My Very Own Bernina Sewing Machine

Matt and I drove through to Hermanus today, to buy the 1968 Bernina 707 Minimatic. I was so excited that I cut material to practice on and transformed my work table in preparation for the sewing machine.

Above: Scraps of material to practice on (left), and material cut for a little quilt for Matilda (right), Plants and music complete the working environment.

The machine is in fantastic condition. It has a couple of little scratches, but impressively, even though one or two of them expose the metal, these areas show no sign of rust. This is the sturdy, reliable work-horse of a sewing machine that I was craving. Here are some pictures of the machine. Permission to drool granted.

Above: She's not a large machine, but she's pretty heavy 

(probably all the good solid metal that she's made out of.) 

The carry case is marvelously sturdy - I didn't worry a bit about it sharing the backseat with Matilda, our Scottish Terrier.
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Above: The machine came with a number of original items, such as the original storage box, filled with the original feet, bobbins and even the original slip of material that gives an example of each stitch that the machine is capable of. I was very excited to discover that the embroidery foot was included. Sadly, the manual has been lost over the years. (Anyone with a Bernina 707 Minimatic Manual please contact me.)

Above: I've never seen a bobbin like this one before. Isn't it sweet? I'm not sure what the BB engraved on it stands for. Perhaps Bernina Bobbin? 

Above: After practicing a little, I got the hang of it and started working on Matilda's quilt.

Even though the Bernina hasn't been serviced in a while, she runs incredibly smoothly. This is a quiet, hard-working machine. On my first day of using it, I was sewing through several layers of pretty thick material without even a murmur of complaint from the machine. If you're looking for a beginner sewing machine, I recommend an older Bernina. They truly are a pleasure to work with.

Looking for Beginner Sewing Tips?

Try these books for some advice.