My Girls
Sew, Mama, Sew is having a sewing machine month and since I love my sewing machine(s) so much, I’m participating.
We were a crafty household growing up and I learned to sew on a treadle Singer and my mom’s 1970s-era Husqvarna. By high school, sewing in one capacity or another was part of my life, and my grandmother bought me a White machine as a graduation gift. It was simple, but served me well until it was crushed moving house. Enter my mother-in-law the quilter who had just traded in her 40 year old Husqvarna for a new Bernina. She took pity on me and bought her old machine back for $1 and then sold it to me.
That Husqvarna took me from crafty hobbyist to artist who sewed nearly every day. But when I started free-motion quilting, I knew it was time to upgrade. I did some homework and narrowed my choices down to upper end Pfaff or Berninas (we were living in Germany at the time and these were the most available/best deals). So here’s the pertinent Sew, Mama, Sew info:
What brand and model do you have? Bernina 440 QE
How long have you had it? About 4 1/2 years
How much does that machine cost (approximately)? With the exchange rate and a discount for being with the US military and not having to pay German VAT (value added tax), I think I remember it being between $1400 and $1700.
What types of things do you sew? I sew mainly quilts of the scrappy, arty sort, but also handbags, clothing and kids costumes, a little home dec, some softies, and patches onto uniforms. Once I repaired a hammock strap and a leather belt.
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew nearly every day, and have been known to throw teh occasional weird thing at the machine (see aforementioned leather belt). The add oil indicator (based on number of stitches sewn) comes on monthly.
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? My machine has no name, but I love her dearly. I also love teh old Husqvarna for sentimental reasons, and because you just can’t help loving such an old workhorse. My expectation is that my Bernina will also still be going strong in 40 years.
What features does your machine have that work well for you? I didn’t anticipate it, but I love the knee lift. It is so convenient to be able to lift the presser foot without moving your hands! Close runners-up are the ability to lift the needle up or down with the tap of my foot, and the automatic button hole feature.
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? It doesn’t drive me nuts, but the stitch regulator wasn’t as great as I had hoped. I can free-motion well, but not show-quality perfect; and unfortunately, I can’t get the stitch regulator to be any closer to show-quality than I am on my own.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? I would definitely recommend any of the mid-grade to high-end Berninas. In my experience, they are predictable, well-made machines with all the features most sewers would need. The feet are very easy to switch out on machines made in at least the last five years, which I think encourages people to use the right tool for the job. I’ve had no problem finding Bernina dealers from California, to Germany, to Hawai’i and everyone has had wonderful customer service.
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? I see a sewing machine as a durable good and so I think it’s important to buy something sturdy that will last. I’ve seen too many beginners get frustrated with cheap machines (ie: tension problems and hard to swap feet) and not only never finish their projects, but walk away from the experience feeling like failures. As long as one is making the investment, I suggest to buy a machine that doesn’t just do what you want to do now, but can also accommodate what you want to do in the future. With a good machine, you’ll grow quickly and you don’t want to have to go machine shopping again in just a few years. Oh, and I think it is important to try out several machines to get a good feel for them. I found that ergonomically, I was more comfortable with the Berninas than the Pfaffs — probably because they were similar to the Husqvarnas I had used for over 20 years. I’ve heard many Pfaff users say that they can’t get comfortable on a Bernina. Either way, buying from a sewing machine store gives you a chance to test drive and get as much support as you need, whereas buying from a discounter is a bit of a shot in the dark.
Do you have a dream machine? I already own my dream machine. 
Tags: bernina, husqvarna, Sew Mama Sew, sewing machine, sewing machine meme
June 4th, 2009 at 11:03 am
good reminder, kristin!
I will also participate and I’m absolutely with you about the berninas. I don’t want an other machine except my nina!
June 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I bought a Pfaff based on the fact that there was a dealer here who repaired on site. Shortly after I bought it, he retired and now there is a Husqvarna dealer who does his own repairs. I’d probably get a Husqvarna if I were shopping now, for that reason. My old Husqvarna was wonderful and still works well. I just wanted more bells and whistles.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Fantastic. I just bought a Bernina Artista 145s from a friend and I love it. I was borrowing it while my old White was in the shop and once I had sewn on something so good I couldn’t go back. Fortunately this was her backup machine (yes, her backup) and she’s a wonderful friend so she’s letting me sew on it while I pay her in installments.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I think you might have explained why I bought a new Husqvarna about three years ago. I learned to sew on my mother’s 50’s era Husqvqrna as a child and then bought my own as mentioned in your post. They are reliable and feel right to me.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
what a wonderful post about Bernina-love
i love mine too! 12 years and counting (and my cat is named Bernina too)
June 4th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Perfect timing for this post about sewing machines. Mine went on the fritz last week and is now in the shop for service. I, too, learned to sew on a Husqvarna (actually the one that you bought from Mom!) and have a simple Husqvarna 215 of my own. I only wish that I had a back up machine (or that Mom lived closer so that I could borrow one of hers). I ended up borrowing a Pfaff from a friend to finish a project (only a week late…) and now have sewing machine envy. Part of me wants a fancier machine, but my now 15 year old, $300 Husqvarna does just fine.
June 5th, 2009 at 6:35 am
I love my Bernina Aurora too! It’s such a wonderful machine. (Wow, you got a great discount buying yours in Germany! Mine cost close to $3K here in the states in ‘05. Of course CA has a pretty hefty state sales tax.) I’m a bit of a sewing machine junkie because I kept my old Bernina nova and a few other machines. LOL Glad to see that you also kept your older machine.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
You totally left out the part about buying this Ferrari of a sewing machine, and then just a couple of months later, falling in love — like, head over heels, this thing is as great as my husband — with the newest / latest model when it was released, and upgrading.
And for the record, I can confirm that you have only said the greatest of things about your machine.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:14 am
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July 6th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Help! I have the Bernina 440 QE and am having problems. I have quilted 3 quilts with the BSR foot doing meander/stipple quilting so have had a bit of practise but I am very disappointed with the results. I think it is impossible to free-motion quilt without using the foot control pedal. This is because to use the stop/start button when quilting a large quilt means taking your hand off the quilt to press the button. This invariably means the fabric shifts causing uneven stitches. I always have to keep stoppong when quilting to reposition my hands and fabric and need the needle down every time I stop. With Mode 1 the machine keeps stitching and with Mode 2 the needle is always up!
So then I tried quilting with the foot pedal in so that when I stopped the needle was always down and I could keep my hands on the quilt. Unfortunately I have found that every time I stop or start now results in a large stitch on the front and a knot on the back of the quilt. I cannot seem to have smooth getaways or stops by using the foot pedal and moving the fabric simultaneously!! I would mention that I had no problem with my old 1230-when I stopped quilting with that the needle stopped down and I always had smooth getaways.
There is no way I could possible recommend the 440 QE, but having paid so much for it I’m stuck with it and must find a way to make it work satisfactorily. On my quilts it is obvious almost every time where I have stopped and started by the big stitch and knot on the back. Not a good look!! I would be most grateful for any advice. How do you quilt a large quilt , foot pedal in or out? Mode 1 or 2? etc etc. Any suggestions please.