Four years ago, I purchased top of the line Bernina 730 thinking that I would splurge for this once in a lifetime extravagance. I spent more on that purchase than my husband did on his car! Don't tell him.

These few years later, I'm finding that I can't use designs out there because they are too big for the 5 x 7 limitations. Very discouraging.

Some sites do offer a smaller sized design that will fit the 5 X 7 hoop. I come across them often, as they are too big for my 4 X 6 hoop.

Have you tried http://www.emblibrary.com Their designs will fit in your hoop, and they are very reasonable too :D:D:D

Try finding them for my 4x4 area :roll: Ann the gran also has designs :thumbup:

I have lots of designs and I realize there are lots more out there. My frustration iis that my machine is so soon outdated

Isn't it frustrating when you have only had it four years? For goodness sake! Do they think we are made out of money?

try emblibrary.com There are some really nice designs there and some are FREE

http://www.designsbysick.com has lots of smaller designs and very reasonably priced.

If what you want is to be able to use designs that you already own, my best advice is to look into this program.

http://www.wilcom.com.au/PRODUCTS/TrueSizer.aspx

It is a free download. I installed it into my computer years ago and it worked great for re-sizing.

There are a few things to remember. I am not an expert digitizer, but have learned some by trial and error. When you re-size, you are not increasing the number of stitches used to draw the design. You are just making your stitches a little longer for the final design to be bigger. therefore, if you take a small design and make it bigger, you will have more area to cover with the same number of stitches and you may have empty spots or a lees filled look.

In your case, you want a bigger design and make it smaller, your final piece may look fuller and for some designs that is great. I suggest making a practice piece before stitching it on anything expensive. You may waste some thread, but at least until you are familiar with the program, is worth it.

This program is also able to convert digitized images from one format into another. Ex....hus to .pes. This is great if you find a design you like but is not available on your format. What I found is that sometimes a color may be missed and there is nothing you can do about that. If you wish to do that, do it only on simple designs, nothing too complicated.

I purchased a design that was 7 x 7 when my machine only take 5 x 7 and was able to reduce it enough to be used with no lost stitches.

Good luck.

You can also buy a bigger hoop for your machine (I have one for my 200) or you can change the design in the software to be done where you can rehoop and line it back up....so you can actually make a huge design if you want to. :D

When I was looking into buying a new machine my friends all wanted me to get a top of the line with embroidery. I didn't want to because I was thinking that it is almost like owning a camera. In two years it becomes outdated. The sales staff will tell you that you can update the software and etc. But I never thought about the space being outdated. If it really bothers you maybe you can e-mail or call Bernina or visit a good dealer about ways to work around your limited space to embroider the desired size you want. I bet this is not the first time this question has come up. I have heard that sometimes when a complaint has been brought up by many customers Bernina would work on a solution for them. You will have to find a dealer you can trust and not one that will tell you your only solution is to buy another more expensive machine. I bought the Bernina 8 Series 820 and not the embroidery 830. I am planning on it being my last home sewing machine. I might buy a Quilter's Edition in the future for going to classes and quilting bees but I will wait until my New Home or my Babylock goes to the grave.