I have been saving for quite some time, trading in a Bernina 185QEE and with thinning the herd (aka selling my multiple machines on ebay) I was able to buy the new machine without having to take out a loan or use a credit card (whooo hooo!). My herd now consists of a Viking 910 Serger, Bernina 350 PE (3/4 size machine) and the Bernina 750QE.
Word of warning, when picking up your new machine, be sure to bring a car with lots of room. The 750QE came in two boxes that filled up the back of my Dodge Journey (a mid-size SUV) with the third seat down. The largest box, which held the machine itself was at least 4' x 4' x 4'. The embroidery unit came in a second box that meaured 4' x 4' x 16". The size and packing are by no means a negative. A true positive. They are well-packed, with all accessories, manuals and cds easily identifiable.
So glad my hubby saw me packing and shipping several machines ahead of time, or I'm sure there would have been a dicussion on what the heck I thought I was doing.
I'm off to play with the machine. Have a craft show on Nov 4th, for which I need to sew sew sew.
Stop back for my review of the Bernina 750QE.
I would love to hear how you like your new machine and what you think of the new hook system.
ReplyDeleteHmm... You appear to have gone AWOL from the blogosphere immediately after picking up your new Bernina 750QE sewbaby! Is this a coincidence, or are you A: Too busy sewing up a storm and loving your new machine to blog, or B: Having so many problems with your new machine that you've lost the will to live, sew, or blog?
ReplyDeleteI really hope the correct answer is A. :-) Seriously, you've had the 750QE for a little over a month now, and I'd love to hear what you think about it. I've been going back and forth, around and around, and I think I have FINALLY made my mind up that I want to upgrade from my Bernina Artista 200E/730E to the new 750QE. I was torn between buying a used Bernina 830E on eBay versus buying a new 750QE from the dealer -- the price on the used 830E is comparable to my dealer's discounted price on the new 750QE, believe it or not. I loved that the 830E can use the entire 10 1/4" wide field of the Jumbo embroidery hoop, because I like to use digitized quilting designs with my embroidery module to finish off baby quilts/gifts/charity stuff quickly and it would be so nice to size a quilting motif to stitch out that size on a 12" quilt block. BUT... I have heard that the bobbin, tension, and extra bells and whistles on the 830 can be very temperamental, and I would not have dealer support if I bought it from eBay. More importantly, though, when I test drove both models at the dealer yesterday, I just LOVED sewing on the 750QE! So smooth, so silent; it PURRS as it sews, like a luxury automobile! I also love that you can see where decorative stitches line up in relation to your presser foot, which would be a huge advantage when I'm doing bobbinwork to embellish the seams on a crazy quilt and I want the decorative stitch either centered over the seam line or else off to one side or the other.
Like you, I'll be ransacking my sewing room for eBay sacrifices in order to afford the new machine and reduce the likelihood that my husband has me committed. ;-) Seriously, I don't know anyone who actually has this machine yet, and I'd love to hear how you feel about it now that the honeymoon is over and you're really comfortable with the machine. Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, Sorry for the delay. Between family, work and life I have been away from the computer. The 750 QE has been a dream. I have done a little bit of everything: alterations, mending, embroidery, applique, garment construction and making of dog collars. I have put the 750 through it's paces.
ReplyDeleteAbove all the new bobbin system is amazing. Not only the amount of thread a bobbin can hold, but the ease of inserting, smoothness and I have had no, not a single tension issue. Even when switching between threads, projects and embroidery.
I have been using a Bernina thumb drive to move designs from my laptop to machine. Easy peasy - no issues either. Can't wait to get my computer in the same room as my machine.
I used the Bernina Ruffler attachment for some garment projects. I splurged on the attachment when I bought the 750QE. Wow! I was crazy to be doing those double rows of basting, pulling threads and then over and over trying to get things even. The 750 had no trouble with the ruffler attachment.
My husband commented on the lighting for the machine. Very white natural light. A nice step up from days gone by. I do however use an additional ott lite as time has done it's work on my sight.
The needle threader has worked flawlessling since I unboxed the machine. I have only had one machine (a Brother PE Embroidery only machine) that I could ever say this.
At first, not having a presser foot lever (old school) I was quite frustrated. But after just a couple small projects, I have gotten used to it and find that the foot peddle and buttons do the trick. Just had to retrain myself :).
I have one complaint, and that is a faint high pitched hum. I notice it most when I've stepped away to iron seams. But when I start stitching or change a selection on the screen, it goes away. It by no means affects the sewing machine, but just a quirk that I can't explain or know why it happens.
Like all Bernina Embroidery modules, it stitches out designs like a dream. Because I had a 200E and other brands of embroidery machines, I didn't have to learn the basics. I was able to hoop up shirts, towels, dog collars, you name it and stitch away.
I recently used the machine to do some work on dog collars. We are training a Search & Rescue Dog and wanted to add 3M Reflective tape to his collor. The 3M tape is much like a vinyl, but then add military webbing and velcro and you have quite the pile to stitch through. I was careful to choose an appropriate needle, lengthened my stitches and dove right in. The 750QE had no trouble 'punching' through the reflective tape, velcro and webbing. My husband was pleasantly surprised and is already re-working the harness and will have me fabricating a new one soon.