tfeni52355

Hello, I am the husband of a quilter and we recently upgraded my wife's machine to the Bernina 770 QE Tula Pink Anniversary Edition. My wife had been sewing and quilting on a Pfaff for 34 years. That little Pfaff is still a great machine.

The main reason my wife wanted to upgrade was to be able to free motion quilt. The BSR function on the Bernina sold us. We picked it up at Christmas time and her experience since then has been somewhat disappointing. The machine has been back to the shop twice. Once for timing adjustments after a needle break. The second one for bobbin empty fault codes, jams and tension issues. The dealer has been gracious and easy to work with but the machine is out of commission for several days each time it goes in.

Her experience with the BSR has been frustrating. It seems she has to muscle the quilt (60" x 60" open) through the machine to get the BSR working. Then the machine starts beeping that she is moving the material too fast.

The quilt is being fed from a smooth plastic top table. The table is not level with the machine. The quilt has to come up to the Bernina from the table. So I think one of the problems is the "tugging" of the quilt to get it to feed is an issue. Will having the table level with the machine help alleviate the problem ?

Also we have seen that a silicone mat and special gloves are sometimes used for operating the BSR mode. Is this necessary?

My wife does beautiful work and it breaks my heart that this machine experience has been such a challenge. Any help and guidance is appreciated.

Tartan

When FMQing, the whole quilt should be up on the table with the part you are working on puddled around the machine so there is no drag when you quilt. Machinger gloves really do help to move the quilt sandwich. The first thing my dealer did when I got my B440 with BSR, was turn off the alarm. It is just annoying and when it goes off and it upsets your FMQ rhythm .
Some higher end Berninas seem to have problems, if it continues to be a problem machine, look into what the shop can do to for you before the warranty runs out. I do not have my machine set into a table but that is an advantage. Some love the silicone mat on their machine bed, some find it shifts and they sew over it. I wonder with the hologram finish of the Tula Pink if the silicone mat may discolour it? I hope things work out for your wife and her machine.

Iceblossom

I'm using an 820 (which is also having problems and needs a shop trip) and even with the bed extension and even with small projects I really wish I had the drop down/flush table for quilting and I have started looking on Craig's List and affordable to me options with the goal of finding one this year. I did several smaller quilts over the past year using a variety of the features including the BSR, the integrated walking foot, and just stitching down the ditch in regular mode. I've have pretty good success with most I've done, but I need to work on my going backwards in a small circle in free mode, I still have problems most of the time with that. I don't think it's the machine, just operator error that can be resolved by practice. That lovely work space could handle a queen sized project pretty easily, but I'm not currently willing to wrestle with anything much larger than a twin.

My friend who gave me the 820 uses a 770 and now and just loves it. Some people seem to click with a brand, and I hear a lot don't click with Bernina.

I'm sure the 770 also has the integrated walking foot feature. Has your wife tried that for quilting and did it go any better? Maybe try quilting something like an orange peel pattern grid with easy curves to get the feel for that and then go to the BSR.

edit: Wanted to reinforce Tartan's comment about making sure the machine works to your satisfaction before the warranty runs out. My machine was bought by a lady who just never liked it, but waited just a bit too long to return it and was offered less than half the original price. My friend bought it for half price, so more than the dealer and she used it for a couple of years and ultimately decided she didn't like it so bought the 770 and the 820 came to me with the warning that it was "picky about thread - it seems to like aurifil though". And both of them are Bernina fans.

pocoellie

To answer your question about the table, yes, having the machine level with the table will be a tremendous help, but it sounds like your wife's machine might be a lemon. As much as Bernina machines cost, I wouldn't be happy having it in the shop constantly. I would tell them, fix the problems or give me another machine.

Iolo

My Tula Pink 570 is waiting to be collected for its 3rd trip back to the shop, it’s less than a year old, what’s the chances of them replacing it with another ? Zilch it’s been the same problem each time, it jams and locks completely. The man in the work shop says it’s apparently a known issue with a part coming away from the mechanism behind the bobbin.

sad to say I’m falling out of love with Bernina I spent way more than I can afford

Ladywingnut

I have a Tula Pink 770 and I love it! It's the best machine that I have ever owned! Bernina's are a completely different animal, with that being said I would suggest that your wife take as many lessons from the dealer as possible. When doing free motion quilting, you must have the machine sunk into the table. Silicon sheets that are tapped on to the bed makes the project slide easier. I use rubber tips on my fingers, like the kind used to flip thru paper quickly. I do not use my BSR because I free motion quilt the old fashion way.
Your wife really needs to look on YouTube for videos on free motion quilting, or even the Bernina site itself. The one absolute with sewing of any type, the only way that you're going to improve your skill is practice practice practice.
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SusieQOH

I agree with everything the above poster said. I have a 770QE and it's a fantastic machine. Good luck!

quilting cat

Your best resource should be the shop where you purchased the machine!!! Have you talked to them?
Many dealers offer a few free classes to new purchasers.

Kamily2

I have owned my Bernina 1 1/2 yrs now and the same has just happened to me. However my dealer has had my machine 5 wks now and each time I have contact with my dealer tech I am given an excuse and put off to another pick up day...3 different days this week alone!! I even received a text after 8 pm letting me know not to come the next day for pick up. I was told it certainly would be ready 2 days ago. Tech stated they had the replacement "kit" that needed to be replaced; that this was not my fault, my machine was clean, and again I did nothing to cause this. She stated this several times. Then was told the thread cutter was severely bent and the problem was not my fault. My thread cutter worked I had zero trouble with it before I took them my machine. How could it be severely bent and work? I do not know what to do!