Originally Posted by
Zyngawf
I had to go get a new walking foot for it because my grandmother sewed, but only did hand quilting. At the store they had to go in back and dig for the part and if I want a FMQ foot they have to special order it. My next question is this. Do sewing machines get so old that you finally can't find parts for them?
You don't say what model your Bernina is, nor whether the store you went to is a Bernina dealer, but I certainly wouldn't call a 1980's Bernina a dinosaur, especially within hearing distance of the machine.
No Bernina dealer worth their salt will have any trouble at all getting parts, especially feet, for a machine of that vintage. Bernina has 'old' style feet and 'new' style feet. I believe 'new' is post 1996? Anyway, the old ones have black numbers and a round back and the new ones have red numbers and a square back with a notch in it.
As a side note, you'd be wise to get the machine cleaned and serviced before you use it too heavily.
Regarding the other walking foot, if you give us more details, we might be able to narrow down what the problem with it is. What part of it is breaking? Are you loosening the foot pressure before sewing as recommended for most walking feet? If the problem is operator error, it could be transferred to your new, expensive, walking foot and you definitely don't want that to happen.
I have walking feet (brand) for both a Viking (1989) and a Bernina (2001). Both work as well as they did right out of the box.