You might remember a few months ago I mentioned I'd be working with Bernina on a few things throughout the year, and I just finished up my first Bernina project which will be posted soon. You can find it over on the We All Sew blog where I'll be posting projects, tips, and a few other things from time to time. My first project is a set of little pincushions using your favorite little blocks. Head on over and check out We All Sew and I'll be sure to give you a heads up with the tutorial is up.
I learned to sew on a Bernina, and when I bought my first machine, it was a Bernina 210. I used that for a few years, then upgraded to the 430 because I was doing a lot of machine quilting and applique. It's safe to say, I love everything Bernina and am thrilled to be a part of their team!
While we are working together, Bernina let me borrow one of their new 7 series sewing machines. I've had a lot of questions about it here and on Instagram since I've been sewing with it, and a lot of requests for a review and comparison to my 430. I feel like I've been sewing on it long enough to give you my thoughts on it, so for those of you who are interested, here goes...
I've been sewing with the 710 since December and there are some things that I absolutely love about it, and to be honest, a few things that I wish I could change. Let's go through the good stuff first, with the biggest reason I love this thing:
It is SO GREAT FOR MACHINE QUILTING. Seriously, so great. This is my first experience using the Bernina Stitch Regulator (which makes all of your stitches the same length when free motion quilting) and it was love at first stitch. This machine has a huge throat, and has 10" of space to the right of the needle. I recently quilted an 80" x 80" quilt on it, and had zero trouble with it. That throat/free arm space makes all the difference! I can't image going back to free motion quilting on my 430 after the 710.
The lighting on this machine is amazing. Really, it's hard to explain how bright and well lit everything is. The photo below was taken in the middle of the day, so that should tell you something. Also, this baby is FAST. Really, really fast, like 1,000 stitches per minute fast. I can't believe how fast it can move!
A few other favorites? The bobbin size. It has a 9 hook bobbin which holds 80% more thread than my 430, which is awesome.
The thread cutter is another feature I didn't know I was missing out on. A touch of a button cuts the top and bottom threads. Since I'm on autopilot a lot of times when I sew, I usually go straight for the traditional thread cutter on the side of the machine, but I'm getting better at remembering the fancy one.
Now to be fair, there are also a few things I'm not crazy about. There is a button to lift the presser foot, instead of the lever on the back I am used to. I'm guessing this is to accomodate the dual feed system (which feeds fabric from the top and bottom evenly), and you can also lower the foot by tapping the foot pedal once. But still, I miss that darn lever! Again, that's the autopilot in me talking.
It has also taken some time to adjust to piecing on it. I've found that with the stitch plate included with the machine, my fabrics were being "eaten" if I didn't use a leader cloth. I'm not a leader cloth kind of girl, so this had been an adjustment for me. They are coming out with a stitch plate that should help with this, so I'll definitely be getting one of those. It also needs to be oiled a lot more frequently, and you can tell when it needs it!
Because of those few things, I am still more comfortable piecing on my 430, but I've been told the 430/440 are just simply amazing piecing machines. Maybe after a little more practice on the 710 it will get easier! I guess it's harder than it sounds to retrain your brain after 10,000 hours on the same machine. :-)
A few of you have asked about the difference between the 710 and the 750 QE, which is the quilting edition, and those are all listed here (on page 8), so I won't go over all of them, but the biggest difference is the stitch regulator is included with the 750 QE, and it has more quilting feet and a few stitch plates, I believe, but it is a very similar machine.
Now a few notes on the 430 for those who asked (which is very close to the 440 QE, but doesn't have a stitch regulator). I love this machine. I mean, I love it. It has put up with me and a whole lot of sewing for what, 5 years now? And it is still going strong. It has a great stitch, it never gives me any trouble, and is an all around amazing work horse. However, like I mentioned, quilting on it isn't easy, since it has a much smaller free arm (throat? I'm not sure which term is the right one!) and you have to get creative with fitting a big quilt under there. Other than that, and a few of the fancy features the 710 has that I would really miss, it is a perfect machine. I believe the 5 series has replaced the 4 series, but is a very similar machine, if you are looking for the new version of what I have. It might also be helpful to compare the 5 series and 7 series when you look.
Wow, that was a long post! Sorry about that, but maybe it will help you figure out what machine would work for you. If you visit your nearest Bernina store, they can certainly help you with any questions and concerns you have, and will probably let you test out a machine or two while you are at it! My local Bernina dealer, Quiltique has taken such great care of me for years, and I just can't say enough good about them.
If you have any questions about either machine, I'll try to answer them below.
And a big thank you Bernina! You sure know how to make great stuff. Keep it up. :-)
