Bernina

May 20, 2008

Bernina 830 Record

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by Laurel Parrish, a theatrical costumer (i.e., heavy sewing machine user) who blogs at Yarn Therapy about knitting and other crafty and lifestyle topics

Love it, hate it, or something in between?
Unconditional love!
 
When did you buy this sewing machine? It was a gift – my high school graduation present from my grandparents in 1983. I had my heart set on a Viking like we had at school – I thought they were very fancy and exotic compared to the little Kenmore I had at home. My dad, however, did the research and discovered that Berninas were less expensive and (this is what really sold him!) far sturdier due to their all-metal construction. He shopped around and got a good deal on a slightly used Bernina 830 Record, which has served me like a champ ever since.
  
When was it manufactured? I believe it was a year old when they bought it, so it’s a 1982 model.
 
Where did you buy it? I don’t remember the name of the place, but it was a store in Ventura, California. It came with a free lesson, where the owner showed me the bells and whistles like the automatic tension and the buttonhole.
 
How much did you pay for it? No idea – my dad thinks maybe around $300. I’ve been trying to find out what the original retail price was, with no luck.
 
How many projects have you done on this machine? Wow – 20 plus years worth of projects! I guess the answer is “lots and lots!”

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. What haven’t I done with it? I work in theatrical costuming, and for ten years I made costumes freelance in my living room. My Bernina has cranked out lots of theatrical and dance costumes, countless alterations, and three wedding gowns (so far). I’m just getting back into making clothes for myself, and I’m doing a little quilting.

It’s also been a great machine to have in a costume shop because it’s so sturdy and holds up to many different people using it. I even hauled it out to the Hamptons once to do alterations for a catalog shoot!
 
What do you like and what do you hate about it? I love pretty much everything about it – it’s an all-metal super sturdy workhorse that handles all weights of fabrics equally well. I’ve used it on everything from heavy upholstery to delicate silks to ultrasuede and leather. It’s particularly good with stretch fabrics, which was very useful when I was making dance costumes.

It has a knee attachment for the presser foot lifter, which is invaluable for speed and precision work. The flat bed is nice and wide and easy to remove to access the free arm.

The best thing about this machine is its simplicity. It has a wide variety of stitches, but they’re all very straightforward and easy to use. Threading is a breeze – no funky wire loop thingie for tension; the thread just slides through a groove. You can’t wind a bobbin while it’s threaded, which doesn’t bother me – it does have two thread holders so you can wind bobbins from a second spool if you want.

I’m searching for something not to like ….. I guess the buttonhole could be a little more refined – they don’t look as nice on very lightweight fabrics. It’s really heavy – I consider it portable, but only with the aid of my luggage cart. It’s so heavy that I know if my apartment ever gets broken into no burglar would ever bother trying to steal it.


IMG_5182My foot pedal cracked in half years ago –  I epoxied it back together which held for a few years but then it broke again. Since it still works just fine, I haven’t bothered to replace it. Ebay has made it so much easier to find parts, though, that I will probably look for a new one soon.

I could go on and on and on about this fabulous machine….. I know the 830 is a popular machine these days, and I know how lucky I am to have one! If anyone has any specific questions about my machine, leave it in the comments!

April 20, 2008

Bernina 1008

Sewingantics Bernina1008_2
by Susie Bright, sex writer and sewing columnist for CRAFT magazine 
(the picture above shows her partner and her daughter at the latter's Bernina 1008)

Love it, hate it, or something in between? My sewing machine is the last mechanical Bernina that Bernina makes... the one that isn't a computer.

My sewing teacher swears it's the only mechanical machine worth owning, and that Bernina is practically the only manufacturer not currently producing swill. She would recommend people buy used machines from twenty years ago rather than most of the new ones today. She told horror stories of the cheapies for sale at Costco that cannot even reliably sew forwards, backwards, and zigzag.

Nothing is more discouraging to a new sewer than a machine that backfires, it makes you feel so incompetent. So I was excited to get this machine. It did indeed make me feel like a pro, simply because it handles fabric so well, and with such intuitive design.

When and where did you buy this sewing machine, and how much did you pay for it? It cost me about $600 ten years ago, from a local dealer who, ironically, just closed their door and filed bankrupcy yesterday. They run a repair shop and there's about a thousand angry women ready to storm the doors and get their machines and scissors out of the back room.

I also have my mother's Singer Featherlite from 1955, the first item she ever bought on a loan. Her first credit line was to buy that machine!  It still sews straighter and stronger than anything you could buy today on the consumer level.

How many projects have you done on this machine? I've sewed every week on this machine since I got it, I have no idea how many projects that is. My daughter sewed custom pillowcases and bought one for herself, which is now side by side with mine, since it's handy to have two machines set up at any given time.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I like to sew clothes; so does my daughter. We're slaves to our own peculiar fashions. I made a ballgown out of a sleeping bag flannel one time.

My husband uses it to make marine rescue supplies, scuba gear belts, all kinds of stuff for the lifeguard service. I have no idea, but it's rugged. I've done knits, chiffon (don't forget to run a roll of adding machine paper underneath it!), wool, plastic, leather, everything. This machine can do it all.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I love everything about it. It should come with the walking foot, which is IMPERATIVE for working with textured fabrics and knits.

I have no plans to replace it. I got a serger, the basic Babylock. If there is such a thing as an easy, fast, coverstitch machine, I'd like one of those. Otherwise, I'm done!

April 07, 2008

Bernina Record 730

Bernina_record_730
by Melissa of tinyhappy

Love it, hate it, or something in between? I really like this machine- even though there are few things wrong with it- the needle isn't quite aligned properly and is prone to shifting during sewing. This means that the zig-zag and other decorative stitches don't work very well, but i don't mind. I love the weight and sturdiness of it, and its quiet purring noise as I sew. And its olive green and cream colour scheme, of course.

When did you buy this sewing machine? A friend who I met through blogging, Emily http://www.ravenhill.typepad.com/ lives nearby, and, after reading on my blog that I hadn't brought my sewing machine with me from New Zealand, she very kindly brought me the Bernina Record to borrow. I think she found it in a thrift store here in Norway a while ago. It came in a beautiful old suitcase-style box, with some great accessories- a chunky green foot pedal, and a green tool box, with little drawers for keeping threads, bobbins and needles in.
When was it manufactured? 1965-66

How many projects have you done on this machine? Quite a few since January. I make baby shoes to sell in an etsy shop, and have made a few batches of those, plus about 20 other small projects for friends and family.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it.
Most of my projects involve basic straight-sewing- but I have been really thrilled with the neat, even stitches that this machine makes. I bought an overlocker in Sweden, so I use that to secure my seams and edges, rather than the zig-zag stitch. This machine is capable of doing a total of 22 different stitches, and I think if I took it to a repair shop to fix the needle, these would work better. But for the kind of projects I've been doing, the straight stitch is adequate.
My Photo

White 614, made in 1972 in Japan

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