AngelinaMaria

I purchased an Espire last October and have been very unhappy. Everything Geri B said I second. Plus, it has a very wobbly looking straight stitch. I tried to quilt straight lines using the walking foot for the first time the week and the lines are very wobbly looking (the stitches tend to fork to one side or the other and then back again all while I'm passing it through in as straight of manner as possible--lined up evenly with the side of the walking foot). I used a zig zag stitch and it kept varying the stitch width-it may be a problem with the walking foot not advancing consistently. Everytime I go to do something on this machine, it is never as nice as I think it should be. I will try to do some straight line stitching without the walking foot and hopefully I'll get better results. Otherwise, I can't see using this for quilting and that was the whole point of me buying this machine.

DebsShelties

I know the Grace has a smaller throat/harp space, not really for quilting but for piecing should work fine. I have a 1500 for quilting.

nstitches4u

How does the Grace wind a bobbin differently?

RedGarnet222

Congratulations on your new machine!

TacoMama

Congrats on the new machine! Sounds like you are going to have a great time with it. Thanks for sharing.

gotta-sew

Try not using the quarter inch foot with a guide. You can use the J foot and choose the piecing stitch or just use a regular quarter in foot. Problem solved. Trouble threading, here are a couple of options.....first, hit the needle down button, now hit it again, this puts the needle in the perfect position for the threader to work. Now, after taking the thread up and around the take up lever. Hold the thread in your left hand providing tension while you take the cut end of the thread with your right hand and slip it through the thread guide above the needle. It shoud go right in. Hands too big? Use long serger tweezers in your right hand to slip it through the thread guide. Your needle should never come unthreaded after using your cutter. Go back to where you bought it and have them help you. Geri B, you really did buy a great little machine. You just need some help and support. Have them fix your machine so that it works as it was intended to do. Best of luck. Oh and about the Grace machine.....another winner. You will love it for sure.

DebsShelties

I have a friend who has a Babylock also, both have the same kind of bobbin threading system with the cutter, different from other brands where you put the thread thru a hole and hold for a sec while starting the threading on a bobbin.
Babylock's winds perfect for better sewing. I have been playing with my new Grace, love it.