In this post I want to talk a little about the walking foot and then I wanted to update everyone on my feelings and experience with my Bernina 330.
Walking Foot
Lately, I have been using my walking foot for pretty much every project. So I thought I would talk about it a little bit. Before going into the details I do want to mention that it’s not a standard foot that comes with the machine and it’s probably one of the most expensive feet for your machine but it’s definitely worth the money and I haven’t even quilted anything yet!
For those of you that don’t know what a walking foot is, it is a foot that allows both the top and bottom of the fabric to feed together. The actual foot part has two pieces that go up and down with the needle which allows the fabric to easily move. It’s really helpful if you are sewing multiple layers because then the fabric doesn’t shift like it does with a standard foot.
My walking foot came with three plates, one of which is pictured above. It is an edge plate which I tend to use all of the time when I am stitching along the edge. I just move my needle over and keep the edge of the fabric even with the center piece.
Bernina 330
Now on to the Bernina 330…I still LOVE my machine! You can see my original post about it here. There really aren’t enough good things I can say about it. First of all, look at it…it’s sexy, sleek, modern…I am definitely not embarrassed to show it off.
It has plenty of stitch options…I have only probably used a handful of them anyway.
The screen shows me which stitch number I am using, where my needle is positioned, whether my needle is going to stop up or down, whether I turned on the feature that ends the stitch at the end of a pattern (not shown right now because the feature was off at the time of the picture), the width of the stitch, and which foot is the recommended foot for the stitch that I chose.
The LED light is bright and allows me to easily see what I am doing. The reverse stitch button is in a convenient place which allows me to still be able to control my project while locking in a stitch. The needle threader is really helpful, but I will be honest that it does take a few tries sometimes and takes some getting used to.
It has excellent stitch quality and rarely skips a stitch. It pulls the fabric through very straight so I don’t feel like I am fighting with the machine to get a straight stitch. It has had no problem sewing through thick layers.
Really, the only issue I have had is that the bobbin case has fallen out a few times. But before you get scared away, I am about 99% sure it was my fault. After oiling the bobbin case, you have to shut the holder, well, it doesn’t really make a clicking sound and I don’t think that I was getting it closed all of the way.
I now know that I have to be extra careful and haven’t had it fall out in months. Actually, I pulled out the latch a tad so that it has more room for the latch to actually attach. So either my experience with it has helped or this slight adjustment did the trick.
To sum it up, I would still recommend this machine to anyone that needs a sewing machine. If you don’t need anything extra this is the machine for you. I wouldn’t get sucked into all of the extra stitches and embroidery and this and that. I feel that if one machine does too much it’s going to do an ok job at everything, whereas if you have a machine that is more geared toward just one thing it’s going to do a great job at that one thing.
If you have any specific questions just let me know and I would be more than happy to help you out!
I have no affiliation and am not receiving any sort of compensation by Bernina or any one else for this post. All opinions are written solely by me to help out others interested in getting a new sewing machine.
15 Responses
I would like to know if you would recommend this machine for quilting!
Thanks for your update on this machine. Its nice to see someone using my machine too (well I have the 350PE but virtually the same!). I love it too – haven’t used it as much as I would like. I just wanted to make a comment about your bobbin – I did do a FMQ course on this machine just after I purchased and the teacher used to do work for Bernina. She stressed to me that you need to hold the little latch thing on the bobbin when you insert it and then close the ‘latch’ thingo. I have tried to pushings the bobbin in and it ‘clicks’ but it drops out when I turn the wheel. If I hold this latch thing – it never fails to stay in then! Hope this helps. Keep up the tips on your machine – will keep a watch out on your blog. Many thanks, Susie
Hi-
I was also wondering if you would reccommend this machine for quilting. I need a machine that will do everything i.e. sew through a couple of layers of jean no prob and I also love to quilt. I would love a machine that is easy to machine quilt with because that is my favorite way to finish a quilt. What do you think? Someone close to me has a 330 for sale for with the extension table for $650. It was purchased new in June 2011. What do you think. Thanks for any advice.
Jennifer
I have never done free motion quilting on this machine but I think it would be fine. I know you can purchase the foot for it so it must work. I straight line quilted a table runner and it had zero issues but I also used my walking foot. The space between the needle and the machine is smaller so I have heard people wanting bigger machines for more space.
Honestly, I still love my machine and it has been able to sew through anything that I have tried. I have zero complaints about what it can do. With that said, I mainly sew bags and smaller projects as well as a few skirts for my daughter. I have sewn jean, knit, quilting cotton, laminate, and then the one table runner (which had two layers and then the cotton batting).
Can you take a mock quilt or even a hot pad and try it out on the machine to see if it will work for what you want to do?
I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Hello,
I’ve just bought a Bernina 330 machine and am over the moon with it. Having said this I was not to pleased zigzagging silk with foot no. 1. The thread kept getting caught in the bobin case. Could this be due to the foot not having a proper grip on the foot?
Can you please tell me whether it helps to use a walking foot when you’re sewing silk?
Thanks for the trouble,
Nina
The advice you gave me via the two links you added to you’re e-mail worked like a treat. I’ve sewn silk with a layer of paper underneath and I’ve had no probleem zigzagging the edges of the material. Totally happy again with the Bernina 330, should have bought one much earlier!!
Thanks for your review. I am debating this machine or a cheaper Janome QDC machine but my quilter friends tell me to go with Bernina. It is a big investment if I don’t end up doing much quilting…. hmmmm, decisions
Your post was really helpful… just waiting for my new 330 to be delivered. Treated myself and also have the walking foot on it’s way too. Can’t wait to get stitching. Thanks for helping me make my mind up!
Hi, I have the same machine and LOVE it but I’ve had a problem with the zipper foot. When I used it for the first time, I forgot to change the needle position to the far left and I broke the needle. That’s OK, but now I can’t get the zipper sole off the presser foot shaft. I’m pressing the red button but nothing happen, it’s stuck!
Any advice on what I should do beside taking my bernina for service (closest to home is 2 hours drive)?
Thank you!
Need help making a decision between the Bernina 215 and 330. Do you have an opinion about the 215? Also what should I expect to pay for a 330? The website says $1400 but I have seen blog posts where people have gotten them for as little as $700 new from a dealer. What is a reasonable amount to expect? Thank you!