June 2008

It could be considered rather boring reading… but here goes;

I guess my love for bernina sewing machines began because my mother owned one while I was growing up. Very impressionable I was, lol! I learned how to sew on one at intermediate school (age 10-12) during manual classes. In manual, we learned the following subjects; woodwork, metalwork, home economics (think food!) and sewing. Sewing was my favourite. I learned how to sew my first ever skirt.

When I was 21, my mother bought me my very own bernina sewing machine. At that stage I wasn’t really into sewing and it sat in storage for a good few years. When I finally brought it out, about 6 years later, it was only really used for mending clothing. My children were really small and seemed to make a lot of holes in their clothes! ;) One day, my darling daughter Bree decided it would be great to try out what Mummy does, she was about 4 or 5, and she somehow managed to break the machine with her playing. So back into storage it went, and last year I gave it to my sister Rebekah who paid $100 (give or take a few $$$) to get it serviced. It now goes, I used it when I was down in Christchurch in April. It’s a great little machine.

If I’d known it would only cost $100 to fix the old trusty bernina, I’d have saved myself a whole heap of heartache over the Brother. The Brother was bought out of a necessity for a machine and cost just under $300. It has driven me to craziness on many an occasion. You see it has major problems with tension, and hates to sew anything thicker than 2 pieces of cotton fabric!

Now we come to my favourite piece of equipment in my craft room. The Bernina Record 730. I found it at the local Sallies for $35! Yes, you read that right, $35. It cost me this week, $78 for a service and goes like magic. Amazing! It seems to me to be similar if not the same as the one my mother used all those years ago. :)

It just goes to show old doesn’t necessarily mean redundant!