Showing off my wife's sewing projects

[Moemg]

Your wife does amazing work !

[ladelfina]

very nice!

I have a little Bernina that my parents got me, the 801 Sport. It hasn't gotten a real workout in years, but just handling it you can sense the quality of machining/fit/finish. Though it's tiny it takes on multiple layers of thick fabric easily. The only sad thing is that -while nothing has broken on it- I found out that Bernina only stocks replacement parts for models under 20 years old. This machine should last a lifetime, but if their products now are made with the same care as 30 years ago I would go straight to Bernina if I wanted another machine.

Don't have a great gut-feel about him, though, so we'll see.

I have always gotten a skeezy impression of most of the places that sell vacuums and sewing machines (for some reason these products often are twinned). They never quite seem on the up&up.

shoe, what is involved in the "tuning"?

[Marquette]

Originally Posted by ladelfina

shoe, what is involved in the "tuning"?

They'll clean it, oil it, make sure the tension is back to factory spec.

Just a remind, if you don't sew much, never ever unthread your machine by pulling the thread back up. Rather, cut it at the spool and pull the thread through the machine. Doing otherwise could cause some issues with your thread tension discs.

[shoe]

Yeah Ladelfina, what Marquette said. Be prepared to spend $80 for a tune-up at a Bernina dealer and that won't count parts. They will tell you your machine needs a tune once a year but if you keep it clean and oil the screw behind the shuttle after heavy use, you can go years without having one. Good quality thread is really important too. Thanks for the info regarding Bernina only stocking parts for 20 years. I did NOT know that!

[Marquette]

Originally Posted by shoe

Good quality thread is really important too.

What do you use, Shoe? We're running Mettler poly for must everything. Gutterman seems to have gone downhill a bit over the years.

[ladelfina]

Marquette, shoe, thanks for the tips.. I don't know if that is company-wide policy but when I wrote to the Italian distributor asking whether they could swap out the 120v/60hz supply for a 220 one after moving to Europe, they wrote:

Bernina Ag. non produce piu' ricambi
di macchine che hanno oltre 20 anni.

which translates roughly into "Bernina no longer produces spare parts for machines that are over 20 years old". Depending on what you need, the popularity, the model, how well pieces hold up.. it's not clear but depending you might find older spare parts in stock. I thought it was kind of odd, since the machines are so durable. I guess they have to have some source of new buyers...

[toofrugalformycat]

It is beautiful sewing and great fabric selection. And you have a beautiful relationship in that you recognize and appreciate the beautiful sewing.

[shoe]

Marquette I'm using Gutermann thread that I get thru Atlanta Thread and Supply. They have very large spools for far cheaper in every color imaginable. If your wife is interested, I get my Schmetz needles at discountembroiderysupply.com. I can get 100 for $31.90. They are great needles IMHO. Keep posting the sewing porn...we all get a boost from seeing what others are sewing. She does great!

[Oldbabe]

Marquette, your wife is very creative! If she wants to start a small business selling her creations she might have fun checking out this website. Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade