My first Bernina – in a red carry case
Description
I started sewing in the 7th grade when I took a Home-Economics course. I took to sewing immediately, because I realized that by making my own clothes I could afford twice as many outfits. For my 16th birthday my parents gave me my own machine (not a Bernina), which I continued to use through college and my first few years in the working world. Once I was making money, I decided it was time to look for a bettetr machine. Someone who does as much sewing as I was doing deserves the very best – at least that’s what I told myself.
While taking a tailoring course at night, my instructor told the class about Bernina sewing machines. Immediately I felt my pulse begin to race. I just had to have a Bernina, and within a month I had purchased one. This was back in 1975, and I don’t even know the model, but it was the one that came in that nice hard RED carrying case.
I was impressed with the fact that Bernina held classes, and I quickly learned how to make the most of my new prized possession. The manual that came with the machine had a blank area on each page where I could pin a sample of a technique I had learned.
Having this wonderful machine increased my enthusiasm for sewing. I made lined drapes for the living room, curtains for the rest of the house, and slipcovers for the den furniture. And I continued to make my clothes. My friends at work were envious, because everything I wore was one-of-a-kind, thanks to my wonderful sewing machine.
Now here we are, many years later, and I still have that first Bernina. Although I have purchased newer Bernina models over the years (I love the embroidery software), I cannot part with that old machine. I am very attached to it, emotionally, and it still works like a charm.
Here is a photo of a little thread-painting project I made with that first Bernina. Remember, this is before the days of embroidery modules. And it is also before anyone told me about using stabilizer. But it didn’t turn out badly, and I have kept it, for the same emotional reason I kept that first Bernina.
I am a Bernina user for life!
