Originally Posted by
audsgirl
I have one of the 570 QE machines, and I have the same problem. I think it is because of the wide space between the feed dogs. That allows the machine to stitch wider specialty stitches, but it prevents the fabric from being in contact with both feed dogs when you sew a quarter inch seam. I have resigned myself to using my walking foot to give a little more control. I don't need the wider space, since I don't do machine embroidery. For a supposed Quilting Edition, I was disappointed in some of the short-comings it has. It didn't come with a walking foot, but it did come with a buttonhole foot! I hope you find a work-around for your piecing. As they say "The right tool for the right job"
Leslie
Those are my thoughts exactly about the 9mmm feed dogs on some of the Berninas. They are absolutely wonderful for all those wonderful decorative stitches and for garment construction where you have a wider seam. I am seriously thinking about getting a cabinet insert for my little Bernina 215 with the 5mm stitches so I can place her in my sewing cabinet to use while piecing. I have been using the 215 while constructing the blocks and she is just fine. Then I take the blocks and go over to my Bernina 590 with the 9mm feed dogs and construct the rows and borders as this machine is in my big cabinet and is easier to manage. However, Bernina does have a number of machines in the 3 and 4 series with the 5mm feed dogs and I think these are the machines that should be advertised as "Piecing machines" by Bernina. The 9mm machines just don't handle our 1/4 inch seams all that well because the feet do not cover the Right feed dog entirely. I also don't think this issue is isolated to Bernina. Other Brands of machines with the wider feed dogs have the same problem. I do want to do more embroidery and sit down quilting and I think my 590 is going to be great at those things, just bumbles with the piecing because of the wider feed dogs. So, I am just using my little 215 for piecing and it was not that much money. As they say "the right tool for the right job" Tee Hee. See we all know you can't have just one sewing machine!