So sorry to hear of your loss. I too had this happen several years ago. There is nothing worse than having to start all over again. My prayers are with you!

It does look bad but, don't give up on the Bernina. Take it to your nearest dealer before taking it to the dump!
Keep us posted.

Perhaps your Bernina dealer can help you out. They may have a used one in stock especially if they are a dealer that does alot of business. Hope you are feeling better.

Sorry about your loss. Hope all the family is ok. I've never experience a fire, but have been told of the emotional as well as physical loss. Keep us posted on how things are going. If we can do anything for you please feel free to ask.

I'm so glad that your family made it out that's the most important thing. Things can be repurchased. I am sorry for your loss, I pray everything works out for you and your family.

It does make me want to cry to look at it. I can only imagine how you feel. I am so sorry for your loss.

No one knows how heartbreaking a home fire is until they've experienced one. God Bless you.

I am so sorry, and please say you had insurance, so you can replace your sewing things and everything else. I am so glad everyone is all right. you will be in my prayers. Penny

So sorry that insurance won't cover the sewing machine. Your loss has made me wonder just how much our insurance would cover.

I'm so sorry for your loss but happy you and your family are okay! Things can be reacquired; family cannot be replaced. I've never experienced a fire but have suffered other types of losses. It can be devastating! Hang in there, it will get better.

Is your machine a Bernina 200? So very sorry for your loss.

:cry: :cry: Wow I am stunned by your loss, what about your stash? -gasp- not covered by insurance, I'll cry for you too, poor baby. thank God you and your SO (significant other) are safe.
:cry: Karen

After reading this message and replies, I called my agent. After he heard how much I had invested in machines, fabric, etc. he said we need to up your contents amount or you can select replacement coverage. After researching we choose the higher content amount. After all said and done, if ruin struck my sewing room, I'd be able to buy a quilt shop!

When I had my house fire and the adjuster came over they told me not to try and restore anything from the room where the fire was or in the kitchen below as it was toxic. The fire was so intense, they couldn't tell a computer from a typewriter. The fire alarm melted before it had a chance to sound off!

All food in the kitchen was thrown out whether the doors were opened or not, and anything out in the open. Including microwave, coffee pots, can opener, toaster, utensils, salt and pepper, etc. Even my utensil drawer which was partly opened, was dumped. It was too dangerous!

I am sorry you didn't have the insurance for your items. It is hard to stretch the money now a days. Disabled or not.

My prayers are with you. I know how devastating this is.

I feel for you, she was a friend indeed. RIP Ms Bernina!!

Thankfully, you and your loved ones are okay and within time your sewing room will be back to normal once again. May I offer the following quote to you as an encouragement...

Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics, when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew; especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, 1859

I am so sorry to hear of the devastating fire and your great losses. It is wonderful that everyone is alright and for that I am thankful.

I know from personal experience how traumatic a house fire is and the emotional trauma that goes with it. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Losing your Bernina is a huge blow, I know, but another door will open and you will move forward from this.

Hugs from the heart...

Home fires are so awful. Thank God you and your DH are okay. I'm so sorry about your kitties and your machine.

So sorry for your loss. A fire is a terrible thing to have to go thru. I do hope you can get a new machine.

I'm truly sorry for your loss but happy that you and your family got out safely. I've never suffered a loss by fire but what I've experienced from a flood is similar.

To anyone that hasn't experienced a loss, here are a couple of things I've learned from mine. Always keep receipts for expensive machines, appliances, furniture, ect. And don't forget your quilts. If you don't have receipts for things that are older, take a pic of the front of your sewing machine, for example, that shows the name and model and jot down the seriel #s. It's best if you can take pics or video everything. Open your closets and cupboards so you'll have a visal of them to jar your memory when it comes time to list them as a loss.

If you have a digital camera, download the pics to your computer and and copy them to a memory stick or leave them on the memory card and store in a cool, dry place away from your home. Also, make sure you keep them away from anything magnetic or you could loose some or all of it. I highly recommend getting a safe deposit box at your bank to keep your important papers in.

I can only imagine what you have been through. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Hugs, Sheree

Thanks to everyone for your support, it has been overwhelming and much appreciated! This board has been so supportive! My machine was a 180E, which is a step below the 200. What's ironic is the fact that I had been wanting to get a new machine and was planning on getting a dumpster for major spring cleaning. I decided I had way too much stuff in my house and I was tired of cleaning it. I was going to become a minimalist. This is not how I planned to do it though!! There were easier ways of doing this! LOL. We are moved into a new apartment and the only thing left is to bring home Lacey Jane (dog) and Rudy(the only of 3 kitties that survived). I will not have internetphone access until Thursday. No sewing, no internet...I am going to go a bit crazy!!Maybe my Connecting Threads order will come tomorrow and then I can fondle fabric for awhile. There is a sewing machine/LQS right new door to the apartment complex..maybe I'll hang out there for awhile!

Good attitude. If you hang out at the LS long enough they might put you to work - on one of the machines!!

So very sorry for your losses---the machine and the kitties.
Am so glad that you and your son made it out with minor problems. I cannot even imagine what you are going through.
Prayers to you----hang in there---you will find a way.

I have seen it on another post somewhere, even if your machine did not sustain any damage on the outside, the second hand smoke will have caused underlying damage in the computer side of your sewing machine within a year. Also same goes for your computer. Anyone else seen this?

Sounds logical.

Oh, I just feel so sad for you. How scary to have that happen. So sad too to see the photo of your machine. I don't know about you but my machines become like family. Right now my Pfaff is in the repair shop and it's like someone in the hospital. That probably sounds nuts but that is how I feel.

God love you, I am so sorry to hear about this and the loss of your fur babies. The loss of life is what hurts the most, you can always replace the world belongings. It might take a while to get back on your feet but you will recover.

As far as your Bernina is concerned if its just smoke damage then yes you can fix it but just how much heat was in the room. Plastic will have a tendency to get soft and melt under the right temps. Also you have the circuit board in the machine that might have heat damage, but the processor gives off quite some heat so it might not even bothered it.

Lets say the housing is not distorted and you can manually move the handwheel and the machine works. Check to make sure all of the little parts like the bobbin cover and switches and so forth move and fit like they are supposed to. If everything does then I can say you are good to go with cleaning and start using it again.

Now from what I saw in the photo the chances of the plastic housing will more than likely be stained for life but it will not effect the use of the machine. I would try some 409 or maybe Greased Lightning (that stuff is the bomb :thumbup: ) and start cleaning it up. The LCD screen can be cleaned with a baby wipe. Is it a touch screen?

Once you get all of the soot off of it then oil every where where metal touches metal and use a grease for the gears. The shop next door to you should have what you need, if not use a white lithium grease you can find at an auto parts store in the small tube.

To grease the gears you might have to take some covers off of the machine top and bottom but you can do it!!! No need in having to take it anywhere.

I will email a friend of mine in Australia that repairs machines and see if he has a service manual or a blow up picture of your machine so you can use it for reference for the restoration.

You know if you really wanted to have a little fun with this after you get it running again you could always go to the craftstore and buy a boat load of those stick on jewels and Bling the crap out of it!!! :mrgreen:

Ice it out and list it on ebay and who knows Paris Hilton might buy it for 10 time the list price and then go buy a long arm!!!

Billy

Billy, you are too funny but the sad thing is she probably would. Thanks for the laugh.

I love that, "bling the crap out of it". That would make the poor machine feel a whole lot better.

I am so sorry for your loss. We too had a house fire and I lost all of my quilting supplies. The entire upper floor of the house was destroyed and I too lost my favorite machine.

I think the worst part is, now 7 years later, I still will begin to look for something only to remember it's lost forever. If you can, buy yourself a spanking new machine and enjoy it to it's fullest.

I, also, can not even begin to understand what you are going through. I will be praying for you and your son. Linda

The thought of what has happened to you makes me sad. I've never had a house fire, but we were flooded in 1972 and again in 1973. Both times, our mobile home was considered a total loss. We were able to salvage a few things, though. My sewing machine was a gonner, but I was able to salvage all the fabric I had stashed in the cedar chest. I think that the chest must have floated. After being flooded twice, we moved out of that area and no longer live in a mobile home.

I am crying for you. I will now insure all my sewing machines. Have you tried completely cleaning the machine, then oil it? Or better yet take it to a reliable repair man. :-P

Oh how my heart goes out to you. Last year we had wild fires raging straight toward us. It was so scary! Thank God the wind changed directions and the fire went south of us by about a mile. It made me so sad to see your machine.

The good news though is that it can be replaced, and you and your family cannot. So sorry about your lack of insurance. I had thought of dropping ours, but then we came so close with the wildfire that I realized that insurance is something we can't afford not to have.

God bless you and yours.

I am so sorry for your loss. XXXOOO

yes, well, glad to know you are getting along.

Adriansmom: I PM'D you to send a donation. I am so sorry about your little kitties, machine, and home. So sorry! I am so thankful to hear you and your family are O.K. Looks like (alot) of ladies are really concerned here and maybe they will give up a few pennies of their hard earned and needed monies to help you a little. Right ladies and gents. Every little bit adds up. That's what I am praying for. :thumbup: You will be blessed threefold!