Trying Out The Tiara

Trying out the Tiara

I invited myself over to my friend Linda Peters home this past week to try out her new Baby Lock Tiara quilting machine. Linda’s husband Paul had it all set up and ready to sew. I love instruction booklets so Linda passed me her manual and left me to figure it out on my own.

The manual is very clearly written with large pictures to illustrate threading and the various machine parts. It’s easy to understand the machine since it is basically a large scale variation of a straight stitch sewing machine with a wide arm. I quickly figured out threading. The touch screen was straightforward and it was easy to set the variable speed control with saved settings and the stitches per inch. I liked the amount of light the machine cast over the work area below the needle.

Linda had been using a 60 weight polyester thread in the bobbin and a 50 weight Mettler thread in the top of the machine. I wanted to use my spool of 50 weight Signature thread for both so I played with the top tension for a spell before tightening the bobbin tension ever so slightly to achieve perfect tension.

Now it was time to tackle the Tru Stitch manual. Tru stitch is a stitch regulating unit that can be purchased separately for the Tiara. It took me a moment to understand that the mouse like unit that plugged into the Tiara had to lie underneath the quilting I was doing. The mouse detects the speed at which the quilt is moved over it during quilting. It then adjusts the speed of the machine. I tried holding the mouse under my left palm as I quilted but found that it did a fine job just lying free under the quilt. The cruise feature offered on the touch screen with Tru Stitch worked well but I still preferred to use the foot pedal. I think I’m just foot pedal oriented.

The Tiara was created for quilters looking for a smaller alternative to long arm quilting machines. The table is about card table sized with two wings that open to either side – making it the right size for the typical spare bedroom sewing space that most quilters have. I also liked the fact that I could sit while quilting.

I’m looking forward to visiting Linda again soon. Sure I’ll be visiting my friend but I’ll also want to get more acquainted with her Tiara!

Here’s a video from Everybody Quilts.

New Sewing Machines

January 23, 2015

I’m expecting delivery of two new Baby Lock sewing machines to my studio this year. The first will be the Tiara 2 coming in January.

You might be seeing me soon at your local quilting or sewing store as I travel about as a Baby Lock Ambassador to Canada. I’ll be sharing sewing machine demos and my Trunk Show at shops all across Ontario and beyond in 2015. I hope to see you soon!