My Favorite Foot

I haven't posted anything "quilty" here lately. That may be because I haven't done anything quilty. I have cut out three Turning Twenty quilts for some friends that are graduating High School, and I did clean out my sewing room. I guess I have been doing something quilty, but nothing exciting to blog about.

I have two Bernina's: a 1030 (mechanical, 18 years old) and a 1530 (computer, 10 years old). I have more machines, but this foot is for Bernina's. I love my Bernina's. They may not be top of the line now, but I love them still. For me the construction of the machine (nothing plastic), the stitch quality, and the warranty were everything I needed in a sewing machine.

Soon after I bought my 1530 the Artita's came out, and Bernina changed the way they made feet. Now I know there is probably a more technical term for this, but all I know is that the new feet they are making for the new machines don't fit the older machines. That didn't bother me until I discovered this new foot.

Bernina has a patchwork foot, #37. For years I have sewn quilts with this foot. It's been great, but I have also had to use moleskin as a barrier beside my foot to keep me sewing straight. Here's a tip: some people think this is "cheating". Anything that you can do to make your quilting experience more enjoyable, successful, and close to perfect as it can possibly be, then that is what you need to do!

I have seen other machine brands whose patchwork feet have a guide on the side to keep the quilter sewing straight in order to keep that perfect seam allowance. I often wondered why Bernina didn't have one. I asked my Bernina dealer and she said they were coming out with one, but she didn't know when.

Bernina finally produced the #57 patchwork foot. It had all of the great qualites of the #37, but it had a guide on the side just like I had seen on some of the other brands of sewing machines. I went to my Bernina store all ready to buy this foot, and she said they were only making them for the new machines. What??? I was so disappointed.

The more I thought about it the more it irritated me. I had been a loyal Bernina customer for 16 years, the least they could do is make a #57 for us quilters that have been with them for so many years. So, I e-mailed the company. In a very nice way I told them that this foot should be made for the older machines. Afterall, we have been loyal customers for many years buying their machines and products. I told them that this foot would make our quilting so much more successful. I think the #57 foot should be made for everyone! They wrote me back and said they were planning to make the #57 for the older machines, but they had so many new machines to make them for at that time it would be a while. I was okay with that, and I thanked them for explaining it to me.

About a year after that I was reading Judy's blog and she was showing us this fantastic patchwork foot that Bernina had. She, like me, has the older machines. She said they finally made the foot for the older machines. I immediately called my Bernina dealer and she had the foot. I was sooooooooooo excited.

I love this foot. I can sew absolutely perfect points, and straight seams! I think any tool or gadget that will make our quilting life more successful is worth buying. My woodworking husband totally understands.