I missed the start of this thread, so apologies if this has already been mentioned or doesn't really apply to what you asked!
However, if you want an old Bernina, I highly suggest an 830 Record Electronic, which in spite of the name is pretty much mechanical, apart from the fact that you do need to plug it in (apparently the Electronic part has something to do with how the foot pedal works; the machine is supposed to have full power at all speeds). About a year ago, I inherited one from my grandma-in-law, along with several dozen attachments, and it is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. It has 20 mechanical stitches--not all of them merely decorative--along with zig-zag and straight. It has 5 needle positions (far left, kinda left, center, kinda right, far right), and adjustable stitch width and length, top and bottom tension control, an automatic bobbin winder, and a knee control presser foot lifter. It has a basting stitch option, does darning, has an automatic buttonhole system, and comes with attachments to help you do eyelets, although not automatically. It's also strong enough to go through several layers of leather, which is good, because I'm currently using mine to make the husband a Jim Morrison style leather jacket. I know that my Gma-in-law used it a lot while she had it, and apart from a piece being broken off before I got it, it was still in excellent condition after all that use. I took it for repair and a tuneup, and the guy I took it to went on and on about how strong a machine it is, and how major an event it must have taken to break that piece--like a car crash, or something. (Wish I knew what actually happened!) Anyway, although he had to do a bit of work to track down the replacement part, he was able to do so, and the repair and the thorough tune-up that I had requested together only came to around $90--I think the part wound up being around $20. It was so popular that Bernina revived the name in 2009 for their top-of-the-line model, but the kind I'm talking about was made in the 1970s and can be gotten for a few hundred on eBay, whereas the new kind is many thousands, and nowhere near as tough as my old one. Mine is a '79, and according to the Bernina site they started making them in '71; the next model (the 930) came out in '82, and is also good, but doesn't have the reputation of the 830 Record. The only truly bad thing I've ever heard about it is that some don't like the foot pedal, or that the pedal goes bad after a few decades, but can be replaced with a universal one. When I first used mine, I hated the pedal, but after a couple of hours I got used to it and now feel no need to replace it. The only other thing that annoys me at all, although I'm slowly getting used to it, is that in order to go in reverse you push a lever up, rather than down, unlike all my previous machines. It slows me down, but then I don't go in reverse that often, so I can live with it. Oh, but it is kind of hard to figure out without the manual. It's not too hard to find a copy for sale or even for free download online, though. When I first got mine, I couldn't find the manual, so I looked around and managed to download it in PDF form somewhere (can't remember where, sadly) ...although of course, shortly thereafter I found the original manual. I'm keeping my 830 as long as I possibly can! -E House _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
