Hi Imi, my package of buttons has just arrived, they are gorgeous and so pretty.  I think the swirly ones would make lovely earrings, only they will be used on something extra special.

I am really grateful that you offered TSP members the chance  to buy some buttons, these are not just any buttons, they are a bit special.

Thanks again.

Hello Mamashep, so glad that you have joined us - I have missed reading all that you get up to sewing and family wise.


I wish you well, hope you soon get everything sorted out legal wise.  Also hope that your sewing mojo returns soon. 

Have fun with that new machine - sounds a wee bit frightening but I am sure will produce some stunning work.

My Buttonhole Leveller arrived this morning, it is 9.5cm long and 2.8cm wide at the top.  There are two legs 1cm apart and on these legs  is a very fine textured plastic obviously  used  for gripping the fabric and also the underside of the long slide part of the foot as this is textured on both sides.  I have just got my slide foot out and it sits quite nicely on the Leveller, and the actual foot part that slides moves easily.

It will certainly be interesting to try this out and see how it works.

Of course I do also have an ordinary short Bernina Buttonhole foot and gather that there is a way for sewing buttonholes using that, but as I had spent a lot of money on this fancy Bernina and the fact that it should  remember the buttonhole just stitched and repeat this any number of times really appealed to me, so I haven’t tried just using the ordinary foot.

However I do have another older Bernina – the 830 Record (so non computerised) and again have the opportunity of using an ordinary buttonhole foot or one with a slide, so I will see what happens if I use the Leveller with that machine.  I do love sewing corded buttonholes, they are so neat and I usually use Perle embroidery thread, and find that if I close the zig zag stitch up I can use white cord and it does not show through.  I have even used overlocking thread over cord as this thread matched the garment far better than the ordinary sewing thread.

Pixie I do hope that you manage to find something to help you.  I know that sometimes it is possible to ‘borrow’ something from another machine’s accessories and they work extremely well, however with the more expensive and complicated computer machines I would be extremely careful  as I gather it is very easy to knock the timing out and that then means the machine going away to be sorted – an expensive exercise as well as being very inconvenient.

A long time ago I do remember reading something about sewing lines of decorative stitches quite close to one another and doing the first row is fine, but from then on part of the  foot is possibly travelling over the embroidered line and thus this throws the line out slightly as one side is higher than the other, so trying to match up patterns exactly is difficult and quite a skill.  So you either have to have the lines of embroidery spaced adequately apart so that the foot is not being affected on the next run.  Of course the experts at the Sewing Machine Schools make stitching this way look so easy and it is not necessarily the case for us.

I clearly remember when I bought my Elna SU way back in 1975 that the lady demonstrating made everything look so easy and I asked if I could have the demonstration pieces – apparently at the time she was not supposed to give these away, and of course the fabric used was quite stiff, so she was gaily embroidering letters, some were scrolling letters all done free hand – and of course get the machine home and we do not have this stiff type of fabric, but I still have my samples, this was long before stabilising fabrics were available, and the answer then was to use copy paper and tear it away afterwards.

Since typing the above your last note came in and it is a great shame that Pfaff do not do anything like this.

Here is one last idea for you, can you get to a Machine Dealer or a Stitching Show  that deals with all different brands and ask them about a Buttonhole Leveller - you never know they might have something in stock and be prepared to show you how it works on different machines - the problem you have encountered is not unusual, so you never know someone might have the answer for you.  Good luck.

A new day and let’s hope my brain is a little clearer this morning.

The   little gadget I was referring to yesterday made by Bernina is called Height Compensating Plates and these are three little white plastic plates which can be used to level up the actual foot especially when sewing over a bulky seam
I went looking for these plates last evening and could not find them, and this puzzled me as I do keep all my feet/attachments together.  Okay it was late last night and I was tired, and do you think I could see them, spent the night puzzling away where could they be, well of course this morning  I have gone straight to them, I have said they are white and they were in the drawer in the Bernina ‘Wardrobe’ i.e. accessory box and that too is white.  Need I say more!!

The length of the  plates  are 6.5mm by 1.5mm by about 2mm thick.  However these three plates are fastened together with a metal rivet, and I cannot see a way of separating them.  They open out fan like.  The manual explains how these  plates are used.

The feed dog can work normally when the foot is level.

If the foot is at an angle, e.g. when sewing over thick to thin or vice versa, the feed dog cannot grip and feed the fabric.
To solve this problem place one, two or three compensating plates as required behind the needle under the presser foot.
To correct the height in front of the foot, place one or more plates to the right of the foot next to the needle.  Sew until the foot is level again and remove the plates.

The buttonhole foot on my Bernina is a long sliding one and I am quoting below the paragraph relating to using these plates with a sliding foot.

Height Compensating Plates for Buttonholes (optional accessory)  Apparently called a Buttonhole Leveller. (this is something different from the three white plastic plates mentioned above)

When sewing a buttonhole using Automatic buttonhole foot 3A on an uneven area (such as over a seam allowance) use the height compensating plates for buttonholes.

Place the plates from the back between fabric and slide foot bottom up to the thick part of the fabric and push to front.
This accessory will create a smooth surface for the foot and help make a perfect buttonhole.

The buttonholes I have done using this particular machine – the Artista 200 have all been vertical buttonholes and I did not have a seam to contend with as I cut the facing and bodice front all in one so everything was flat and smooth with no bumps whatsoever.  Last night when I referred to getting buttonholes stopping where they shouldn’t be stopping there was no seam or ridges involved, so I put my troubles down to the sensor in the machine being covered in debris.

I do hope that this information might help you.

I do not know if the Pfaff has a sensor, but it is worth checking and investigating.  We all know just how much lint and debris finds its way around the bobbin area and flies up around the needle so it is possible that this is what it is doing and if you have a sensor it is not clear.


Go on to the internet and type in Bernina Height Compensating Plates and go to  ‘images’ and within the first few lines of images there are two types, mine is the one that is fanned out.  The one shown in my manual is different – don’t know why, so that is why I have rung Cardiff, I  now know that the plates referred to as a Buttonhole Leveller has to be matched up to specific Bernina Machine.  But do go and look at what they are on the internet, as you never know Pfaff may make something similar or perhaps you can find something to put under your buttonhole foot that will do the same thing.

My apologies I started writing this early this morning, went off to physio, came home to continue with this and also spoke to Bernina Cardiff as I too was puzzled by the two different types of gadgets, i.e. the Height Compensating Plates for when you are sewing over bulky seams and then the plates they call a Buttonhole Leveller – I am still waiting for them to send me an e-mail through.  I am afraid I went off to have a short nap that has turned into a few hours.
   .

So glad that the machine has sorted itself out  it has had its little sulk and is now ready for yet another beautiful masterpiece.  Enjoy your day.  Look forward to seeing your efforts from the workshop.

Sure-fit Designs in the USA launched a UK Rep and website last year, the Rep is Jude Johnson and can be found on Sure-fit Designs UK, P.O. Box 748, Oxfordshire  OX 16 6PA.  If you go looking at her site  Sure-fit Designs UK there is  a phone number and you can e-mail her as well.

Jude stocks all the Sure-fit Designs books, DVDs, all the accessories and of course the rolls of Tracing Vellum that has been specially sourced here in the UK.

If Swisslass is coming to the UK for Easter, maybe an idea to get in touch with Jude and have this sent to an address here in the UK ready waiting for you.  It comes in a cardboard tube, and the roll is 640mm x 20m at £13.95 per roll.

I believe a lot of research went into finding this particular tracing vellum so that it is equivalent to the product they use in the USA.

Just a thought about the magnetic pin cushions - whilst they are nice and handy at keeping the pins in place, these magnetic pin cushions can do an awful lot of damage if they are used near a computerised sewing machine - in fact any magnet will do damage.

Have fun at the weekend Iminei - do hope you find something nice.  By the way I gather Lady Sew and Sew attend all the big shows, if you are ever up Henley way you should make a point of visiting their warehouse it is huge, and there is a place for having a cup of tea or coffee along with some comfy seats.