STITCH LINES...... Ramblings on life as a quilter, stitcher, traveler, photographer, gardener and lover of books, cats and fine chocolate....

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Dear Bernina Owners....

I love my Bernina! I really do. It is a superior machine (in my humble opinion) and I would have no other. Their slogan is true - "Nothing sews like a Bernina. Nothing."
But this past weekend, I had a small problem. This is the second time it has happened, so I just want to make all my Bernina-owning friends aware, so hopefully you won't have to deal with the same issue... While teaching a class, and talking about keeping your machine clean and lint-free, I removed my bobbin case to show how to brush out the bobbin case and carefully clean under the tension clip. When I lifted the clip ever so slightly with my fingernail, the teeny tiny screw on the clip fell out. I'm not sure if it had worked it's way loose, or if I forced it when I lifted the clip slightly. Regardless, it was out. I did find it, luckily it fell on the cutting mat right in front of me. But when I tried to get it back into place (God bless the student who had a teeny tiny screwdriver with her!!) there was no way. Oh yes, I could get it back into place, but it was not going to screw in - I don't know if the screw was stripped or what, but it just kept turning and turning...
You can see how tiny the screw is. Here it is beside a straight pin and a safety pin.
The "shaft" on the screw is hardly 1/16" long...
Luckily when this happened a few years ago, I ordered two extra screws (but of course I didn't have them with me.. Note to self - always carry one of those extras with me from now on, plus the tiny little screwdriver.) So as soon as I got home on Saturday night, I had it replaced in no time and all is well again.

So, my Bernina peeps - just a suggestion for you. Check that little screw on your tension clip occasionally, make sure it's not loose, and next time you visit your dealer, perhaps order one or two to have on hand.. just in case... I think I might even look into a second bobbin case... As we learned in Girl Guides... "Always Be Prepared"...






Piece!
Linda

"To be prepared is half the victory." ~ Miguel de Cervantes

10 comments:

Jennifer said...

Oh my.....thank you for that advice, I shall be very careful with my (Bernina, of course) bobbin case!

Karen said...

We are cut from the same cloth, Linda. I have a second bobbin case on hand...cos you never know. I haven't had occasion to use it yet but I would hate to have something happen at the start of an out-of-town workshop. I will now follow your advise and get a spare screw too. Be prepared it is!

Vee said...

Alas, no Bernina here. Better not try one either or I am going to be spoiled. Do you know how heavily burdened you would be if you packed everything you might ever need? I suppose that a little screw won't take up too much room. =D

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

One of the good things about blogging - information shared as you have here. Have you written Bernina and advised them this is the second time for that little screw to strip - maybe they'll do something for you?

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

This is a good tip. But I used my Bernina for 15 years and when it started acting up, I took it for a routine cleaning. Well...now it won't work at all. So I bought a cheap Brother and it works like a dream. I spent HALF of what I had already spent on the cleaning of the Bernina. So that's what I'm using now. SHISH! Too much information? heehee! Hugs!

glassbylindi.blogspot.com said...

I bought a spare of the regular and the embroidery bobbin holders when I bought my machine. If I want to 'play' with tension I am not messing with the 'good tension' bobbin holder. L

Bev said...

Great advice Linda. I dropped the tension screw on my featherweight. Found it too and quickly put it back in its place. I have a second bobbin case.

Lin said...

Thank you Linda - I love my Bernina too. I shall check the screw next time I use the machine. I have two bobbin cases - one for embroidery techniques - so always have a spare, just in case. xx

MissesStitches said...

Thanks for the tip! I'm a Bernina-lover too and I'm going to go check that little screw right now!

Kathy said...

I shared your tip with Vivian, a Bernina owner. She asked that I thank you Linda!

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