Thoughts about Berninas
 

I found the LQS on Saturday as I needed 24" of white. I got sidetracked by the Bernina 16Q free motion sit down machine. 20% off in March! I'm seriously considering it! Any and all thoughts welcome!
Theeeeeen, while researching it online, I discovered that I also need the Bernette for all the cute automated stitches. Any thoughts also welcome. DH just said, "Well, you know that will be your anniversary gift."! I love him. 45 years in April!

You can get more bang for your buck on a Handi Quilter or Innova. I worked at a Bernina dealership for 16 years, and when the Bernina longarms came out, we didn't carry them.

The Bernette machines are made by Brother. You might as well get a Brother and save yourself a lot of money.

I own a Bernina 590, and I absolutely LOVE it! I didn't think I would use all the bells and whistles, but I do. The "hover" is my absolute favorite feature. The thread cutter doesn't really work. It always cuts the top thread, but I cut the bobbin thread right down to the feed dogs and it's just fine. I got the 34D foot to use for 1/4" seams. I bump the needle position over 3 bumps to the right and guide the fabric just inside the right feed dog. It can sew through tough fabrics without a problem. It has a jack hammer feature that gets through the super thick parts. I sewed 10 layers of denim and it didn't skip a stitch.

I'm a Bernina girl. I've had 5 Bernina sewing machines (I have 3 currently) and a Bernina serger. I love Berninas especially for making bags and clothing. Nothing like a Bernina for doing the hard stuff. I have used the sit down machine, but it's probably awesome. Most Berninas are.

I don't know anything about longarms but I do know about Bernina. It's such a great machine! I have 2 and won't sew on anything else (except my FW).
Good luck and keep us posted!

I bought the Q20 last August to compliment my older Bernina 1090QE. I was originally going to buy a sewing machine with a larger throat space than the 5.5” afforded by the 1090. But I like the 1090, it is still going string and has just enough of the “cute stitches” to provide versatility to my sewing and piecing options.

I really like my Q20. I have it on the Horn lift table, which I also love. Adding it to my sewing room required a lot if reorganization, so I took my time before I bought.
While 20% off sounds nice, don’t rush into a purchase. I sat next to an impulse buyer at a Know Your Machine class at the dealer and she was still intimidated after owning it for several months. There are other sales from time to time, with the best prices often found at the bigger quilt shows. Bigger quilt shows will also give you a chance to try several brands before you buy.

As between the Q16 and the Q20, the footprint of the table is the same, only the throat space is different. Because my biggest limiting factor when I bought was the footprint, I upgraded to the bigger throat space. Ruler quilting on my Q20 is a joy!

Feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Agree. The quilt shop that is a big-time Bernina dealer here doesn't sell Bernina longarms. They sell Handi Quilter.

Innova no longer makes a sit-down. Neither does APQS. Handi Quilter just released the Amara ST, a 20" sit-down using the Amara longarm head.

I watch Alex Anderson from The Quilt Show, and she often mentions if you contact her BEFORE you make a Bernina purchase, she can mail you a discount card I think it is $100, that is something you might like to check out further.

I am a Janome loyal but appreciate and respect the Bernina brand. I too looked at the sit down lBernina model. SInce I have a longarm (looking to upgrade), I have a fair amount of Glide thread and wanted to make sure the Bernina would accept that thread. I didn't bring the thread with me but was told my sales person to stick with the brand of thread they recommend and for the life of me, I can' t remember the brand. It was a good brand but can't remember the name. The Bernina also states in their manual to use their "red" bobbins. At that store, they were selling for $5 a piece. The sales person also highly recommended to use only Bernina bobbins. In my stock right now, I have at least 100 bobbins with Glide thread already loaded on them. So I felt maybe Bernina wasn't for me. Bernina is a great brand with years of great machines, service and reputation.

Sorry to hear you were given that advice regarding using pre-wound bobbins in a Q-series machine. The Bernina e-book for the Q-series specifically says on page 23 that pre-wound bobbins can be used: https://www.bernina.com/Bernina/medi...k-05192020.pdf. Of course, you want to make sure that it is on the correct Class M bobbin. Also, as the Q series has a separate motor for its bobbin winder — which allows you to wind the next bobbin while quilting — you may find you don’t need to purchase more pre-wound bobbins (after you have used what you already have).

I have a Bernina 1532 sewing machine as well as a Bernina serger and embroidery machine. The Bernina machines have been good, but when I decided to purchase my sitdown longarm machine, I went with a Juki J-350QVP Miyabi. The Juki Miyabi is made in Japan to industrial specifications with a direct drive system and servo motor. Because it has a sealed system, the only maintenance needed is to clean and oil the bobbin area. It's a very sturdy machine that came with a heavy duty table that expands to 50 inches with the optional side leafs. The machine itself has an 18" throat and 10" height clearance. The stitch regulator is build right into the needle plate along side of the needle (no hockey puck). There are four stitch options - Baste, Manual, Cruise, and Precise. I absolutely love my Juki and would purchase another in a heartbeat.