Bernina 930 & why it is My Favorite Sewing Machine
I LOVE sewing machines, and I have discovered over the years, that there are MANY sewing machines that I love, so I want to share which sewing machines I love the most, and why!
The treasure trove of information about sewing & sewing machines on the internet was literally the beginning of my love for sewing! My hubby and I had tried to fix every sewing machine we came across over the first 10 years of our marriage, but most of them had timing issues, and we did not yet know how to fix them. When my Grandma O'Connor learned of my suffering for want of a good sewing machine, she generously gave me her Sears Kenmore 148.1204 straight stitch & zig zag only sewing machine, which she bought brand new, but only ever used to mend clothes.
I cannot tell you how I have TREASURED that sewing machine! It is the sewing machine that I have used to sew clothing for myself, my husband & children, as well as to sew insulated curtains and quilts for all of our homes over the years. It is the only reason we were able to stay comfortable despite the weather, & could afford to pay our electric bills! Despite the cheapness of clothing & home decor these days, I believe that everyone should have at least a basic sewing machine, and know how to use it. The ability to acquire cheap goods is not going to last forever!
My very favorite sewing machine currently, is the Bernina 930 Record Electronic sewing machine. The 930 was an expensive sewing machine when it was new, many people have told me they paid as much as $1,200 to $1,500 for their 930 back in the 1980s, and if you look on Ebay, they often sell for that today, particularly if they have all of their accessories. Once in a while, you can get lucky & find one for $450 or so, but that is usually just the machine, power cord & pedal, with maybe a few feet. Why do people love the 930 so
much? In fact, why do people love Berninas so much?
Bernina always tried to figure out what were the biggest problems people run into when they try to sew, and design their sewing machines to function in such a way that those problems never happened with their sewing machines! The biggest example that comes to mind for me, is the non-jamming bobbins! Their special automatic tension is another HUGE plus! Trying to adjust tensions between the bobbin & the upper tension can take hours if you try to use specialty threads, but with Bernina's automatic tension, it is absolutely EASY! The 930 also has 2 different sizes of EXTRA LONG basting stitches that make fitting a snap! You can baste your seamlines, try them on, and if they don't fit right, they are super easy to remove, and you can baste in adjustments & try them on before making your actual seams, and they are super quick to remove the basting!
The 930 has 30 different stitches, they just don't actually count the straight stitch & zig zag stitches as stitch designs, nor do they count the stretch triple zig zag & stretch triple straight stitches! I need to get some sleep, but I'll share more about my Bernina 930 another time!
Anyway, I LOVE Berninas! I've had a 530-2, 731, 830, 910 & 930, & 1008, & love them ALL! I can't afford to keep them all, of course, but I treasure the opportunity to ever have them in the first place, & I HIGHLY recommend Bernina's, particularly to serious sewers. They may offer a little too many options to a brand new sewer, so a machine with fewer options is often better for beginners, just to avoid overwhelming them, but I only wish I had been blessed to have Bernina sewing machines MUCH earlier, I would have done a LOT more sewing!
The treasure trove of information about sewing & sewing machines on the internet was literally the beginning of my love for sewing! My hubby and I had tried to fix every sewing machine we came across over the first 10 years of our marriage, but most of them had timing issues, and we did not yet know how to fix them. When my Grandma O'Connor learned of my suffering for want of a good sewing machine, she generously gave me her Sears Kenmore 148.1204 straight stitch & zig zag only sewing machine, which she bought brand new, but only ever used to mend clothes.
I cannot tell you how I have TREASURED that sewing machine! It is the sewing machine that I have used to sew clothing for myself, my husband & children, as well as to sew insulated curtains and quilts for all of our homes over the years. It is the only reason we were able to stay comfortable despite the weather, & could afford to pay our electric bills! Despite the cheapness of clothing & home decor these days, I believe that everyone should have at least a basic sewing machine, and know how to use it. The ability to acquire cheap goods is not going to last forever!
My very favorite sewing machine currently, is the Bernina 930 Record Electronic sewing machine. The 930 was an expensive sewing machine when it was new, many people have told me they paid as much as $1,200 to $1,500 for their 930 back in the 1980s, and if you look on Ebay, they often sell for that today, particularly if they have all of their accessories. Once in a while, you can get lucky & find one for $450 or so, but that is usually just the machine, power cord & pedal, with maybe a few feet. Why do people love the 930 so
much? In fact, why do people love Berninas so much?
Bernina always tried to figure out what were the biggest problems people run into when they try to sew, and design their sewing machines to function in such a way that those problems never happened with their sewing machines! The biggest example that comes to mind for me, is the non-jamming bobbins! Their special automatic tension is another HUGE plus! Trying to adjust tensions between the bobbin & the upper tension can take hours if you try to use specialty threads, but with Bernina's automatic tension, it is absolutely EASY! The 930 also has 2 different sizes of EXTRA LONG basting stitches that make fitting a snap! You can baste your seamlines, try them on, and if they don't fit right, they are super easy to remove, and you can baste in adjustments & try them on before making your actual seams, and they are super quick to remove the basting!
Bernina's "hands free" presser foot control knee bar, is a HUGE treat, particularly if you are sewing a quilt, or anything where you have to raise & lower the presser foot a lot. When it is in my sewing table with the elevator, if I want to use the machine as a flatbed, the kneebar is attached through the hole in the front of the table, & if I want to use the freearm, disconnect the kneebar, raise the elevator table, then just attach the bar to the front of the machine again, once the machine is raised to the table top. I made some YouTube videos of hemming with my Bernina 930 here-
I almost forgot the Bernina 930 Electronic, as long as the serial number starts with 24 or 25, has the automatic needle up feature, & as long as it has the correct power pedal, it has the "heel tap" needle up/down feature! Earlier 930s do NOT have have these features, & if you need to buy a new power pedal for your 930, if yours has the heel tap feature, you MUST purchase the correct pedal for it to work. I used it in my Youtube video at the link above, if you want to see how it works. I sure wish I still had my 930! I miss this feature a LOT!!
The 930 has 30 different stitches, they just don't actually count the straight stitch & zig zag stitches as stitch designs, nor do they count the stretch triple zig zag & stretch triple straight stitches! I need to get some sleep, but I'll share more about my Bernina 930 another time!
Bernina's quick change, incredibly well crafted presser feet & accessories are another reason I LOVE Bernina's sewing machines, having the right presser foot or attachment, really makes sewing faster & easier, but you won't know that until you actually try many of them. Not all presser feet fit each sewing machine the same way, even Bernina sewing machines have a variety of sizes of presser feet & feed dogs, so matching your presser feet to the machine, is really important, to get the best out of your machine. Basically, the presser foot should be as wide as the feed dogs, except the darning foot, zipper foot, & similar specialty narrow feet.
Bernina creates "sewing systems", so they not only sell you a sewing machine, but include a carrying case, for classes, that also carries the extension table, an accessory case with the presser feet & embroidery hoop for darning 7 embroidery, as well as applique. A tiny needle tool, that is designed like a mini screwdriver, with "pinpoint accuracy", a needle like point that holds it in the screw while you tighten or loosen the needle, is also in the accessory case, along with the seam ripper, screwdrivers, a buttonhole chisel, with a variety of sizes of blades for different sizes of buttonholes, all fit in their accessory cases. Everything all fits in the carry case with your machine, even the manual, the pedal & power cord! Sometimes I think we fall in love with how neat & organized everything is, even for those who don't sew much!
As Bernina created more specialty presser feet & accessories over the years, they created more specialty accessory cases, including tackle boxes, & the case below, which has a handle that comes up through the lid. The trays are purchased separately, but they make it easy to organize your Bernina presser feet by number, so you can find them quickly & easily. Bernina's website allows you to print their manuals for free, as well as the flyers for their special presser feet, & basic information about what each foot is used for. I shrunk them down 50% & taped them to the underside of my accessory tray, so it is readily available, when I am choosing a presser foot.
The lowest Bernina accessory tray in the above photo, is actually for the 1000 to 1630, not only does it have a lift out tray for 8 to 10 presser feet, 5 bobbins, the needle tool, a pack of needles, if you lift that tray out, below you will find an organizer for your buttonhole foot, a seam gauge, oil bottle, seam ripper, cleaning brush, etc... The lid closes over the feet, & this case actually becomes an accessory tray, snapping onto your machine, behind the freearm of your Bernina 1000, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1008, on up to the 1630! These machines don't have the large carry cases like the 930 & lower, but have either cloth or vinyl covers, with pockets for manuals, pedals & cords, or a hard plastic shell with built in spaces for those same items. I love the tray organization system so much, I kept it, even after I sold my 1008 & 930! (I would love to have kept all of the Bernina's I have had, but I have brain, spinal & nerve tumors from NF2, so due to major medical bills, I have had to sell most of my valuable machines, but I try to remember to make videos & photos of them, to share with others who want to know more about these classic, fabulous machines!)
If you can't afford Bernina's 1 piece feet, they also sell these 2 adaptors, so you can use other brands of low shank presser feet, they just don't guarantee they will work as well with the Bernina machines, because they may not be the correct size of feet for your machine. One shank is specifically for one of the old rufflers, the other is for the other low shank feet. Not all rufflers will work with Bernina sewing machines, though, many other brands of rufflers are too tall, & the top of the ruffler will run into the sewing machine above the needle.
These 2 lower photos are my old Bernina 530-2 with 2 different rufflers, to show the differences between some of the rufflers, how much taller some of them are. By the way, Bernina presser feet changed over time, so feet for early Bernina machines, from the old 950 down to the 530 series, have either engraved numbers, or black numbers on a white background, with 2 narrow prongs. However, earlier feet, for Berninas with the narrower fee dogs, will have wider top front prongs, while the feet that will fit the 1000 to 1600 (Taiwan manufactured machines, if I remember correctly) have the narrower top front prongs, & these feet will also fit the machines older than these, while the feet with the fat prongs, will not fit the 1000 on up. (Feet with a solid bar instead of top prongs, & with red/pink numbers on a white background will only fit the newest computerized Berninas, not any of the old mechanical machines.)
This photo shows how close the wrong ruffler is to the machine, that when the needle is at it's highest, the non Bernina Rufflers will often hit the machine, unable to work, just because they are too tall.
Anyway, I LOVE Berninas! I've had a 530-2, 731, 830, 910 & 930, & 1008, & love them ALL! I can't afford to keep them all, of course, but I treasure the opportunity to ever have them in the first place, & I HIGHLY recommend Bernina's, particularly to serious sewers. They may offer a little too many options to a brand new sewer, so a machine with fewer options is often better for beginners, just to avoid overwhelming them, but I only wish I had been blessed to have Bernina sewing machines MUCH earlier, I would have done a LOT more sewing!
(A secret- To be honest, when I only had bad machines, & didn't know how to fix them, I hated sewing! Once I learned how to fix them, & they became so cheap that everyone was giving or throwing them away, or were cheap enough I could afford them, I finally got the opportunity to learn more about them, how they work, what causes the most problems (tension), that there are special feet & accessories & good instruction manuals, I started to LOVE sewing, & I've stayed that way ever since!) :D
