Bernina Aurora 440 QE: Playing with stitches

So I’ve been playing around with the different stitches on the machine.  Can you tell?

One of the very first things I decided to do was sew a sample of each of the 180 stitches it is capable of.  Boy, that got old fast.  But I got most of the way through until I ran out of room on my sample fabric and decided to give up. They’re all done using Mettler silk finish 100% cotton thread.  Rumor has it polyester thread might make these things look prettier, but I’ll tell you now that this sampler won’t be getting done all over again!

A closeup of the button holes.  One of them got quite wonky (the plain rectangular one, if that’s even a button hole…).  Oops!  I especially like the one that looks like a caterpillar on the right.  Turns out buttonholes are quite easy to make on this machine, and you can program it to make them all uniform.  Very slick.

Here’s a closeup of some of the decorative stitches.  The honeycomb in the top left, and some of the flower ones are my faves, though.

Not sure when and where I’ll be using all of these decorative stitches, but I’m sure you’ll see them pop up in future projects.  (Hmm… how to incorporate these into my latest work-in-progress Frenchy handbag?)

I’m glad now to at least have a reference that shows me what the actual stitches look like, besides what’s on the little card that came with the machine.

Posted by robyn on July 4th, 2008 under bernina 440 qe, crafts, sewing, sewing machines, tutorials



21 Responses to “Bernina Aurora 440 QE: Playing with stitches”

  1. Kat Says:

    Loving the stitches – you have me lusting after a new machine!

  2. robyn Says:

    @Kat:

    Thanks, Kat! It is lovely to sew on. After I realized just how many stitches there were, I began wondering if I’d ever use them all… I figure I’ll find a way though!

  3. Dori Says:

    Wow! Seems like this machine is worth every well-negotiated cent.

    Doris last blog post..1

  4. robyn Says:

    @Dori:

    So far so good! I certainly intend to get my money’s worth!

  5. Irene Alley Says:

    Loved your blog and comments on your new Bernina. I am thinking of getting one. Nearest Bernina store is an hour away, so would not be easy to go back with questions. I have a Viking I have had for over 20 years. Am thinking of buying that Bernina you bought. Have you done any free motion quilting on it?

    Irene

  6. robyn Says:

    @Irene Alley:

    Hi Irene, Thanks for stopping by! I do love the machine and would highly recommend it. I have played with the free motion quilting and BSR, but have not officially used it in a quilt yet (though I do have plans to do so soon). From my experimenting, the BSR really is quite nice! I especially like the feature where you can tell it to go when you move the fabric instead of when you push the foot pedal. Have to watch your fingers, though…

    My Bernina store is also far, but they will answer questions over the phone. Also, the manual is excellent and will walk you through almost everything. Good luck with your decision! I’d love to hear what you decide. -Robyn

  7. Irene Alley Says:

    Meant to ask you if your machine has a stipple stitch. Saw one on a TV sewing show. That machine was not a Bernina, though.

  8. robyn Says:

    @Irene Alley:

    Yes, it does have a very cute stippling stitch. I”m not sure where I’ll find it useful, since it all fits within 5 mm width. Any suggestions? I’ve never had a machine with this stitch and I’m not sure what to do with it exactly. BSR allows me to do free motion with no problem in order to mimic this pattern on a larger scale. Any ideas?

  9. pep Says:

    Thank you, for show us the button holes this machine mades. Thinking of upgrading my 1230.
    pep

  10. robyn Says:

    @ pep:

    Hi Pep, I loooove the machine and I’m really quite impressed with the buttonholes. The buttonhole memory feature is fantastic, and I think the quality of the buttonhole stitching is quite good also (though I’m not a huge user of buttonholes, so I may not be the best authority on that..) The stitches seem even and dense enough and probably could be denser with different thread. Very easy to make, and quick, too!

  11. Dog Named Banjo » Bernina Aurora 440 QE: Free-motion Quilting - Part 1 of 2 Says:

    […] it looks like we’ll need a machine.  Check!  Got that one […]

  12. Luv2Quilt Says:

    Can you help me out with a few things. I have not been able to figure out how to make a space between words. Where is the ‘space’ button? Also, what do you do to make the machine stop when you finish the word. all I have been able to figure out is how to stitch a word but it continues to repeat it over and over. What do you push to make it stop after you stitch a word or even a few flowers if that is all you want. Thanks. All of you directions are the best I have ever seen!

  13. Renee D Says:

    I just purchased a 440 QE and I am trying to make buttonholes. I figured out the buttonhole, I just can’t figure out how to change the size of the buttonhole. Any suggestions?

  14. Susie Davidson Says:

    Can you tell me if the numbers for stitch length, 0 to 5 on my Bernina 440 QE, mean millimeters, for instance is 1.4 14 mm. Thanks.

  15. Susan Bliss Says:

    Robyn: I know this machine makes great buttonholes, but like Renee D, I cannot get it to change length of buttonholes. I have tried clearing the memory, turning off the machine, and returning to straight stitch, but I keep getting the same length, which was a mistake in the first place. Very frustrating. Can you help?
    Thank you.
    Susan

  16. Diane Says:

    It took me a really long time to figure out how to change the size of the buttonhole. It turns out it’s really simple. Just hit the backstitch or “Quick reverse” button when you get to your desired length. The buttonhole will auto complete for you. 🙂

  17. Sabrina Says:

    Hi Robyn!
    Great website (and sewing machine!)

    That plain rectangular buttonhole is for making bound buttonholes, by the way.

    What great stitches your sewing machine has! I think next time I buy a sewing machine it could well be a Bernina. 🙂

    That BSR really makes a difference, doesn’t it?

    Happy sewing,
    Sabrina.

  18. Sue Says:

    I am thinking about a new Bernina, great examples of the stitches but I’m wondering are there any boy stitches? I have an old machine that offers a tow truck, star, truck, and turtle stitch, any such stitches on the newer machines? Any help would be greatly appreciated…

  19. Karla Says:

    I’m sure you have already thought of this, but I love to use my decorative stitches on the handles of purses, bags and totes. Also on edges that could use some top stitching…

  20. Judy Orahood Says:

    I saw you on Pinterst. I have recently begun quilting again. I want to try to make lables using the letter on my Bernina 440, but my brain is not cooperating. Do you have easy directions to be able to make a label?

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I'm Robyn. Thanks for stopping by! This is my craft blog.

Contact me at robyn [at] dognamedbanjo [dot] com.

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