Replies

1. 
   blondie2sew | Apr 09, 2007 02:46am | #1

   Welcome Fashionnut!!We are excited you decided to join us!! You will find it like a second home here!! You will have great fun with all the ideas, inspirations and all the wealth of knowledge to be had by everyone around here!! So you started out with great questions and make sure you keep those up and also you input is very much appreciated...we have great minds here and everyone is at a different point in the art of sewing!!As of a Serger...well I can tell you the one I have and of course I love love love it..but there has been a great wealth of serger threads around here...so just go to the "Search" part and type in the word serger and I bet you can pull up present as well as past threads and all the conversations about purchasing and such!!Ok I love my Pfaff..4872Congrats on your Bernina Artista...I have a Pfaff for my sewing machine so I can't help you with all those ins and outs but I know alot of others can!! So be patient someone will be around soon to let you in on the secrets to that machine!!Enjoy and happy sewing

1. 
   fashionnut | Apr 09, 2007 07:23pm | #2

   Hi thanks for writing I heard a lot about Pfaff in fact one or two of the sewing shows on PBS the sponsor is Pfaff like I said I am going back to sewing so I am discovering new and rediscovering old I would also like to get into quilting. Cyn

2. 
   spicegirl | Apr 12, 2007 06:49pm | #3

   Check out the reviews at PatternReview.com.  From that website and suggestions you will receive from this forum, make a list of things you would like in a serger.  Then go to the dealers and test drive their models.

   I would like to replace my old 20+ yr old serger with one that "self-threads" and blind hems (I think that is the term).    The newer models do much more than my old machine.

    

   PS:  Bernina has a website where you can sign-up for a newsletter.

   Edited 4/12/2007 11:51 am ET by spicegirl

1. 
   fashionnut | Apr 13, 2007 05:56am | #4

   I know I learned sewing on my mom's Singer Golden Touch and sew this machine was a workhorse never a problem until it got old Singer's were fantastic machines also I found a neat fabric site called Fashion club.com. great material great prices also Denver fabrics.com great prices and fashion club takes money orders as well just call them for the total then you are set. Thanks for the tip I was told Huskavarna makes great machines including sergers, maybe someone else could give another idea I picked the Bernina because I was told they were very user friendly which is exactly what I need. Talk again soon. I have to post a paper I am in grad school online. Cyn

3. 
   DONNAKAYE | Aug 11, 2007 04:05pm | #5

   I purchased my Bernina Artista in 2002 (it's a 180).  Love it, love it, love it.  My sister-in-law just recently purchased a second-hand 185, and now we're doing lots of new stuff on it, stuff I didn't even know about....

   My latest little project (fun to do for a break from constructing a garment from start to finish) involves my husband's "retired" western shirts.  Cut the sleeves about 3/4 length, gather them 2 to 3 inches above that (for a gathered cuff, similar to a peasant blouse).  Insert darts to shape the shirt to suit my figure.  Embroider pocket tops, collars, edges of cuffs.  They're adorable!  I get more compliments on these shirts than some of the stuff I create and make.  The possibilities are endless.  The curved hemlines and sometimes bias yokes, in addition to striping details, make these "tunics" very slenderizing for me.  The latest is a (work blue) chambray shirt (with buttons instead of snaps; that's why I got it).  I used stitch 711 with a wing needle and embroidered alongside the buttonholes vertically, completely around the pockets, flaps and pockets included, along the hemline of the sleeve, completely around the collar, and along the yokes.  Did it in white thread.  Then replaced the buttons with some little cuties.  Also inserted darts for better fit.  I get so many compliments on this, and it keeps my embroidery skills sharp without having to plan some big project.....d.

4. 
   DONNAKAYE | Aug 11, 2007 04:15pm | #6

   Oh, I forgot to mention a really cool feature in my BA that I used to gather the sleeves.

   Remove the stitch plate, open the bobbin door.  Insert a piece of 1/8" elastic through the bottom of the stitch plate up and through the hole in front of the feed dog openings.  Put the stitch plate back on.  Leave the bobbin door open to allow the feeding of the elastic.  Pull the elastic back a little bit behind the presser foot so you can get hold of it when you begin stitching.  Just start stitching!  It automatically gathers the elastic into the top fabric.  It's a no-brainer.  You can use straight or zig-zag....I gather almost everything like this!

1. 
   solosmocker | Aug 16, 2007 07:43pm | #7

   What a neat trick! Thanks Donna. You are right - sometimes you need to just play with your machine between more serious sewing projects. I find it rejuvenates me and I am good to focus intently again. solo

2. 
   fashionnut | Sep 08, 2007 05:11am | #8

   Hi there I am so sorry that I haven't responded back right away but it has been all go here I am going back to school and it's nutty with work and things around the house to do especially this time of year, getting the house in order for the fall/winter season. You folks now how hectic it can get. Anyway it is a great machine in fact I asked around before I purchased it and it was told that this machine is very user friendly, leave it to the Swiss...:-), I purchased mine from Ebay the sewer that owned it was a famous dollmaker who sold her dolls on HSN when they use to sell dolls, and a lot of interesting things were already downloaded that I still have not had the time to get to, this lovely person did not erase these programs. I do need a case though for this machine I would like to purchase one of their sergers one day. I like to look through the new fall season Vogue and Harpers Bazaar they give me ideas to sew what patterns to look for I wish Vogue patterns would add more designers like Ralph Lauren, Ralph Rucci, Michael Kors, Valentino, D&G, Dior and others I Definitely cannot afford them but can afford to sew these designs, I would also someday like to quilt.