Will do Libbi. Thanks for the information. Yes, I think that it is time for a trip.

I remembered the word, "passamaneria." It really is for braids, trims, etc for home decoration but the trims & fabrics are fab. There is a Passamaneria Toscana (my name again) in the Piazza San Lorenzo In Florence (Frienze). You can google "passamaneria" to see the type of things they carry. Whether you buy anything or not, it is a source of inspiration. I'm getting that urge again, after all it is only a little over 2 hours over the Alps to Italy!! Be sure to raise that glass of Chianti Classico Toscano in my honor.

OOO Generally I am not a shopper when we vacation but those we are going with are so one day has been set aside to shop. I will Google the shops for the pretty trims & do my best. I just went to M&J Trimmings in NYC & did dammage. Love those trim shops. We will raise a glass to your name.

Rome and Tuscany...you lucky, lucky girl! When you get to Tuscany you will see my name, Toscano, all over the place because it means Tuscan (m). Though I believe my father's family is Sicilian, obviously somewhere down the line an ancestor originated in Tucany. For some reason I always feel like I am home when we are in Tuscany...oh, anywhere in Italy.

Quilt fabrics are generally expensive and are imported from the USA anyway but the trims are FAB U LOUS!!!! It is the silks, laces, embroidered, tapestry, organzas...lux fabrics (tessuto) that we usually do not quilt with that are worth tucking into your suitcase and bringing back. There is a fab one in Florence but I don't have the name nor do I remember the Italian word for these types of shops. Sorry, but it is close to the same word for pastry shops!

Thanks Libbi. I wondered whose handy work that was & should have known; I have ordered 2 thanks to you, one for me & one for my friend in the US. She is getting me the thread holder as their prices are so much better than ours in Canada.

If you need anything bought in the US I am coming over on holiday to Rome & Tucsany for 2 weeks in mid September & would be happy to bring some things to mail from there. Next week I go to Quilting By the Lake for 2 weeks in Syracuse & get lots of things shipped to me there.
Barbara

Yes, I have the multiple thread holder and it works very well for "regular" threads but again it only works marginally better with our beloved specialty threads. If you go to http://www.wonderthreadguide.com you will see the photos I took of the 830 & the WTG. While not associated with them, I did correspond with them about the 830 and they went off to adapt their product. I bought it and sent them photos.

Libbi
Once again you are a saviour! I too love Superior threads. Heck I even went to Utah & took their 3 day course which was fabulous! I use their metallics all the time on my 830 & have done all you suggested but use the heavy desk base to hold my cones & then thread it through the machine telescopic thread holder. But, it still has problems with the metallics. Bob did check out one of the participant's 830 when we took the course. Those of us with 830s talked to him about our challenges with certain threads & he made some suggestions:
1. add height when using straight wind spools by using more than one of the spool bases (the soft spongy things). Try to get the feed straight into the hole. This works & the thread message does not come up as often.
2. use the heavy duty thread holders for all the cross-wind threads & a must do for the cone threads
3. use the titanium needles for all the metallics & fussy threads-they last longer & are worth the money. Personally I only use them now as they are so much better.
4. be sure to adjust your tension & foot pressure each time you sit down to sew.

Now I will check out your new toy recommendation & see how it works. Do you have the Bernina multiple thread holder for the 830? A friend who does lots of thread painting owns one & loves it. I am interested in other opinions too.

We've discussed this before but I thought I'd repeat this again. I have to admit I am fond of Superior's threads because 1. Bob provides lots of info on
threads, needles, etc. 2. they answer emails. 3. overall, Superior's products and prices are very good. Enough with the commercial.

Bob's recommendation for successful sewing with specialty threads (I call them springy threads because they tend to unwind from the spool and retain the coil
shape) is to allow the thread to unwind from a spinning spool straight into the machine rather than to have the thread unwind over the top of a static spool.
The 820/830 thread delivery design does not allow for this set up. While Superior and other good quality specialty threads do not coil, the overhead telescopic rod system unravels the thread over the top and adds twist as the thread enters the machine and through the tension disks. The Bernina engineers may argue this point, but this is what I observe.
So the solution to this is either 1. to rig up a homemade fix to raise the thread spool/cone up on the spool pin allowing the spool/cone to spin freely, bypass the telescopic rod system and feed the thread directly into the 820/830 or 2. to buy an adapter such as the Wonder Thread Guide (be sure to ask for the
820/830 version). And I am not associated with this company in any way.
But even this solution has a problem. The spool pin is too short when the spool is elevated to spin freely. I have to use a plastic straw to extend the length of the spool pin. Some adaptation for a $12000 machine! :shock:

Also remember to use a 90/14 topstitch needle (I like titanium), slow down the speed, lower the tension, use the manual method for threading the machine if the
automatic threader will not thread the needle. If you are doing free motion, slow down YOUR speed.

Using these suggestions I have been able to use all sorts of specialty threads, including el cheapos, that I was never able to use even on my 630!