Why I Upgraded to a Baby Lock Sewing Machine

In case you missed it on Instagram last month, I wanted to share the news that I’m now a Baby Lock ambassador! What does this mean and why did I make the switch to Baby Lock sewing machines? I’ll share all that info plus my favorite features of my new sewing machine and serger in this post.

I got my first sewing machine for my 18th birthday. A few weeks later I packed up my car—with my shinny new sewing machine inside and drove north for college. It was in that time that I began my self taught sewing journey and actually started Sarah Hearts. I didn’t sew clothing then, rather I sewed up tote bags from hand screen printed and vintage fabrics. This entry level sewing machine carried me through college and I sewed with it for nearly 14 years! And then in 2017, when I was pregnant I had the desire to jump into garment sewing. This was partially because I didn’t love the maternity clothing that was available and I also wanted to connect with my very changing body. I purchased a new sewing machine then with the desire to improve my skills and make clothing just for me.

And now 4 years (and one kid) later, I’m fully immersed in the world of sewing and absolutely love making my own clothing. While my first and second sewing machines got me though, I had lots of trouble with the later one as it constantly was breaking and having timing issues. Not to mention, I started sewing more and more and I felt my machine couldn’t keep up.

Right when I started exploring new machine options I connected with Baby Lock. I had personally never sewn on a Baby Lock machine but my very talented mother-in-law always raved about her Baby Lock machine. It was then that Baby Lock asked if I wanted to join their ambassador team. It naturally felt like the perfect fit for me!

As a Baby Lock ambassador, I’ll be sharing all the fun things I make with my Baby Lock Soprano sewing machine and Baby Lock Victory serger. Plus I’ll share tips and tricks that I learn along the way on here, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Since my Baby Lock Soprano arrived in August, I have completed 3 garments and one Halloween costume! From first stitch I was instantly impressed with the new machine. If you’re new to sewing or have been sewing for a long time and looking for a new machine, here’s what I love about my new sewing machine:

AUTOMATIC FABRIC SENSOR SYSTEM

Pick a stitch and you’re ready to sew. Seriously. No fiddling with tension dials anymore! While I so always test my stitch on a scrap piece of fabric when I’m starting a new project or testing out a new stitch—because there are 300 to choose from!

ADVANCED NEEDLE THREADER

Earlier this year, I started wearing glasses for reading, sewing and all things close up so I absolutely love this feature. It’s much simpler and “hands off” than other needle threaders I’ve used in the past. And I love that I don’t have to manually thread the needle. While there is one caveat, if you use any Microtex needle, you will unfortunately have to thread those yourself, as the eye on those needles are just so tiny.

EASY LOADING BOBBIN

Once you wind the bobbin on the top with thread, you just drop it in the bobbin case, follow the thread path guides, trim the end with the built-in blade cutter and you’re ready to sew. I love that I can reload a bobbin in seconds and take off sewing.

ADVANCED PIVOTING FEATURE

This might be one of my favorite features as I find myself sewing curves and corners so often. When the pivot feature is enabled by touching the pivot button on the front panel, the machine then leaves the needle in the fabric and raises the presser foot when you take your foot off the pedal so you can easily pivot around a curve or corner without having to use your hands to raise the presser foot. This seemingly small feature is a game changer! Once you use it, you’ll never want to turn it off.

INCLUDES 16 FEET + LOADS OF ACCESSORIES

My previous machines only came with a couple presser feet, which as a beginner, wasn’t that big of a deal. But not that I’m widening my sewing projects and jumping into quilting, home decor and more, I’ve often found I needed specialty presser feet to help me along. The Soprano comes with 16 different presser feet, including a walking foot for quilting and even a nonstick foot which was a must when I just sewed my rain coat as the wrong side of the fabric was extremely sticky. There are also other accessories including

COMES WITH A QUILTING EXTENSION TABLE

A quilting extension table is super handy when you’re sewing large pieces of fabric wether that be a quilt, curtains, or anything else. This accessory is almost always sold separately with most machines but it’s included with the Soprano.

MOST POPULAR STITCHES ARE FRONT & CENTER

Along with the pivot button, I’m a big fan of the handy front panel, which features frequently used stitches front and center. You can easily switch from a straight stitch to a zigzag or lightning stitch (a close together zig zag stitch ideal for knit fabrics) in a touch of a button. Here you can also enable automatic back stitching and save your favorite stitches to its memory. Plus it comes with 300(!!!) built-in stitches so there’s literally a stitch for everything you can think of—from one step button holes, to mending and tons of decorative stitches too.

I can’t wait to share more tips, tutorials and favorite makes in the near future, including more about my Baby Lock Victory serger. Thanks for coming along this journey with me and please leave a comment or send me a message on social of what projects you’d like me to share. I always love hearing feedback from you!