Hi, blisterful! You didn't say what model Bernina you have. I have an Artista 730 and I just love it! My machine has a needle threader and in order to use it (and I've gotten really spoiled) the presser foot must be down. But if I decide to manually thread the needle, it doesn't matter whether if the presser foot is up or down! Do you have a built-in needle threader on your Bernina? Do check you manual and call him on it if he was wrong! Don't know if this helps you or not, but I hope you are able to solve your problem. Patty