Bernina Virtuosa 150 Sewing Machine

When I was a little girl, I was a major tomboy. I climbed trees, played in the dirt and cut the hair off of all my dolls. In spite of my boyish ways, I really admired my grandma's neighbor. Her name was Linda. And she was the epitome of a good mom, and I would know since I didn't have one of my own and I studied up on everyone else's.

One of the things that I really loved about Linda was her craftiness. She was so good at making things. She embroidered plaid letters on sweatshirts that looked just as good as the ones the local high school sold. She made doorstops, dolls, and blankets just to name a few. I can't even remember all the things she made, I just remember thinking I wish I could do that.

When I got married, I decided to try my hand at it. My husband bought me a cheap sewing machine to start out. We didn't want to put much money into a machine that would collect dust in the corner.

It didn't take long for my skills to grow and the cheap machine was unable to grow with me. I was so frustrated that I could have made a sailor blush. That was it, I wanted a real sewing machine.

There was a Bernina shop down the road from me and I stopped in to check one out. A helpful person showed me how the machine sewed and what you could do with one and I was in complete disbelief. This sewing machine could do just about anything but wash the dishes. Okay, I was coming from a machine that went forward and backward (sometimes) so just about anything would have impressed me. When she explained that I could change some of the stitches in the computer of the sewing machine any time I wanted to (with the proper software of course) I had to have it. A versatile machine that could be different all the time, adapted to whatever I am working on...wow!

It is quiet. It is smooth. It doesn't threaten to shake off the table. I can make button holes, I can have it spell out letters (I sign my quilts this way), I can make fancy frilly embroidery stitches that make a great and easy crazy quilt.

Those are not even my favorite features. I make little dolls, stuffed toys, miniature teddy bears. And it's really tough to make those kind of things on a machine. Especially for me, my material had a way of getting away from me. The Bernina 150 makes these things a snap. I can slow down the speed of the sewing machine. I can set the machine to stop with the needle down into the fabric so that I can turn the material around and easily go around curves and corners. The presser foot lifter bar makes that even easier. I stop the needle in the fabric, bump the bar with my leg, turn the fabric without my hands ever leaving the fabric and just keep on going. Fantastic!

Another feature I can't live without is my 1/4 inch presser foot. This attachment allows me to have that perfect 1/4 inch seam every time. Binding is a snap with the edging foot. The walking foot is a must for quilting. There are several other feet that allow you to do anything from ruffles to applique.

In the future I will be able to purchase the software that will allow me to change my programmed stitches. Currently I have stitches like a blanket stitch, hand look stitch (great for quilts), and other quilting stitches. I could add in anything from little embroidered airplanes to fancy leaves for future projects.

Along with being versatile and customizable, the machine is easy to use. I barely knew how to stitch forward. I had outgrown my other machine but not by a lot. This machine is easy to use, so I am able to expand my abilities and because of its versatility I won't outgrow what I can do anytime in the near future, maybe ever! Because of it's dependability, it's worth the expensive price tag because it's a machine that will last. In a time where everything you buy is disposable, this is a great thing.

I could probably go on about how wonderful the machine is, but I think you get the picture. Go out and test drive one for yourself.