Berninas 530, 910, & 930, 1008
by crazy sewing machine lady
(Charlotte, NC)
When I looked for sewing machines for sale at garage sales, and the price was $280 or so, I always said "no thanks!", and wondered why the people always said, "But it's a Bernina!"
I finally started looking at Bernina's online, and even joined a Bernina group on Yahoo, called BerninaThirtySomethings! I was absolutely shocked at the incredible rave reviews about the Bernina sewing machines! People are willing to pay over $1,000 for these machines!
Finally, I managed to win a Bernina 530 on Ebay, it was the cheapest Bernina I could afford, and even the 530s usually sell for over $100 used, particularly if they have a case, a toolbox, and a set of presser feet!
When I received my Bernina 530, and unpacked it, I was absolutely amazed at the incredible presser feet! They are so carefully engineered to make sewing so much easier! I had never seen presser feet like these before!
The manual was another revelation, going into very careful detail about how to do each task, and use the presser feet, it even shows you how to DARN! Once I started using my Bernina 530, I finally began to understand what all of the excitement is about!
Berninas sew such reliable, high quality stitches, and particularly if you have one of the "thirtysomethings", they were the earliest "top of the line" Berninas, and were given the designation of 30 to indicate that they had the highest number of built in stitches, as well as a free arm to make hemming, darning, & sewing in the round easier, as well as including an extension table for sewing larger projects, their own toolboxes with a darning hoop, needle changing tool, and their incredible presser feet, all packed in their own specially designed carrying case!
If they had a '40 after the first number, they were a flat bed machine with all of the same stitches as the '30, but without the case, no free arm and extension table, although presser feet & accessory boxes were included.
The Berninas did not require lots of complicated settings in order to get great stitches, you just set the machine for each stitch, and it sews it perfectly! I had always had problems with the bobbin thread getting jammed, but the Berninas have a 'non-jamming' CV bobbin!
They also have this incredible "automatic" tension, which you can adjust if you want to, but typically, you have no need to even mess with it, even if you use a thicker thread in the needle, and a thinner thread in the bobbin! Somehow, it adjusts itself, and your stitches are automatically perfect!
(I cannot tell you how many times I swore I would never sew again, just due to jamming bobbins, and tension problems screwing up my sewing projects! The hours of frustration & tears! Once I tried the Bernina "automatic tension", I was HOOKED!)
Berninas often have the "knee lift" bar, which allows you to use your knee to raise the presser foot, so that if you are turning a corner, for example, you can lift the presser foot with your knee, keeping both hands on your project, so you can turn a corner quickly, and without messing up your perfect stitches, even if it is a large quilt!
Many of them also have the "heel tap needle up/down" feature, where you literally tap the front of the pedal (closest to you) with your heel, and the needle will move up, if it was down, or it will move up, if it was down. This is also designed to make turning corners easier!
Each of the new improvements on the latest Bernina sewing machines, were a result of carefully listening to what their customers were saying would make sewing easier!
The built in 5 step buttonholer is another example of this! You don't even need to attach another bulky attachment, you simply turn the buttonhole knob to sew each side of the buttonhole!
If you want to make sewing quick, simple, & good quality, get yourself a Bernina!
