Baby Lock Gloria Overlocker

The first thing that grabs your attention with the Baby Lock Gloria is its enormity. I thought the Ovation was big, but it is dwarfed by the Gloria. The bed area of this machine is a whopping 9 inches from left to right (5" from needle to right) and an even bigger 11" front to back, all of which is perfectly usable sewing space.

To make even better use of the space Babylock have moved the presser foot lifter to the side of the machine as opposed to its usual position behind the foot or in the throat of the machine. Because of having larger workspaces, extra lighting is required so the Gloria has 6 bright white LED bulbs, two positioned above the foot to the left and 1 above the foot to the right which reduces the shadows cast on the foot and needles allowing greater vision where the needles and knives meet the fabric. The other bright LED lights are positioned over the bed area. 

What is the Gloria like to thread?

The first feature that everyone wants to check out immediately is the needle threader. The new RevolutionAir Looper Threading system is amazing. As is well known, Baby Lock's self-threading loopers make it one of the easiest overlockers to thread. Simply feed an inch or so of thread into the looper threading ports, pull a few extra inches of thread off the spools so the thread can reach the loopers, ensure the machine is set to “Threading” turn the hand wheel until the threading tubes snap into place and push the button – That's all, all loopers will be threaded in less than 1 second. That is it for the loopers, set the machine back to "Serging" and shut the hatches. 

A new feature never seen on a sewing machine or overlocker before. The RevolutionAir Needle Threading system, like the loopers use air to suck the thread out of your fingertips and though the eye of the needle. We call it the hover effect! Select which needles you wish to thread and pull down the needle threader using the lever on the left of the machine. Note the needle threader that actually comes into contact with the needle is made of rubber, so it is going to be fantastically reliable and durable. Once the threader is in place dangle the thread in front of the needle as to tease it and press the threading button, the pump will suck continuously until you press the button again to give you control over the position of the thread. Boom that’s it... Loopers and needles threaded and away you sew. 

What about choosing a stitch to sew?

Selecting a stitch is simply, use the Stitch Lever Selector on the right of the machine. Select the appropriate Stitch A, B, C or D. The tensions are automatically set and perfectly balanced, thanks to Automatic Thread Delivery (ATD) system. Select if you wish to use a decorative Wave stitch or just ordinary overlocking.

With Automatic Thread Delivery (ATD) system mean you no longer have to worry about thread tension adjustment. All your stitches will now look perfect, no matter what your choice of fabric from thick to thin, or sewing thread thickness.

The only exception to the ATD is the Chain/Cover stitch looper tension dial, located next to the WAVE/OVERLOCK lever, and the Chain/Cover stitch needle tension dial on the left side of the machine. These dials can be adjusted together to perfectly balance the chain stitch to your preference. Although no tension adjustment is typically needed for most fabrics on the Baby Lock Gloria, there may be rare occasions where the combination of thread and fabric requires fine-tuning. 

For greater control, the Gloria has a variable speed control slider and a knee lift, so you don’t even have to take your hands off your project. Overlock machines are speedy beasts and overlocking is usually done at high speed on these balanced Baby Lock overlockers. That in mind the Baby Lock models are so much more than a bog-standard overlocker, never before has such beautiful work been exacted by an overlocker, stunning intricacies such as the wave stitch and overlocking curves with the optional Curve foot. 

Stitch options?

It uses the very latest innovations, and you can chain stitch or flat lock with as few as just 2 threads or go the whole hog and do a triple cover & 4 thread overlock using all 8 threads and anywhere in between. Rolled hems are easy, by simply turning the stitch length dial which is very accessible, turn it to the rolled hem section and the stitch finger slides back allowing those finer fabrics to be precisely rolled and finished perfectly, and even decoratively by adjusting the differential feed lever to create a lettuce edge.

Some of our images show the range of the stitches available, note the 8-thread, triple cover stitch combined with a 4-thread safety overlock which has been sewn in one single operation. 

As one has come to expect from the prestige of owning a Baby Lock with its renowned industrial heritage, the Gloria is quiet and smooth when being used at full speed, it can overlock at an incredible 1500 stitches per minute, and that’s while using all 5 needles and 3 loopers moving in unison.

Babylock Gloria key features

• RevolutionAir Threading.
• Automatic Thread Delivery System (ATD).
• The ability to continually chain off with coverstitch needles.
• Overlocking options using 2 to 8 threads resulting in 87 stitch options, changing easily with a simple selection of A, B, C or D.
• 6 LED lights.
• Maximum speed slider.
• Exclusive wave stitch and reverse wave stitch.
• Coverstitch options: using 3 needles (triple coverstitch), wide (7.5mm), narrow (3mm) and single chain stitch.
• Automatic rolled hem stitch for a professional finish.
• Overlock stitch functions to seam & encase fabric edges.
• Flatlock stitch functions for seaming & decorative effects.
• Tubular loopers keep threads out the way and prevent thread tangling.
• Vertical needle system minimizes needle deflection.
• Heavy-duty cutting system cuts thick fabrics with ease.
• Rolled hem adjustment with just a turn of a dial.
• True 2 to 1 ratio differential feed, ranging from 0.6 to 2 mm.
• Adjustable stitch width 2mm to 7.5mm on overlocking and up to 16mm using coverstitch and overlock combined.
• Adjustable stitch length 0.75mm to 4mm.
• Presser foot lifter on Side of the machine or by Knee lift.
• Easy to follow threading.
• Snap on multipurpose foot with ribbon and tape guide.
• Built in manual thread cutter.
• Swing out accessory storage draw located under the thread spools.
• Safety switches connected to front door and side cover.

Accessories included:

1. Instruction manual
2. Quick reference threading guide
3. Power cord
4. Foot control
5. Sewing table for chain/cover stitching
6. Guide fixing screws for sewing table
7. Package of assorted-sized needles
8. Lint brush/needle insert tool
9. Manual Needle threader
10. Allen screwdriver
11. Tweezers
12. Upper cutting blade for replacement
13. Screwdriver
14. Looper threading tool
15. 8 x Thread nets
16. 8 x Spool caps with sponge
17. 8 x Spool caps
18. Machine cover
19. Mounting bolt with washer
20. 2 x Spool pin disks (large)
21. 8 x Cone holders
22. Knee lifter
23. Standard presser foot 
24. Spare needles ELx705
25. RevolutionAir Needle Threading Guide