A little while back, I received an e-mail message from a reader requesting that I review the Baby Lock Unity combination sewing and embroidery machine.
It took a little while, but I eventually came across a brand new Unity at Cynthia’s Fine Fabrics in Tamarac, Florida. Finally, I had an opportunity to get my hot little hands on this machine.
To be honest, I am grateful for this request because it gave me a chance to broaden my own knowledge base about options home sewers have for combination sewing and embroidery machines.
At A Glance
Baby Lock Unity
The Baby Lock Unity looks very much like a smaller version of the Baby Lock Destiny. The Unity, in fact, has all of the essential features that the Destiny offers for home sewers to have access to the most necessary up to date sewing and embroidery technology.
The full color LCD screen on the Unity is smaller than the screen found on the Destiny. However, unlike the Destiny, you do not have the luxury of watching movies on this screen.
Therefore, in my opinion, the Unity’s 7” diagonal screen is perfect. There is also a large embroidery unit that does not have to be removed in order for the Unity to operate in the sewing mode.
Embroidery unit
All of the function control buttons are easily accessible on the machine head. Across the top of the machine head are function buttons: thread tie off and cut; presser foot up/down; variable speed control slider and the advanced automatic needle threader.
The start/stop, reverse stitch, design stop and stitch lock/reinforce buttons are situated above the needle. Beneath the needle is a needle plate and see through bobbin cover that also double as seam guides with measurements in both inches and centimeters.
On the right side of the machine are two separate USB ports, a laser pen, for precise placement of the embroidery design and a stylus which can be used on the touchscreen.
FYI – I discovered that my fingertip works just fine when I chose to not use the stylus. There is also a port where the foot pedal is connected for those times when you don’t want to use the start/stop button.
Features
Technological Features
- Date and time displayed on touchscreen
- Needle and guide beams for accurate stitch positioning
- 2 USB ports
- Extra bright LED lighting
- Independent bobbin winding system
- Automatic needle threader
- Automatic upper and lower thread sensors
2 USB ports
Embroidery features
- 266 on board embroidery designs
- 166 Exclusive designs
- 12 Floral alphabet accents and frame patterns
- 13 Bobbin work designs
- 140 Frame combinations
- 19 Embroidery fonts
- Embroidery field up to 7″ x 12″ (180mm x 300mm)
- Memory capacity 2MB
- Stitch capacity of up to 500,000 stitches per design
- Color Touch Screen displays:
- Design placement
- Embroidery time display and stitch count
- Advance needle positioning by 1, 10, 100 or 500 stitch increments
- Measurements displayed in inches or metrics
- Color separation
- Thread color indicator
- On-screen hoop size indicator
- 9-point trial check points
- Starting point key
- Customize embroidery pattern and thumbnail background colors (66 options)
- Resume feature
- On-screen grid
- Cuts jump stitches
Sewing Features
- 537 on board utility and decorative stitches
- Utility stitch editing capabilities
- Ability to store personal stitch settings and preferences
- Decorative stitch editing capabilities
- Back to the Beginning key
- Edit and combine character and/or decorative stitches
- 24 Memory Pockets
- Ability to store additional stitch combinations on your PC
- 4 way Mirror imaging
- Stitch lock
- 57 Needle positions
- Upper and lower thread sensors
- Lateral and diagonal feeding
- Twin needle settings
- Function buttons include:
- Start/Stop
- Reverse stitching
- Stitch lock/reinforcement
- Needle up/down
- Thread tie-off and cut
- Presser foot up/down
- Advanced automat needle threader
- Seam guides on needle plate and bobbin cover in inches and centimeters
- Free arm
- Two on board accessory storage compartments
- On board operation guide
- On board tutorial
- On board sewing application guide
Working on the Baby Lock Unity
Threading the Baby Lock Unity and winding the bobbin is rather uncomplicated because simply following the on board thread and bobbin winding guides is so easy to follow.
Once the machine is threaded and the bobbin in place, the next step is to determine whether you want to first use a decorative or utility sewing stitch or create an embroidery design.
When you first turn on the Baby Lock Unity, the touch screen lights gives you three options from which to choose… Sewing, Embroidery and Embroidery Edit. Since the threading path does not change for any of these three modes, you don’t have to make a decision until after the machine is set up for operation.
Selection the mode is as simple as touching the screen. When the sewing mode is selected, the screen displays the basic sewing menu. From there, it is necessary to select the menu category in which the desired stitch appears… utility, decorative, or character.
It is then necessary to scroll through the stitch menu on the touchscreen and then select the desired stitch. With each stitch selected, the desired presser foot and default stitch length and width settings appear on the screen.
Length and width settings can be adjusted easily by touching the plus or minus icons. For this review, I sampled several stitches and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was not necessary to make any adjustments to the length or width settings in order to achieve perfect results with each stitch.
Perfect stitch results
When in the embroidery mode, I found it very easy to scroll through the embroidery design menu. In the interest of time, I settled on a small single thread color design.
Attaching the embroidery hoop was as simple as sliding the hooped fabric into place on the embroidery unit and flipping a small lever, locking the hoop into place. The results were excellent.
Excellent embroidery Results
Whether set in the sewing or embroidery mode, I found the Baby Lock Unity to be quiet and fast, even when set at the highest sewing speed. There was no vibration and all of the stitches were precise, tight, secure and perfectly formed.
Fabrics
- Natural fibers/cotton-linen-wool
- Fine fabrics/silk-satin-taffeta/velvet
- Knits
- Synthetic fabrics/blends-rayon-polyester
- Denim
- Upholstery
- Leather/suede
- Fur
- Reptile skin
- Canvas/Twill
- Plastic/Rubber
- Extra thick fabrics or multiple layers
Accessories
Standard accessories:
- 12 Snap on presser feet
- Digital Dual-Feed System Foot
- Buttonhole
- Overcasting
- Monogramming
- Zipper
- Zigzag
- Blind stitch
- Button fitting
- Straight stitch foot
- Embroidery foot with LED pointer
- 1/4″ Quilting foot with a guide
- Free-motion open toe quilting
- Alternate bobbin case for use with pre-wound bobbins
- Specialty bobbin case for bobbin work
- Cord guide bobbin cover
- Straight stitch needle plate
- Soft cover
- Extra bobbins
- Assorted spool caps
- Seam ripper
- Twin needle
- Embroidery bobbin thread
- Embroidery hoops and grids
- 7″ x 12″ (180mm x 300mm)
- 5″ x 7″ (130mm x 180mm)
- Alternate bobbin case for pre-wound bobbins
- Laser sensor pen and holder
- Stylus
- USB cable
- Knee lift
Maintenance
| After each use | Monthly* | Once Each Year** | As Needed | |
| Clean race hook and feed dogs | ||||
| Wipe head with soft dry cloth | ||||
| Wipe head with soft damp cloth | ||||
| Lubricate | ||||
| Service by sewing machine repair professional |
Tying Off The Loose Ends
The Baby Lock Unity is one of the most user friendly, combination sewing and embroidery machines I have had the pleasure of reviewing. This machine is an excellent choice for the individual who has been sewing for a long time and is fully aware of the operation of a sewing machine and how to maintain it, but has little or no machine embroidery experience.
I like the ease with which stitches and embroidery designs are selected and especially the fact that the embroidery unit does not have to be removed in order for the Unity to operate in the sewing mode.
That’s not the only thing that’s easy about working with the Unity. In fact, the only thing about this combination sewing and embroidery machine that is not easy is the fact that there is no on board stitch selection guide.
I find that a bit odd since so many other Baby Lock models have a stitch selection guide conveniently placed inside the lid of the machine. It seems to me that including this apparently easy to add feature would only enhance the value and user friendliness of the Unity.
The only thing I am not comfortable with is the placement of the drop feed control lever. For some reason, the drop feed control is either beneath the on board accessories case or behind the free arm on nearly all of the new sewing machines I encounter.
For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why sewing machine manufacturers think this is a good idea. I have also spoken with people who sew who do not have a problem with this placement.
It is important to note here, however, that nearly all of the individuals who are satisfied with having to reach behind the free arm or remove the accessories case have very little or no experience working on sewing machines where the drop feed control is easily accessible on front of the machine head.
When you are accustomed to accessing the drop feed control without having to take any additional steps, your attitude about taking extra steps in order to engage in freehand sewing, attach buttons or darn seems to change.
Even with this inconvenience in mind, I must say that I believe the Baby Lock Unity is not only an excellent combination and sewing machine, it is also well built. There is no vibration and the when the machine is running, it is almost whisper quiet.
When compared with the Baby Lock Destiny, the Unity is comparable in quality of stitches and workmanship. There are, of course, many features that are not available on the Unity.
In my opinion, those features are nice to have, but far from essential in order to have continuously satisfactory experiences sewing and embroidering for a long, long time.
If you are in the market for a combination sewing and embroidery machine, whether you are new to machine embroidery or not, the Baby Lock Unity is an excellent choice.
Do not make a final decision before visiting your local Baby Lock dealer and asking a sales associate for a demonstration of the Unity.
You might very well agree with me that it is more than just an excellent sewing and embroidery machine, but also a well-built machine that produces excellent results with ease and above average speed when compared with other machines in its class.
- Beginner
- Needs lots of help – able to sew a straight seam but unfamiliar with most sewing techniques; needs assistance and instruction on basic sewing techniques.
- Intermediate
- Competent – can make different clothing items without assistance or guidance, but not good enough to sew intricate projects or to sew without a pattern.
- Expert
- Expert – can sew anything without instruction or assistance; possesses an expansive knowledge of sewing techniques and terminology.
- Ability to sew with the embroidery unit attached
- Affordable alternative to the Baby Lock Destiny
- Digital dual feed system
- No on board quick reference stitch selection guide inside the lid
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