Do I “Need” a New Sit Down Quilter? The Bernina Q 16 Arrives

First, let’s define “need”. No , my Tiara Babylock was not hit by lighning, stolen, nor did it disappear into a sinkhole. But…these things always involve a “but”…when your machine is eight and half years old, and has 10 million stitches on it, AND the machine that you had dreamed of and lusted after (but was way too expensive) is now on sale for a fraction of its original price… this may be construed as a “need”.

And what is so terrible about wanting anyway? I am 70, my days of mad purchases are declining, and we can afford this machine. So I am diving into this pool.

But first, there was housekeeping to do. I had to let my Babylock Tiara group on Facebook know that I no longer owned my Tiara and let them decide if we should continue with the group. They voted yes, and we have renamed the group BL Tiara and Sit Down Quilting Machine group.

And now, a brief farewell to my Tiara. She saw me through the growing pains of learning FMQ and we spent many hours together quilting many quilts.

Here she is…the Bernina Q16+. I ordered the Q16, but after waiting 5 weeks, Bernina decided to give me the much more (almost twice as much!) expensive 16+! Same size, but some extra features.

Now the learning curve starts. Ugh! But one must dive in. Only one way to learn and that is to DO IT. This machine has a built in stitch regulator and it operates in a really different way than my Tiara. The stitch speed adapts to how fast your fabric moves. Move the fabric more quickly, and it speeds up. Yikes! More slowly and it slows down. This will take some getting used to!

How is Bernina Q different than my old Tiara? Well, this is where it gets interesting. Bernina hs kept a number of their standard domestic machine features on their Q series.

Needles – The Q uses standard machine needles, not longarm needles. You can use any type needles, including knit/ballpoint needles, in a Q. This is a bonus for those who make T-shirt quilts. My favorite domestic needle is a Top Stitch, which has a longer point and larger eye than standard needles. And yes, that is what I am using. The needle size is the same as quilting with a domestic, which is different than what I used on the Tiara.

Access to oil – The Tiara can be oiled by removing the screw plate or by kneeling in the floor (or bending WAY over and slightly under) to reach the hook race. Q uses the Bernina stitch plate, which has a circular “thumb press” on the far right back corner. Press it firmly, and the stitch plate pops out for oiling and then is simply pressed or popped back into place with your fingers.

This a boon for me, as my current physical limitations made it impossible to oil Tiara without removing the stitch plate with a screw driver. Oiling the Q is faster and much easier.

Q has a Presser Foot! Unlike the Tiara, and most longarms and midarms, Q retains a presser foot, which releases the tension discs for threading and removing your work. Another feature from Bernina domestic machines.

Q has a built in bobbin winder! I am really looking forward to using the built in winder, this was a feature that I really craved as the Tiara has a separate bobbin winder which can be a bit touchy and inconsistent in its winds.

Foot pedal tap to bring up bottom thread. Tap to raise presser foot. A favorite Bernina feature! One heel tap to bring up the bottom thread. One heel tap to raise the presser foot and release your thread when cutting threads to reposition or change threads.

Which brings me to the “default” Q sewing mode…BSR 1 (Bernina Stitch Regulator) which is built in to the machine. I have not previously used a stitch regulator (this gizmo keeps your stitches at a set length regardless of how fast or slow you stitch). There are two other BSR modes and a manual mode. BSR 3 is for basting, which I will try very soon. For now, I will concentrating on learning BSR 1.

We talk a lot about “foot/hand coordination” in learning FMQ. But with the Q, coordinating foot/hand speed, which is essential for consistent stitch size and avoiding bottom thread eye lashing, is no longer the concern. Rather than a pre-set top sewing speed, as with the Tiara, the Q in BSR 1 mode speeds or slows down depending on how fast you move your hands. My new mantra is “it’s your hands, not your feet”. It’s your hands, it’s your hands. A paradigm shift is occuring.

We had a busy weekend with out of town guests, and the cleaning and cooking that accompanies such weekends, but now I am clear to spend some quality time with Ms Q. Like with my Tiara, Ms. Q and I will find our rhythm as we do the FMQ tango.

Happy quilting all!

Lennea