Well, I'm now the proud new owner of a Bernina 200/730!

I got to the ladies house and she had the machine all set up and I played with it and made sure everything worked and fell love with the way it worked. This is a dream machine for sure and I can't wait to get to know it. It came with all kinds of presser feet (but no walking foot, so I will have to order one) and the rolling cases and the embroidery stuff and the usb stick (it does have the drive) and the cd rom reader and so many books and CDs... it will take me a long time to play with everything, but I'll enjoy every second of it.

The lady who sold it to me said her husband bought it for her before he died and she hasn't had a chance to really play with it so it worked out perfectly for both of us.

I'm going to have to rent a storage shed just for the accessories!

Wow! What a great find! Enjoy your new toy.

Donna

PS - need a serger? Mine's for sale. :)

Thanks, Donna, you are a funny one! I just spent 2 months rent on this thing (of course my rent is only 500 dollars but still) LOL Actually, the lady was selling a Viking serger for 400 dollars as well, but threading one scares the fire out of me and I don't make clothes :o)

I haven't played with it yet except at her house, but I'm about to...

I do believe Jasper approves

You are going to love this machine! My friend has one as well as a newer 830 (I think) and really prefers the 200/730. We will, of course, need pictures of what you make on it!

Enjoy!

Maryv

Congratulations Bobby!!!
You finally got your DREAM MACHINE you've been lusting over!
Take a deep breath---read the manuals completely and don't lose them :~). It's a lot of money for every sewer, and alot to learn. You're young and savvy--so your brain can handle it! Enjoy - have fun. I would suggest you find a Bernina forum - check Yahoo groups - for the technical stuff---but stay here for the art and creativity --- and besides--we like you! :~)
Now save your pennies to buy thread.

Don't let Jasper steal it unless he can pay for it! LOL

Donna

Congratulations!!! That's Awesome. I have a much lower model Bernina , a 440QE and I love it...but wow...you've got the real mccoy.
I know you will have a blast trying it all out... Have fun !!!
V.

I am so happy for you and know how exciting it is to get a machine in that price range for the very first time. Scared, but tickled pink! Enjoy your new machine and have fun learning all the neat stuff it will do. I don't know how you're going to do it, but you will need more room shortly. Might have to build a loft. lol

SharonG/FL

Thank you for sharing in my excitement!

I've been playing for a few hours now and it is so different than my previous machine! I knew it so well and Bernina buttons and terminology are just so foreign to me!

The needle threader doesn't work, (the hook is broken) and that should be a simple fix and I will have it done when I take the machine to the "Bernina Place" to get it tuned and cleaned. I called and they charged 89 dollars for general service, so that's not too bad, but I'm sure fixing a problem like the needle threader will be extra. However, the machine performs flawlessly otherwise.

My previous Brother was much prettier to look at, more curves and contours and definitely easier to use with the drop in bobbin and superior needle threader, so I'm not sure if I want to sell it or keep it. I could use it as a back up or keep it to use when the Bernina is embroidering or until I get a walking foot for the Bernina. It would be a great machine for someone who needed something decent and didn't have much money...

This is my family of sewing machines now. When did I start collecting sewing machines instead of vacuum cleaners? AAAAHHH. Two Brothers and a Bernina... all Bs! I sat the Bernina down for the picture and I could almost hear her saying, "Don't leave me with the peasants!"

Though the adjustment/bonding period is sure to be interesting, I am sure we will get along just fine.... After all, she already knows my name. I think she should be calling me Master or Sir considering what I spent for her LOL

Thanks again for sharing in my excitement!

Enjoy! So exciting! I have an 830 and love it - dream machine, 50th birthday/anniversary/Christmas gift from my hubby. Play with it, get it serviced, go to the bernina website and check out some of their blogs/classes. Have fun!

Wow, congratulations on your purchase. I am excited to hear about your new relationship. :)

Seriously, I love the picture of your sewing machines with the vacuums in the background.

LOL...don't leave me w/ these peasants! Watch out it knows who you are....
Is the balance stitch regulator (BSR) built in with this model?
this makes me want to upgrade, but I haven't figured out everything my 440 can do, let alone move to the next level.
V.

Helen, this does have the ability to accept a Bernina Stitch Regulator because of the upgrade to the 730... I don't have that attachment, but it's nice to know it has the ability.

Now I have to get embroidery thread! It even came with a package of Sulky sticky stabilizer! I think I'm going to keep my Brother because feet for the Bernina are insanely expensive and there are times when I may need a button attaching foot, walking foot, or quarter inch foot (the Bernina didn't come with any of those and I got them all for the Brother and use the button attaching foot quite often though I've never made a button hole in my life)....

One neat thing is that the lady said the machine was purchased in 2002 and that was the year I graduated high school! She also told me to text her if I had any issues or questions and she'd do her best to help me if she could, so that was very sweet of her...

I just wanted to updated that I figured out how to check the hours on the machine and it has been on standby for 366 hours, sewing time is 10:15 and embroidery time is 1:15! I think that's pretty good for a machine that is 11 years old... especially since 1 of the sewing hours was from me!

The BSR's are pricey...so be sure to try one in a shop to insure you want it before putting out the cash.
Wow...you did get a good deal considering the little usage this machine had...obvioulsy it had the wrong owner!
V.

I noticed a used BSR on C/L a while ago and it was 400 dollars so I can't imagine what they cost new, but I have so many other things to explore before I even think about that!

We're still bonding and I played with the embroidery function to see how it worked... used regular thread though, I need to get some embroidery thread for sure, but it was so nice to play with all the editing options and watch it stitch out my name right before my eyes!

I used sticky stabilizer so I didn't have to use the top (inside) part of the hoop and it worked perfectly... the towel was too thick to have allowed for the top part of the hoop to be used anyway.

I know I'll get better results with embroidery thread and someone suggested using top stabilizer on towels, so I'll do that next time, but still I'm impressed.

I noticed one thing it lacks which surprises me. It doesn't have a stop/start button for regular sewing like some of the cheapest Brother and Singers do (even my Brother had that)... you use the reverse button to stop/start for embroidery, but there isn't a way to sew without the foot pedal. I never used that feature anyway because I like to stay in control, but it would be nice to have.

Somebody please stop me... laundry and dishes aren't getting done and I was supposed to pick up my bicycle from the bike shop 2 days ago...

Looks like you're having a great time!

For towels, you can put a layer of tulle over the top (you can buy 6" wide rolls of it at JoAnn's pretty cheaply) and that keeps the thread from sinking down into the pile.

Interesting that it doesn't have a start/stop button. My Brother emb. machine does - you have to unplug the foot pedal to use the embroidery function.

Donna

Check your manual, my Bernina has a memory start / stop ... I've rarely used it, but it worked great when putting in a name or date...it stops after one pass in case I don't manually catch it at the end. I would hope the upgrade would have a similar feature.
V.

I promise this will be my lat Bernina post, but I made a video and just wanted to share it in case there are any other "machine-o-philes" lurking... machines are important to be because my love for them is what got me started quilting...

Here is a link that might be useful: Bobby's machines...