If you wait to "find time" to quilt, it probably won't happen. If you want it to get done you need to "make time" to do it. Write it on your calendar just like any other important appointment or event! I do....and I manage to accomplish quite a bit more than I would if I just wandered down to the sewing room whenever I "found time".

Barbara, It sounds wonderful. I like your previous engagement hint. I'll remember it! Cheers

I thought that when I retired I would have so much more time for quilting, what a joke! I am busier than ever. Now I am taking the sage advice of a friend & booking at least one day a week for my craft. When friends or people phone me to play tennis or go on outings I say that I am unable to meet them on that day as I already have a previous appointment. It is really freeing! At 62 I thought that I would miss working after 30 years & to be truthful I did miss the routine & the people at first. However, I quickly built some routine into my day & now I am so much happier with less stress. Retirement is great; time for us while we still have our health!

Betty, your problem is that you really want both, because one can do stuff that the other can't. I would have happily bought a middle of the range Bernina a couple of years ago already if they would have made them with a more generous harp. Other manyfacturers have been able to do it (for example Janome and Husqvarna). Let us know, Betty, when the time comes what decision you have made.

Lorchen, I understand the wait for retirement...I'm doing the same. In fact, I am 63 and could already retire, but if I work another three years, my financial picture will be a bit better. Still, I'm giving some serious thought to retiring in about a year or even sooner to pursue full time quilting and writing. I wish you well in your someday machine upgrade goal. I have one myself...either an 830 or a longarm with a custom shortened frame in about a year. Funny how I waffle one way (the Bernina 830) one day and the other way (a longarm) the next. Maybe by the time I retire, I'll figure it out. (I have to give them all a good try out).

Barbara, I hear you loud and clear. I can retire when I'm 62.5, so that's another 4 years. If I buy a really 'posh' machine now I won't have the time to really use it properly. But in 4 years time...... (or maybe a little sooner).

It's a pity that you live so far away or I'd come and have a look at your Ferrari.

In the meantime I'll continue saving.

Lorchen
I love my Bernina. When I retired last year I sold my 2 Husqvarnas & 1 little Janome & bought a 830 as my retirment gift to myself. No regrets. Like you I had always wanted to own a Bernina but just could not justify it. Do I wish I had done it years earlier, yes but financially it was not possible. If you have the chance go for the best, as you say, there is a world of difference driving this Ferrari.

Hi, Lorchen, I bought my Bernina 440 QE over 10 years ago and have loved it. Never any problems. Maybe you can pay for it monthly. Save your pennies or ( pences) or whatever. Judy in AZ

Betty, I have been thinking about all the various options (even used Berninas have a price, and they don't come up that often where I live), and will eventually jump in head first. But I have to make sure that the time is right and that the machine and I will be a marriage made in heaven because I don't want to make an expensive mistake.

Here, here!! I've used one Bernina or another now for decades. They are excellent. (But Lorchen, have you thought of buying a nice used Bernina and having it serviced to perfection?)

I agree with you Lorchen...Bernina really delivers and yes it is expensive, but if one can save up for one of these babies I highly recommend it....worth every penny. I love mine....even on the few occasions it has acted up (mostly because I didn't do the right thing at the right time).

I do not own a Bernina. I do not have the money to buy a Bernina - not even a 'cheap' one. But......

I have just come back from a quilt show where I treated myself to several workshops. Three of the workshops had machines by another well-known manufacturer, and the machines were temperamental (only working with certain kind of threads). They were quite noisy to run and vibrated a lot when I put my foot down. In each of these workshops students commented that they would never ever consider buying one of these machines, and I agree, even though I didn't have any major problems myself, and the machines had some nice features that I am not used to, because my own machine at home is seriously 'cheap and cheerful'.

Fast forward to the last workshop....... The machines in the room were Berninas....... What a difference! The machine just 'felt' better right from the start. It ran smoothly, felt more solid, did not vibrate at high speed and generally behaved very nicely.

So, my compliments to Bernina (except for the price)!