Luv2sparkle and those of you who sew...

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Luv2sparkle and those of you who sew: I sew too! I'd love to hear what kind of machines you have, what kind of sewing you like and if it's a hobby or a business for you.

I'll post more on me tomorrow-- right now I'm on my iPad and the auto correct feature drives me nutso!

 

[stargurl78]

I have a Kenmore from Sears. I'm not sure what the model is but its just a basic sewing machine and I bought it in order to make quilts but I haven't had much time to do that lately I've made 3-4 quilts on it and some throw pillows for the house.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I have a few sewing machines: Bernina 830E, Bernina 180E, Brother 180D and a White serger. I am currently looking at buying a 6 -15 needle embroidery machine--not sure if I want to plunk down the cash for one though.

I make mostly childrens clothing, accessories and toys but I also make womens accessories, dog toys and I love to monogram towels. I design all of my own patterns which gives me a ton of room to be super creative.

I used to sew for a hobby but about five years ago I left a high stress job and turned my sewing hobby into into a business.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I have a Bernina 180 but I am on the hunt for a new machine. I came really close to pulling the trigger on a used 730, which was a great deal from a lady in Southern CA who was upgrading.

I still wasn't quite sure that was the machine I wanted. I would love to hear what Mydiamondsparkles thinks about her 830! The reviews I have read have stated some problems that they had a hard time getting fixed, which makes me a little nervous. Who wants to spend
10k on a machine that has issues?

My 180 is a workhorse! I have very little problems with it.


Mydiamondsparkles, what kind of cabinet did you get for your 830? I spent a lot of money on my Koala setup and I love it. One of the things stopping me from getting the 830 is the need for a new cabinet.


I also own a Bernina 1300 serger, but I have no idea how to thread it so it goes unused. I am going to take classes AGAIN after the first of the year. I almost sold it and bought a babylock, but I realized I would be spending 1K more for a machine that did a whole lot less. So back to taking the classes again. It is my 3rd serger so you would think I wouldn't have a problem but this machine has a little trick to it, and I don't quite use it enough to remember. I was told I should unthread it and rethread every day for a month and then it wouldn't be a problem, Yeah, right.

I mostly make quilts. I used to do a lot more that I do now, but plan to step it up. I make a few garments and home dec stuff like curtains and pillows. A lot of what I make I give for gift. I do love embroidery and have about 30 cards for my 180. My next machine needs to be able to use the cards. I have never bought the additional software, but would love to get it!

okay, enough editing.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

My 180E was a workhorse too! It loved all kinds of thread and never had tension problems. I only bought the Bernina 830E because I wanted to do large hoop designs--such as baby bibs in the hoop. The bought one of the first Bernina 830's made and it had tons of problems with tension and loopies, etc--very frustrating! The dealer replaced tons of parts as Bernina came out with new ones to solve the issues but I still had problems. Finally, the dealer gave me a new machine and it's better but still fussy! If it weren't for it's large hoop size I would probably kick it to the curb.

For the 180E I had the Horn deluxe combo table: http://www.hornofamerica.com/products.cfm?func=productdetails&productID=88 but it wasn't large enough for the 830, and I thought about cutting the drop in larger and getting a more substantial lift but dh thought it was too much work and might ruin the table. So I went ahead and purchased the Horn 5680 Elite a few weeks ago:

http://www.hornofamerica.com/products.cfm?func=productdetails&productID=135 I also purchased two of the tall drawer units/ craft caddies to slide under the cutting table side of it. And then I bought 2 of the Horn drafting chairs to go along with it--one for each side. I use my laptop computer for digitizing so put it on cutting table side for that purpose, unless I need it as a cutting table then I can pull one of the craft caddies out and put it on there. It's a nice set up and works great for me.

I'm in the process of re-organizing my sewing room. What a job that has been! I think it will finally be finished up today and the re-organization has inspired me to create all kinds of new things.

 

[luv2sparkle]

That is what I was afraid of with the 830! They seem to have a lot of problems, the Bernina quality just isn't there. It is really interesting to me because it seems dealers are not doing very many trade-ins like they used to.

I think I will probably upgrade to the 730. It has a lot of features that my 180 doesn't, the BSR, larger screen, color, thread cutting, and the ability to use multiple formats for embroidery. The hoop size was okay for the kind of projects I wanted to do, but I would like to have a few more options in editing without software. It sounds great, but I am a MAC user and not all that crazy about the windows operating system, so I am hesitant about it.

I re-did my sewing room when we moved into the house we are at now. I bought a couple koala cabinets and a few from IKEA and it worked out great. I will post a couple pics when I get back from my school run!

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I think Bernina has a lot of growing pains when they first introduce new machines--it was the same way with the Bernina 200 which then became the Bernina 730. By the time it was the 730 it seems they had most of the problems worked out. I do hear a lot of people are happy with their 830's now--I keep up with the posts on the 830 Yahoo group. I don't know if they have newer models or if Bernina finally got the problems worked out or what. I find most complaints come from the embroidery side of the machine and not the sewing part.

If you do embroidery at all then I think the 830 is definitely the way to go over the 730--even with it's fussiness nothing compares to that 10 x 16 hoop unless you want to step into the multiple needle embroidery machines.

The thing I dislike most about the 730 is the darned oval hoop. You can purchase the 150x400 hoop and get a lot more embroidery space because of the rectangle you can embroider in which is right in the middle of the hoop. If you use that rectangle space then the hoop is no longer a split hoop, where you have to move it into the different positions--it acts just like a rectangle non-split hoop if that makes sense. That being said it is a lot more narrow/ smaller than other machines such as the Brother and Babylock that offer machines with 12x7 and 12x8 hoops for about the same price. I do think the Bernina is a better machine as far as stitch quality but I do love those larger hoop sizes. And you know, people who own Brother/ Babylock machines are brand loyal and really seem to love them.

I'd love to see photos of your sewing room!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Okay, get ready for picture overload. As much as I love to talk diamonds and gemstones, I love talking quilting/sewing too.

I am posting a couple pics of my last big project. No particular reason, I just found them in my photos and it brought back fond memories.
I am not a great quilter or embroiderer but I do enjoy it!

These quilts were two I made last year for my besties daughter who got married. One was really a table decoration but I wanted to use the
wedding card I had. It was fun and my girl Sarah seemed to love it. They were made for a shower I hosted at my house.

 

[luv2sparkle]

My sewing room is in the loft area of our house. Someday, I may move it to a bedroom when all my kids move out. One photo shows the table extended for quilting.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Let see if I can get this last photo to load....

The empty spot in between my cupboards holds my cutting table when it is not in use. The leafs fold down and it fits perfectly. I bought the cabinets at Ikea and the shelves too. I have been really happy with the set up and how it all came together.

Grr... I can't get it to load. I will try again later..

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Oh my gosh! Don't even tell me you are are not a great quilter! That quilt is absolutely stunning! Amazing! I wish I had the patience to do quilts, but as it is I have about a 2 hour from start to finish tolerance...lol. I guess I'm an instant gratification kind of a girl!

And your sewing room is to die for! Very organized too! I love the cabinets!

My current sewing room is in our 4th bedroom--which is more like a nursery sized bedroom--which makes it a bit on the small side. It has 2 walls of windows so there is a ton of natural light--which I love, but it leaves little wall space for shelves and such. I do have a finished basement and that space is approx 30 x 16 feet but not windows at all. I spend about 8 hours or more a day sewing so I am not sure if I want to go without a window for that long....lol.

I'll post a few photos of my recent projects. Is there any way to post photos here without having to upload them to this web site? Can I embed a link to Photobucket or something like that?

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Let see if I can get this last photo to load....

The empty spot in between my cupboards holds my cutting table when it is not in use. The leafs fold down and it fits perfectly. I bought the cabinets at Ikea and the shelves too. I have been really happy with the set up and how it all came together.

Grr... I can't get it to load. I will try again later..

Oh, I am dying to see! I especially want to see your cutting table. Before I purchased the new Horn cabinet for my 830 I had the Joann cutting table which I loved. But with the new sewing table there is no room for it--so I know the new table has a cutting table side, but I'd love to have one more horizontal work surface in my sewing room. One that folds up when not in use, so the table you have might just be perfect!

 

[luv2sparkle]

No you can't do photobucket because the listing can expire and then the picture will no longer show up. I have to move them from Iphoto
to my desktop. I think my last file was too big. I am going to try to take a picture with my camera instead of the iphone and see if I can get a smaller pixel size. I haven't had that problem in a while.


I really and not a great quilter. I had problems with tension quilting that baby. I would love to have the BSR! Most of the embroidery I do is on quilts or small projects so I have never needed a bigger hoop.

When my daughter got married I made the napkin rings from the Marie Osmond Creative expressions card. They were orange and hot pink,
orange flower and hot pink band. They were really pretty and added a lovely pop of color to the white table cloths and napkins we went with. People went around from table to table collecting them to take home. I was so stunned by that! I think I made a bit over 200 and it took many many months of hours a day of sewing! I wish I had photos but they are on a disc somewhere!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I think my cutting table is in the first pictures up against the design wall....

 

[luv2sparkle]

Okay, one more try... Looks like it worked.

 

[luv2sparkle]

The last cabinet that is cut off, is a duplicate of the one on the left.


When the house was built we added a ton of recessed lighting in that room for my sewing, and I added a ceiling fan with lights. It can get really really warm there. The heater control is located on one wall close to it, and all the lights really screw that up. The rest of the house can be cold but with all the lights on the air conditioner comes on!

On black friday, I went to JoAnn's and bought that giant Ott light. When I opened it, I thought it was just too dang huge, but I have grown to like it! I also ordered another one online and I think I am just going to keep both of them. The other I will put on my cutting table for
light and I will see if I can't mitigate my lighting issues.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I think Bernina has a lot of growing pains when they first introduce new machines--it was the same way with the Bernina 200 which then became the Bernina 730. By the time it was the 730 it seems they had most of the problems worked out. I do hear a lot of people are happy with their 830's now--I keep up with the posts on the 830 Yahoo group. I don't know if they have newer models or if Bernina finally got the problems worked out or what. I find most complaints come from the embroidery side of the machine and not the sewing part.

If you do embroidery at all then I think the 830 is definitely the way to go over the 730--even with it's fussiness nothing compares to that 10 x 16 hoop unless you want to step into the multiple needle embroidery machines.

The thing I dislike most about the 730 is the darned oval hoop. You can purchase the 150x400 hoop and get a lot more embroidery space because of the rectangle you can embroider in which is right in the middle of the hoop. If you use that rectangle space then the hoop is no longer a split hoop, where you have to move it into the different positions--it acts just like a rectangle non-split hoop if that makes sense. That being said it is a lot more narrow/ smaller than other machines such as the Brother and Babylock that offer machines with 12x7 and 12x8 hoops for about the same price. I do think the Bernina is a better machine as far as stitch quality but I do love those larger hoop sizes. And you know, people who own Brother/ Babylock machines are brand loyal and really seem to love them.

I'd love to see photos of your sewing room!

I really need to get busy with my to-do-list but now I can't seem to quit thinking about this... So MyDiamond, I would love to hear your advice. Here is my dilema: There are a few issues that I am most concerned about the Bernina 830- first, the issues of problems with the
machine, and second, having to replace my Koala cabinets. Bear in mind that I am more of a quilter than an embroiderer. A new cabinet set up could run about 3k and I really like what I have. I would love to read more recent reviews if you could give me a link to the forum you mentioned on Yahoo! So if all the mechanical things were ok, I would still have the cabinet issue.

Can the hoop problem on the 730 be fixed by an additional hoop purchase like a hoop-it-all? The 830 is about 3500. more than a new
730, which would fit in my cabinet. I need to be able to lower the machine into the cabinet for quilting. I also could buy a 3 year old
730 for 4200. It has 163 hours on it, and the woman is upgrading. She is an embroiderer like you. Her dealer is pretty local to me and she said I could talk with him about her particular machine, which leads me to believe that she has not had problems with it.

I can't seem to balance the cost/value thing in my mind. I really want my next machine to be my till-death-do-us-part machine. I want to be content. Mostly I will be quilting and sewing. Getting new, would give me a warranty and classes. Considering all of this what do you think would be my best choice? 10K plus 3K for a new cabinet-don't embroider all that much, but love the built in even feed and the extra space to the right of the needle for quilting. I have read about some people having stitch quality issues with the BSR on this machine.

730-new 7500, will fit in my cabinet, and get me a warranty and all available updates. Used 730 for 4200, and just pocket the difference and be happy with it. (that is if it is still available) I have literally been rolling this dilemma in my head for a few weeks.
My last thought before this thread was that I would probably wait till mothers day and buy new, but I hadn't made a decision on the model. I am leaning towards the 730 because of the cabinet issue mostly.

 

[Jennifer W]

Wow! Your sewing room is fabulous. I'm quite envious!

I have a small collection of antique and vintage singer sewing machines, as well as some modern Nwe Home and husqvarna sewing and overlocker machines. The modern ones don't really get used much, but the old ladies get a lot of use for children's clothes, curtains, cushions, some quite amateur looking quilting and the occasional mending job.

I had to thin the collection quite significantly recently, because it was getting ridiculous. I've sold, donated or gifted a dozen or so machines and kept only my favourites. At the moment, I have a 201k in a 5 drawer oak treadle table from 1934, 'new' shape aluminium 201k in beige and one in black, in Queen Anne walnut cabinets, a 28k shuttle hand turn from the 1920s, and industrial 16k from 1911, a hand turn 99k and I'm hoping to take possession of a Model 12 New Family fiddle base model from the 1890s next week, if it checks out ok. I'm on the look out for a really nice Rocketeer, and a 1960s straight shank zig zag model. My machines were all made in Clydebank, near where I used to live.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Wow, that is quite a collection Jennifer! Why do you prefer the antiques over your new machines? I have one old singer in a cabinet. I use it for an end table in my living room and a "white" machine (brand not color) that is my table at the bottom of my stairs.

The old machines can definitely be solid.

I waited many years to have a space just dedicated to sewing. In my previous houses I sewed in my bedroom, dining room and family
room, so I have kinda been all over. It is nice to finally have my own space! The kids have to walk through the loft to get to there bedrooms, but only one is at home full time upstairs.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Okay let me roll up my sleeves here....lol.

Here's the link to the Yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bernina_series8/ The ladies there are very helpful, however not many of them will post online what they actually think about their machines for fear their dealer might be a member there and see what they say. Last time I asked a question similar to yours I got several online responses and 50 I hate this machine emails offline....that was about a year or so ago so Bernina has made improvements to the machine since then and I hear far fewer complaints.

What I do love about the 830 is it's large to the right of the needle but also in height so you can roll and quilt away without too much fuss! It actually is an excellent quilting machine and there is no other sewing machine like it on the market as far as that space--unless of course you buy a large quilting machine/ frame set up. I have not used the BSR at all, but there's another good question to ask on the Yahoo group.

As far as classes, you can always pay for the Mastering Your Bernina 730 classes at your dealer. Some dealers will even let you take them free of charge.

There is no hoop alternative for the 730--the Hoop It All "sounds" like a great idea, but unless you've mastered the art of splitting designs in your software they are all but useless. I have one for my 180E and never did figure it out--total waste of money.

I haven't checked on 730 prices to know how much the used ones are selling for now. I don''t think I'd ever buy a new one though as they are getting to be an old machine--they've been out so long I'm kind of surprised they haven't been discontinued. I'd buy used and take my chances...but that's just me. My husband would always say buy new....lol. I got my 180E used and never had any problems with it at all and I saved several thousand dollars on the purchase.

Have you thought about purchasing a used 830? You can ask on the Bernina group but there is also this Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SewItsForSale/ and you can post a ISO thread there. Same thing for the 730. I also know of 2 customers of mine who are wanting to sell their 830s (one went back to work full time and she has two other machines and I am not sure why the other one is selling), but I have no idea of how much they want --or how to even get their info, email addy etc to you if you were interested.

Okay, so here is what I think if I were you:

Buy a used 830 (one that was manufactured within the last year) for a steal and buy a new cabinet. With the BSR and all of that sewing space it's a dream quilting combo and well worth the investment!

Or buy the used 730, keep the cabinet you have pocket all of the savings and buy more fabric or a new ring!

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Wow! Your sewing room is fabulous. I'm quite envious!

I have a small collection of antique and vintage singer sewing machines, as well as some modern Nwe Home and husqvarna sewing and overlocker machines. The modern ones don't really get used much, but the old ladies get a lot of use for children's clothes, curtains, cushions, some quite amateur looking quilting and the occasional mending job.

I had to thin the collection quite significantly recently, because it was getting ridiculous. I've sold, donated or gifted a dozen or so machines and kept only my favourites. At the moment, I have a 201k in a 5 drawer oak treadle table from 1934, 'new' shape aluminium 201k in beige and one in black, in Queen Anne walnut cabinets, a 28k shuttle hand turn from the 1920s, and industrial 16k from 1911, a hand turn 99k and I'm hoping to take possession of a Model 12 New Family fiddle base model from the 1890s next week, if it checks out ok. I'm on the look out for a really nice Rocketeer, and a 1960s straight shank zig zag model. My machines were all made in Clydebank, near where I used to live.

Wow! You have a great collection of machines, Jennifer. I've heard a lot of people use them for quilting too as the stitches aren't quite as perfect as the newer machines.

 

[luv2sparkle]

My concern with buying a used 830 is that I wouldn't want to get one with problems. When I bought my 180 new, all I heard was good reviews, but that was quite a few years ago and there weren't as many online forums or places to read reviews. My feeling is, that most
people who are selling and 830 probably hated it for one reason or another since there is not another bernina to upgrade to. Most
bernina lovers stay with the company.

It does seem like a dream machine. The funny thing is, when I go to my dealer, the ladies who work there don't really seem all that sold on it. Usually, they love to expound on a machines features and what they love about it. I would have to say that is true about most of their bernina's now. They told me that one of the 400 series had problems with the computer boards and they were replacing a lot of them.

I signed up to join the Yahoo group. Just waiting for the moderator to approve my app.

It seems like the 830 is too expensive of a machine to take a chance on getting one with serious problems, although I love the thought of
all the possibilities. That's the point, I guess.

Thanks for your opinion! I am sure I will roll this abound in my head for a bit longer. I will probably miss the deal on the 730. I keep hoping the Koala company will come up the a modification for older cabinets that would allow for all the weight of the 830.

I don't even have any idea what splitting the designs means. That is how little I embroider. I would probable do a few kitchen or bath towels and a few quilt squares and that is about it. For this reason, I have never bought any software, and really haven't wished I did.

I would worry about them discontinuing a model, but they did that with my 180 shortly after I bought it. I have been pretty happy with it
regardless. I will keep a used 830 in mind. It would have to be the right deal and I would have to be able to see the machine in action for me to feel comfortable that I wasn't getting a lemon. But if I could do that, it would be awesome!

 

[luv2sparkle]

MyDiamond, did you buy your 830 used?

 

[Jennifer W]

Wow, that is quite a collection Jennifer! Why do you prefer the antiques over your new machines? I have one old singer in a cabinet. I use it for an end table in my living room and a "white" machine (brand not color) that is my table at the bottom of my stairs.

The old machines can definitely be solid.

I waited many years to have a space just dedicated to sewing. In my previous houses I sewed in my bedroom, dining room and family
room, so I have kinda been all over. It is nice to finally have my own space! The kids have to walk through the loft to get to there bedrooms, but only one is at home full time upstairs.

It's a wonderful space! I turned my sewing room (which was also my spare room) into a room for our kid. Ah well. I use the study and/ or dining room now. I can spread it all over the house when I'm deep in a project, though.

I don't use my new machines, they just don't hold my interest. They aren't beautiful, and I can't service or repair them myself. Well, I do use the overlockers, they're really useful. I think vintage overlockers are just too temperamental for regular use, so I'm using a Huskylock 650CD, which is a really nice machine.

I love the look and feel of the antique machines. I love their history and I love that they can be rescued and restored, from almost any condition. I'm also interested in the history of the company - Singer was an influential company in the West of Scotland and had a huge social impact. Their history is bound up with the history of Clydebank, where the factory was located. Mostly though, they are just better at sewing. There's no other machine that can quite touch the perfection of the 201k stitch.

 

[Jennifer W]

Wow! Your sewing room is fabulous. I'm quite envious!

I have a small collection of antique and vintage singer sewing machines, as well as some modern Nwe Home and husqvarna sewing and overlocker machines. The modern ones don't really get used much, but the old ladies get a lot of use for children's clothes, curtains, cushions, some quite amateur looking quilting and the occasional mending job.

I had to thin the collection quite significantly recently, because it was getting ridiculous. I've sold, donated or gifted a dozen or so machines and kept only my favourites. At the moment, I have a 201k in a 5 drawer oak treadle table from 1934, 'new' shape aluminium 201k in beige and one in black, in Queen Anne walnut cabinets, a 28k shuttle hand turn from the 1920s, and industrial 16k from 1911, a hand turn 99k and I'm hoping to take possession of a Model 12 New Family fiddle base model from the 1890s next week, if it checks out ok. I'm on the look out for a really nice Rocketeer, and a 1960s straight shank zig zag model. My machines were all made in Clydebank, near where I used to live.

Wow! You have a great collection of machines, Jennifer. I've heard a lot of people use them for quilting too as the stitches aren't quite as perfect as the newer machines.

I think 201s are much loved by quilters, because they are reputed to make the most perfect stitch of all. I can't link to the quilting forum I like here, but 201ks are much sought after.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

MyDiamond, did you buy your 830 used?

My husband bought it new for Christmas 2 years ago--I think or maybe it's been 3 years now. It was one of the very first ones made. I had spent several months comparing the Pfaff Creative Vision, the Viking Diamond and then the Bernina 830, which was the last of the large hoop machines that came out. Sometimes I wonder if Bernina rushed to get it on the market as the other companies already had theirs in the dealerships. By far the Bernina is better than the other machines. Anyway, I am sure it's been 3 years now as I had my previous 830 for 2 years before they replaced it and I've had this one for a year.

I would have never spent the money on it, but my husband figured it was a write off for my business and I might as well use it as a deduction as opposed to letting the IRS have more of my hard earned cash.....lol. With the designs I created for it and then sold to customers I paid it off many times over so it was a good investment for me. If I didn't have this business I might not be so comfortable forking over that amount of cash.

Now I'm debating on a Brother PR 6 or 10 needle or a Barudan 9 or 15 needle...or of course that big diamond dream ring I just saw while browsing one of my fav antique jewelry web sites!

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Grrrr! For some reason I can't seem to get my photos uploaded so I will try again later.

Jennifer, the Singer Featherweights are really popular in the USA for quilting. Do you have those machines where you are? For some reason I am thinking your are not in the USA, correct?

 

[luv2sparkle]

They replaced it?

I remember you saying now that you had one of the first ones off the line. I need to go and have a sit down at the dealer. I haven't wanted to do that yet because I was considering the used one, and I told them that!

So many decisions....

What kind of embroidery can you do with the new machine you are considering as opposed to on your bernina? I have dreamed about having a sewing business! I am envious! I think my dealer sells the brother embroidery machine.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Even if you are looking at buying a used machine you should sit down with the machines at your dealer and see which one is for you. Bring along a sewing project, let them show you how to use it and then sit and sew all by yourself. It's really the only way to know which machine is right for you. Any dealer should be more than happy to show you each one of their machines. Even if you buy a used one you will still be a customer for cleanings, repairs, thread, stabilizers, etc.

Yes, they replaced it with a new one. I got to the point I was so frustrated with the constant thread breaks I was going nutso. I pretty much dropped it off at my dealer and said I didn't care how long they kept it but once they fixed it and test sewed on it and gave the a-okay to find a buyer for it as I was not going to put up with the nonsense anymore and was heading over to another dealer to buy a new embroidery machine. And I meant it too. I was really mad and I am quite sure there was smoke blowing out of my ears when I said it. The owner called me the next day and said she ordered me a new machine.

The multi-needle machines make it easier to hoop things like Onesies and t-shirts so you can embroider on them. The Bernina 830 machine is fairly easy to do this on too as like the mutli-needle machines it has a free arm, but the Brother/ Babylock/ Barudans offer more hoop sizes so it makes it even easier. Plus, everyone I know who has one says once you see the difference you'll never go back to a single needle. I've been afraid to buy one for fear I will spend all of that money and then find it slows me down because of assigning a thread color to each one of the needles every time I send a design to the machine--but everyone assures me this is not the case. I am thinking about buying a used 6 needle one just to see how I like it and then if I do like it I can always move up to the 10-15 needle machines.

I pretty much fell into the sewing business. At the request of my husband I was taking a 3 month break from a very high stress job. He could see the stress was affecting my health and well being and he was worried about me. He encouraged me to take some time off and pursue a hobby and have some fun, so as hard as it was to do, I walked into my boss office and gave him notice I was taking a 3 month leave.

I had purchased my 180E a few years before then but never really had time to sew as I was working 80-90 hours a week. With my time off I started sewing/ embroidering and digitizing. I posted one of my finished projects on a sewing forum and had 200 emails and PM requests for my design/ pattern. So 3 months later I opened a web site and here I am. I never went back to my other job.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Wow, that is quite a story! I am glad you were able to get rid of the high stress job and do something you enjoy!

I will go down to my dealer. I have been through this before-and have gone through all the researching steps-the Bernina problems are what have kept me in limbo. I would have bought one years ago had they not had all the problems, I would have jumped right in. The cabinet issue was a bit of a deterrent, but the real issue was the machine problems. One of my children was involved in a serious accicdent that kept me in rehab with him for a year, and I kind of lost the ability to sew for pleasure. Since I wasnt sewing every day, I knew I might not notice all the problems right away, and before I knew it the machine would be out of warranty.

Stories like your are what have kept me away. I am not sure I would have been up for that kind of fight. When it is your job it gives you a bit more fight. Couple that with the machine is just so darn heavy to lug around!

I am really glad it worked out and you were able to get a machine you are happy with. Thank you so much for your imput!