Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
On my old Bernina 1015, I just tap with my foot on the pedal to shift the needle up or down. This works on other machines, and is faster than an automatic setting.
Lockstitch- I hold the fabric firmly to prevent the feeddogs moving it, and it overstitches in one place.
I nearly got it right - page 14 of the manual has the full details:
https://www.bernina.com/en-GB/SupportData/Out-of-Print/BERNINA_707_717_manual
[ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
As the owner of a 42 year old Bernina 801, and a one year old Bernina B540, I know which one I prefer, and it's the old one! I have had one of the 3 series Bernina's, and although it was pretty good, the quality is nothing like the same as the oldies. The 3 series are the only Bernina's that have the same type of bobbins, bobbin cases and feet styles as your old one (although the feet will not be compatible) The 4, 5 and 7 series have the giant bobbin and can be tricky little devils. Although the new ones have the needle up, needle down facility - I tend not to use it, preferring to position the needle by hand.
As others have said, it may be worth going and having a try. When I go out to teach, or to any other classes, I always take the old Bernina with me, and everyone loves its delightful sound!
It's been a while since I used my 707 but I seem to remember something about being able to lock the stitch length lever by screwing it so that it could decrease to zero but not go past the locked position.
If you really want a Bernina this is probably a good buy, they are an excellent firm to deal with.
https://www.franknutt.co.uk/sewing-machines/bernina-350pe-used
Threading a machine e is one of those things that is quick to learn and varies very little. I can move from my 51 year old bernina to my 3 year old Janome without giving a second thought to the difference in the top thread, even though the bobbin system is different. (my pfaff is little more fiddly but that's just how the machine is laid out. The thread still has to go through supports, tension discs and the lever and needle)
If you had both the B35 and your 707 and used them equally, there is a good chance that your bernina would outlast the modern Bernette. You would also be likely to find that, unless it's in poor condition, the 707 can sew through things that the bernette struggles with. Even £200 is a lot of money to spend on something that is a risky swap and might be disappointing. If you didn't have a machine, I would probably say go for it.
I have never used Bernina machines. However, my old 1970's Singer had a similar feature that was in effect a quick back stitch. All you did to make it happen was press the reverse button, which in my model was in the centre of the stitch length dial. No faffing required. Is there a similar feature on your machine that you could use instead?
I've never been attracted by needle-up or needle-down settings. Sometimes I want the needle up because I'm taking the fabric out or moving it and sometimes I want it down because I'm pivoting. I prefer to do it manually, therefore.
Free motion stitching is possible on any machine. The old Singer mentioned above has a second needle plate that covers the feed dogs and my late '90's Brother has a slider that drops them but all it takes is a bit of card taped over them and a free motion foot and you're away (tip supplied by the wonderful Robert Theobold regarding budget machines for a primary school).
The needle up (or needle down) option requires a stepper motor which is electronically controlled, therefore only available on electronic machines, not mechanical ones. The 'lock' stitch too is a feature of electronic machines, automatically dropping the stitch length to zero for a set number of stitches.
The free stitch for darning really just means disconnecting (dropping) the feed dogs so that you rather than the machine controls how the fabric moves under the needle, so should be possible on any machine.
I think there will be a lot of other compromises that you would be less than happy with on a modern machine in that price range after you've been so accustomed to your older machine.
I've had it from new, my first machine, bought in 1984 and lightly used.
The problems I've mentioned are all new, since the engineer tried to fix it after the circuit board
blew. No issues with it before that. The needle would always stop at the proper place in the up position.