For almost 25 years now, I’ve been merrily sewing along on my fabulous Bernina 1230. I love that machine. But…
It’s starting to show its age. The light quit working a couple of years ago. The dog toppled it onto the floor recently which cracked the case a wee bit. It still worked though. But then, the needle started falling out every few stitches and I finally said, “enough.” I packed it away until I could get it into the shop and dusted off my little Brother SE-350. I bought it several years ago to try my hand at machine embroidery, and it’s a cute little machine. Sews fine. No complaints. But, it’s not the same as my trusty old Bernina.
And then…
I visited a dear friend who told me about the new Brother Dream Fabric Frame. We went to her local quilt shop to test drive it. They were running a special. A bundle deal. Ta Da…
That’s how I ended up with a new Big Brother, the Innovis VQ2400.
I have been a Bernina enthusiast for 25 years, and I’m sure the new machines are fabulous, but I couldn’t be happier with this one. I really didn’t realize what I’d been missing. The light is super-bright, it threads itself, and it has an enormous amount of work space. At my age, the first two things alone make it worth the $5,000 price tag.
The first thing I did once I got it unpacked was wind a bobbin. It was so easy and so much fun, I ended up doing five in just a couple of minutes. I had been planning to order some pre-wound bobbins, but I don’t think I need to now.
I couldn’t wait to see how it sewed so I dug out some triangles I’d cut years ago and sewed a few pinwheels.
Big Brother did a great job. I can’t wait to see what else this lovely machine can do. Of course, eventually, I will assemble my new Dream Fabric Frame and lock this machine into the frame. Not just yet, though…
The Scrappy Camper 