My post about long rulers ignited much interest. It seems quiltmakers develop a very personal relationship with their tools. Sewing machines are no exception.
The past few days have been VERY intense as I attempted to finish a project before my Mum and younger brother turned up this evening. There were a few anxious moments on Sunday when my Bernina started crunching needles at an alarming rate. My other machine is a Janome that I purchased to take to classes and use as a back up. For a machine from the low-end of the range, the Janome performs very well but there are some Bernina features that I miss including:
- knee-lift: it is very disconcerting to flick the knee outwards and nothing happens!
- needle-down function: when I am free motion quilting, I like to be able to pause with the needle down;
- detachable feet: on my Janome, the walking foot must be screwed to the shank whereas the free motion darning foot is detachable – swapping backwards and forwards is tedious;and
- there is no insert for my Sew Ezi table for my particular model sewing machine so I do not have a flat sewing surface.
My Bernina is now vacationing with the repair centre. Fortunately my friend Kay loaned me her spare Bernina and I completed my project. Now I can enjoy some time with my family with a clear conscience.
Kristin L says
I have a Bernina too and every time I use a machine without a knee lift I find myself pushing a phantom lift and often banging my knee on a table leg.
Judy says
Hi! Brenda,
I just upgrade my Janome this year to a 6600P, I was desperate for a Bernina, but the dealership is over a hundred miles away and I cant travel, it was great you coulld borrow one. I was struggling to learn free motion on my cheaper Janome but I have taken a giant leap forward with the new one.
Thanks for sharing the Olipfa ruler story, I gained a lot more info about rulers and wondered if a lipped edge would be useful to me so I am researching same.