Baby Bernina

I'm always asked "Where do you get you sewing machines?" and that's not easy to answer. Resale shops, thrift stores, yard sales, online auctions, and sometimes people just offer me their old sewing machines. Yesterday I followed some of my own advice by being persistent and stopping in at a local thrift store to see what I could find for 40% off on senior Tuesday. There she was, a Bernina Sport 801. No kidding. Needle moved up and down, dials all moved nicely, feed dogs were lowered and raised, only problem was a missing set of power cords and foot control. I had several sets of cords at home, none working well, but at least I could test it out. There were no accessories to be found and not even a foot on the machine and further inspection showed it was missing a bobbin case but I was not discouraged. She came home with me:

Bernina Sport 801 upon arrival

This poor machine has taken a beating with built up dust inside but no real dirt in the main areas, just a dirty exterior. Tape and taped instructions on the body lead me to believe this was a school model but I got to work and removed them. She cleaned up quite well so then I found a set of cords and tried her out: PERFECT stitches! Minor tension adjustment and she was even better. Oh joy, a Bernina at a rock bottom price. I have extra feet and other accessories I can add but then I notice someone has scratched "I love ..." on the top cover. I'm not loving that so I get out a scratch remover compound and get working. Here's the result:

Scratches after buffing compound

Pretty good, huh? Next up is a  scarred knob on the hand wheel but the buffing compound doesn't really improve it too much.  I checked my collection of knobs only to find a Bernina knob; it was from a Minimatic and has red trim:

Bernina knobs

 I tried it out and think it might not be too bad yet I kept the original in hopes of painting the interior. Maybe. This model also has a nice selection of stitches:

and that makes it an all around great addition to any sewing machine collection. With its built in handle it makes this model a nice travel machine. I have an offer out there for a new cord set and when it arrives I'll be all set. Don't you think it deserves a new bag, too? I'll practice using it and show you the results when I get it all done. Oh joy, a great machine at a great price and I even get to spend a little time sewing on it. Spring has sprung but we have a snowstorm coming our way later tonight and into tomorrow but I'm not too concerned because I have a project I'm itching to work on!

Bernina Sport 801 all cleaned up and ready to sew