Santa Baby: Slip a Bernina 750 QE Under the Tree...

Bernina 750 QE Sewing Machine

Dear Santa Baby,

You can skip the yacht, the sable coat, the Tiffany tree ornaments, the duplex AND the checks this year.  I'll pass on the deed to that platinum mine, too -- let someone else deal with the labor strikes in South Africa this year.  I'd trade them all away for the new 750 QE sewing and embroidery machine from Bernina.

Bernina 830E Sewing Machine

Yes, I flirted briefly with Bernina's top-of-the-line machine over the summer, the 830E or the 830LE (the Limited Edition version of this machine even had pretty swirling red graphics on the outside of the case -- pretty, but probably ultimately very distracting).  The 8 Series was released about 4 years ago, and my Bernina dealer made several valiant attempts to sell me on this machine.  However, the staggering $12,999 MSRP on the 830 machine is WAY out of my comfort zone.  Moreover, it's really not the perfect machine for me.  Why not?  Well, having sewn on a top-of-the-line Bernina for several years (my Artista 200E/730E), I know that my current machine has lots of bells and whistles that are not important to me.  Outside of the initial machine mastery classes, I have never ever, not once, altered and combined decorative stitches and saved them in my machine's memory.  I never, ever combine or edit embroidery designs on my sewing machine, even though it has that ability, because I prefer to do that on my PC with my design software.  And, although I had fun using many of my decorative stitch patterns on my crazy quilted Christmas tree skirt project, I don't use decorative machine stitches often enough to need 557 different decorative stitch patterns to choose from.  These are the kinds of features that make the 830 so expensive, but I'd rather buy a machine for half the price that has only the features that will make a difference in the kind of sewing I enjoy.



Carrying an Anvil: Training to Lift a Bernina 830 machine

I have read mixed reviews of the 830 online -- owners either love this machine or they hate it.  It may be that those who are having trouble are the ones venting on the Internet, and those who are happy with their machines are too busy sewing to post on message boards, but the 8 Series bobbin system is definitely tricky to thread and needs to be threaded differently for embroidery versus regular sewing.  But the real deal breaker (as if we even had a deal -- and we don't, not at that price point!) is that the 830 machine weighs a whopping 37 pounds.  I need to use both arms to lift it, and it's bulky and unwieldy.  No way would I ever want to pack that beast up to bring it to a class, and I don't even feel like I could get it up and down the steep flight of stairs to my sewing room safely, since I couldn't hold the railing if I've got both arms around the sewing machine.  How would I get it to and from the dealer just for routine maintenance?  In an alternate universe where money grows on trees and I had a private butler to schlep my sewing machine around for me, it might be nice to have an 830 in my sewing room for those times when I'd like to embroider a 10" wide design, but I don't think I would be happy with it as my one and only sewing machine.



So, back to the new 7 Series.  At 30 pounds, these machines are still heavier than what I'm used to, but I can lift them easily with one arm.  The 720 machine is the least expensive model in this range, but it's out because it does not do embroidery.  The 780 machine is the top model in the range, but it has added bells and whistles and unnecessary (to me) additional stitch patterns and built-in designs that push the price point close to that of the 8 Series machines.  But the 750QE machine is like Baby Bear's porridge -- it's just right. 

Bernina 750 QE with Embroidery Module Attached

Key features of the 750 QE:

• The harp is much larger than my current machine, which means there are three more inches to the right of the needle, more room for cramming a large bed quilt to the right of the needle so you can quilt the center.  The larger harp is also what enables the 750 QE to embroider a wider design in one hooping, since the entire width of the embroidery hoop is to the right of the needle when the machine is stitching the left edge of the emrboidery design.  This would enable me to use my sneaky Quilting-in-the-Hoop technique for larger quilt blocks than my current machine will accommodate, though not quite as large as what the 8 Series machines could handle.
• The bobbin on the 7 Series machines holds 80% more thread than a standard bobbin.  For garment sewing, this is not a big deal, but when you are free-motion quilting or embroidering large, complex designs, you go through bobbin thread quickly and repeatedly stopping to refill the bobbin slows you down.
• Just like the 8 Series, the 750 QE has a built-in dual feed for those times when slippery fabrics are misbehaving, but you don't want to get out the bulky walking foot.

Integrated Dual Feed

• The new 9 Hook system on the 7 Series makes these machines run quieter and smoother, with less vibration even at top speeds, like a luxury automobile, and the stitch quality is fabulous even when scrutinized under a bright light with your nose touching the fabric -- the only way to properly evaluate stitch quality, in my opinion. 
• The 750 QE comes with the BSR Bernina Stitch Regulator for free-motion quilting that I've enjoyed on my current upgraded 200E/730E machine. 
• I love the streamlined designed, simplified user interface, brushed silver and less obtrusive touch screen on the 750 (you can even customize the screen color in the machine's settings).  Also, the 7 Series machines show you exactly where your decorative stitches will form in relation to the presser foot you're using, right on the display screen, making it easy to precisely position decorative stitches on your project, and even the 8 Series machines don't have this feature:

750 QE Touch Screen Shows Where Stitch Forms in Relation to your Presser Foot

 

• The 750QE has a maximum sewing speed of 1000 stitches per minute both for regular sewing and for embroidery, versus my current machine's max of 680 stitches per minute for embroidery and 900 stitches per minute for regular sewing.  Now, I don't need to sew at 1000 stitches per minute if I'm inserting a sleeve cap or hemming a pair of slacks, but those higher speeds are very handy for free-motion quilting and MUCH faster stitch-out of large, complex embroidery designs, which can have thousands of stitches in just one design.

 

So, what would I be giving up when I went from a previous top-of-the-line to today's mid-range machine?  As far as I can tell, the only things I'd lose would be some decorative stitches (the 750QE has 250 decorative stitches to choose from, whereas my current machine has 396 decorative stitches), the sideways-motion stitches (another really cool feature on my current machine that I never, ever use), and the ability to edit embroidery designs at the point of stitch-out, right on the screen on the sewing machine. 

 

Honestly, I don't expect Santa to be shopping at the Bernina dealership this Christmas, but I do have a Big, Unpleasant Birthday looming this Spring.  A shiny new sewing machine to learn and play with would really help to take my mind off the blazing inferno of candles on that cake...  ;-)

 

UPDATED February 16th, 2013:

Well, Santa didn't bring me the Bernina 750 QE for Christmas, but my husband and sons took the hint (subtly broadcast over the Internet!) and they snagged the last machine my Bernina dealer had in stock before Christmas.  Now that I've been sewing on the 750 QE for a couple of months, I really love it and have no regrets; this machine is perfect for me and the operation has been smooth and trouble-free for all kinds of sewing.  If you're also a new owner of a 7 Series Bernina, or if you're considering purchasing one and want more information, please feel free to join the discussion on the Yahoo! 7 Series users group by clicking here.  We'd love to have you!