Bernina 1130 sewing machine
by GGS
(Lancaster PA)
Quality like a Swiss watch.
This 20 year old Bernina 1130 model may sell for more than it did originally (currently $700-$800+ US in with all of the accessories) as it is in demand by serious sewers & quilters as a workhorse machine.
Good used Berninas like the 1130 can be hard to find, as the owners hate to give them up! Additional feet, accessories and replacement parts are easily obtained.
It was the first all-electronic Bernina, and is a powerful, but easy to use machine, for those that want advanced electronic stitch features (including an automatic buttonholer) and the famous Bernina knee-lifter, but don't need the embroidery & computer capabilities of new models.
Some prefer the easy to understand switches, buttons & dials on a a machine like this, to the computer screens that can be hard to read on new machines. I traded in an earlier model Bernina to get this one, primarily to get the needle-down feature, and have used it for 15+ years.
After heavy use (thread painting, which had me running the machine at high speeds for hours at a time) I did have a major mechanical part fail (the machine was about 12 years old at this point, and I was the 2nd owner), and my dealer replaced the part for only a labor charge.
The Bernina 1130 is appreciated for its mostly metal construction and metal extension table, since newer Bernina's & comparable high-end machines have switched to mostly plastic.
Yes, it's heavy, but I've carried it to classes, and have just strapped it to a wheeled cart if I had to carry it far from my car. It has a retracting cord feature in both the machine and the foot pedal, which you can't find on newer Bernina's selling for thousands of dollars.
March 2009
