Baby Lock Sewing Machine New Decorators Choice BLDC2

I purchased this machine in the summer 2010. I use it extensively for quilting. The walking foot is fabulous! Haven't had any problems with this machine. I have sewn on it for over 800 hours. I clean it after completing each quilt, usually queen size. Love all the features. I highly recommend the Decorator's Choice.

I am an experienced sewer who hasn't sewn since my kids were little but decided with grandbabies on the way would need to get back into it. Replacing an older model with this new machine has brought back my love of sewing. The machine is quiet, fast and has a wide selection of stitch choices to handle most of my needs. I have been using it for a lot of quilting and have been very happy with the results. I would recommend this machine with confidence, it's a great buy for the money.

I purchased this machine new from a dealer a little less than three years ago. In that time, it has been in the shop two or three times for tune-ups and twice for repairs. I have spent more than half the purchase price just on these maintenance and repair visits, which I have to say, I have been less than pleased with. Apparently, this machine is *extremely* finicky about being dirty and within days of having it serviced, it begins to lock up and have bobbin issues. I regularly clean the bobbin housing, too. If I don't, it's an absolute disaster. Fortunately, I now have another primary machine (Bernina 930 FTW!) so this one sees very little use and yet it still is cranky and won't sew properly half the time, and I have to stop repeatedly to remove thread nests, remove the bobbin housing and clean it, change needles, anything i can think of to get it to do a simple task.I primarily use it for garment and bag construction, but I think it would be more suitable for piecing quilts. The quilting foot that came with the machine is (at least in my limited experience with quilting feet) rather poor quality, and after using it only a handful of time, it squeaks and protests about being used. I tried to quilt one small crib-sized quilt on this machine and gave up about half-way through the job. The machine just doesn't have enough power for what, to me, are average sewing tasks. I'm not even attempting to sew canvas or leather here. I mostly work with quilting cottons, cotton knit, and occasionally some lighter weight home dec fabric.What I like about this machine:*automatic needle threading feature (LOVE,LOVE,LOVE!)*thread cutter*programmable needle up/down*automatic buttonholer (works great on average-weight fabrics)*variety of presser feet included (13?)*drop-in bobbin viewing window*the little cutting device built into the bobbin winding area. That rocks.*button foot*variable speed controlWhat I dislike about this machine:*lack of power*level of maintenance requiredclam shell case design (and lots of electronic innards) that make it difficult to take apart and clean myself*feed system is average at best (when sewing with knits or thin fabrics, I have to start seams with a piece of tear-away stabilizer under the leading edge or the fabric gets pushed down into the bobbin area and gets stuck and mangled)*bobbin winding function is erratic and makes lumpy bobbins (although wrapping the thread twice around the tension disc instead of once has helped that issue)Features I am ambivalent:*drop-in bobbin with thread guide (great most of the time, but a real pain when using elastic thread for shirring)*alphabet stitches (kinda fun, but really don't look that great*satin stitch (up to 5mm I think? not awesome, but decent)Overall, I would not recommend the Babylock Decorator's Choice, especially not for a primary-use machine. If you just wanted it to piece quilts or take to classes it would probably be great for that. (It's not too heavy, so it *would* be a good choice for classes, in my opinion.) Also, make sure you have the budget for frequent cleanings or the time and knowledge to clean it yourself.

I am a beginning quilter and I wanted a machine that would be easy to use and do the quality sewing and the fancy stitches I wanted to add to my quilts. I find the Babylock machine to have all these features. It makes my quilting very easy and I'm pleased with its performance.