When my friends are at the most happening parties in town, I am home doing my due diligence as a chic geek–experiencing technology at its finest by exploring the industry’s most surprising gadget. The sewing machine. Yes, you read right. The sewing machine. I sew, embroider, hem, pintuck, couch, ruffle and dabble in quilting and I am far from retirement. After attending a few sewing classes, I saw quickly that I am not a lone wolf for my generation.
My mother — an avid sewing IT professional, which also makes her far from the stereotypical sewer — bought me a Bernina on my 24th birthday. With no disrespect to the incredible embroidery my grandmother did or all of the Halloween costumes my mother made for me, it felt like a gift for the elderly. In response to my surprise, my mother told me something that could not have been more spot on –the technology in these machines is exciting and makes sewing so easy and addictive, that I would fall in love with sewing. She was right.
So what has the sewing industry done to make this old world hobby have new world appeal? Pack in serious technology. The same kind of technology we want in our PCs. Let’s take the new Bernina 830 for example, as it is the first thing I will buy if I win the lotto.
The high-res 7″ touch screen has brilliant colors and large icons for navigation. You can even drag and drop stitches to put them in sewing order. If the power goes out while you’re embroidering, the patented “Module with Brains” knows how and where to pick up so you don’t lose a stitch or ruin your design. The software is Microsoft Window’s based and comes with many embroidery designs to choose from, including word art. And if you don’t like the choices that come with the machine, have no fear. Just start up your Dell and create your own, through the Art Design software.
Talk about personalization! With these PC dream features, Bernina and others have brought sewing up to state-of-art technology and arguably a little beyond. And now on to my obsession with fabric, as seen by my closet full of bolts. Has fabric caught up to technology, too? Stay tuned later this week for a post by Jennifer.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I believe it is Bernina that makes a fabulous sewing machine for quilting. A friend of mine has one of these programmable design machines. She turns out some fabulous quilts. I occasionally make quilts, but I do it the old fashioned way.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
@sugarbear, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a Bernina. They are incredible. Sew smooth and last forever. I’m saving up for the 830.
That is incredible you make quilts the old fashioned way. My hat off to you! That’s not easy.