to use.

I have the Esante Ese2. It is an embroidery machine, on a scale from one to ten it is about a 9. Some designs turn out great and others will pass. It has always been noisier than the Viking. It will not let you do free motion on it. I can put it on zig zag and take it down to zero and I can do free motion, go figure. I have a Juki for the free motion. I do most of my straight stitching on the Juki. I love the way it will speed through a seam and stop on a dime !!! I'm thinking of getting another Juki that has all the bells and whistles, but my little old Kenmore still runs great and has lots of built in designs.