I am so excited for you :mrgreen: Can't wait for you to get it home so you can play with it :thumbup:

Congrats on the new machine. I have a Artista 730E. I agree you shouldn't buy a lot of thread before hand. Mine doesn't like the rayon but does wonderfully with the poly thread. I bought some from abc all embroidery. I also got stabilizer on ebay from worldweidnerco Works for me.

Congratulations on your Bernina. A great price! When I bought my emb. machine the dealer said to use Isacord embroidery thread. It is a polyester thread, and holds up well for items that get washed like quilts. My 180E only likes 100%cotton in the bobbin thread when I'm embroidering. My dealer also suggested having 2 bobbins, one for sewing, one for embroidering, they usually will be adjusted differently. And don't forget, you will need embroidery needles.
You don't know what color emb. thread to buy until you buy your designs. The designs will have a list of colors you will need for each design. You can build on your collection as you go. Its a good idea to buy a storage system for your thread. I have a June Taylor rack hanging on the wall next to my machine for easy access. Of course theres stabilizer, 505 adhesive spray. Have fun. :thumbup:

Yes, fell in love. I do trust the owner of this shop and he said it was extremely clean and sold last year for 3800, so I felt it was worth the money. As far as the update I have no idea, didn't know to ask. It is coming with software. The shop is giving me free lessons until I feel comfortable with the machine.

If anyone knows how to go about updating this machine, or if it is even possible, please let me know. My MIL loves thread and told me not to buy any as she can spare a few of her 800 spools!!! (Sounds like she has her own kind of stash!)

Will check out yahoo group. Thanks!

I may have to find a way to pay this off more quickly than planned... I am so excited!

Congrats on your new baby. I can't wait til you bring her home. Send us pics then.

Congratulations! I am so excited & happy for you. I know you will just love this machine.

I just got a Bernina 180E and haven't explored too much on it, but I already love it. I paid a little more for mine and it's a lesser model, so I'd say you got a great price!

Congrats on the new machine!

Congrats! I have the 730E and love it. Actually, if you don't intend to create your own designs from scratch, you shouldn't need any additional software, it comes with the machine. I have downloaded literally hundreds of free designs, and have purchased a lot at a great price from designsbysick.com

Enjoy your new baby! I never thought I would use an embroidery machine and just can't get enough of mine.

This is way beyond my scope, but have fun with it!