Well, dunster inspired to read my manual (who would've thunk). From the manual: Press this button to engage the BSR. And sure enough, when I pressed the button, the BSR1 showed up.

So I'm going to pretend I knew that all along, and have been using that all along, to save my pride :oops: :oops:

dunster - You are my hero!! Thank you!!

I'm just glad you have it working now. There are lots of neat features on the 440QE, and I assume on the 430, that are not well documented in the user's manual. If your dealer gives free classes, avail yourself of them and ask the teacher to show you all the good stuff.

Hey dunster. I'm taking a break from FMQ. It's amazing how much better the BSR works when it's on. Thank you again! I really appreciate your help since my quilting looks much better on this quilt.

Now, does the BSR foot help with binding?? :wink:

I'm a relatively new quilter (18 mos) and totally new to the forum. I'm hoping someone can help me with my Bernina stitch regulator. I've made 8 quilts and quilted them with my BSR and have been very pleased. My last 2 quilts have been an exercise in frustration. Stitching is fine then suddenly machine will skip a couple of stitches - looks like it doesn't pick up the bobbin.
I've changed needles, needle sizes, tension, thread, pressure and problem persists, even on small practice pieces.
I've taken machine to the dealer where I bought it and they can't find a problem. The only thing they can suggest is that I'm not moving the fabric at an even pace, but the fact that this is a new problem makes me think it's not just "operator error."
Has anyone had a similar problem or anything to suggest I try.
Thanks. Betty1

Be sure that you have the machine set to beep when you move the fabric too fast. Then if it is not beeping, you are not moving it too fast for the BSR. If that is the case, I would take it back to the dealer, show them examples of the problem, and tell them to either fix it or give you a new BSR, if it is still under warranty. I can't imagine my dealer giving up on a problem like that, and yours shouldn't either. Good luck.

Just after I got my 440 the BSR started acting up and skipping stitches. It would skip 4 or 5 in a row and do just like you said, not pick up the bobbin thread. The needle would be going down, I could see the holes in the fabric where it had, but it wasn't catching. My dealer did an update on my BSR, apparently some of them are in need of it. It's a software and hardware update. I also read from another member here that you should leave your foot pressure at 42, instead of lowering it to 0 like the manual says. Apparently when set at 0 the foot is not pressing down hard enough and when the needle comes up it can cause the fabric to "tent" up around the needle. That can contribute to some of the skipping.

Ask your dealer about the update for the BSR. They should know about it and have the ability to do it for you.

Thank you very much. I'll ask my dealer about it.

This has been an interesting thread for us Bernina 440 QE with BSR owners. I happen to love my BSR. A few comments from my "Peanut Gallery", for what they are worth: 1.) Yes, the sensor is that little red light on the fabric. Therefore, it is very important that you dust any lint, etc, off the sensor or it will not work properly (ask me how I know). 2.) Although the default number is something like 2.5, I usually set my stitches at 1.5 - 2.0 .... simply because I don't want my stitches to be so tiny. One word of caution, however: If doing small stippling, you might need to stick with the 2.5 stitch setting in order to get smooth curves. 3.) The less you tense up, the better. I personally find that sipping a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while I'm doing FMQ helps me loosen up! Just make sure the glass is off to the side, away from your quilt and sewing machine (ask me how I know) LOL

I hope this helps some of you who are struggling. Happy Quilting ~ Nita

I would call your dealer and check. I have the 440 and the BSR has 2 modes. I believe it is BSR1 you use the foot pedal, but no matter how far you push it down, the machines speed is determined by the speed at which you move the material. Using the pedal does give you a bit more control on the stop point and if working on a large quilt and it slides off the table, it does keep stitching as it is sliding :oops:


BSR2 mode you unplug the pedal and it goes and stops with the movement of the material. I have never been told or read where you are to adjust the stitch length, so that is a new one to me. The BSR doesn't make you stitches absolutely perfect, but definitely much nicer than a newbie might do free hand, and it gave me the confidence to try FMQ. I tried some of the large longarms at the quilt show with stitch regulators and found that they work much like the BSR, don't guarantee perfect stitches, but a sight better than I might do as a newbie to FMQ with out.

I should mention that I also love the BSR and did all my FMQ with it until I got a longarm recently. My dealer keeps the BSR current with the latest updates.