learn how to use my new bernina sewing machine

it could be as endless as training with the sword.

To master the Bernina is to master yourself…

I found that one of the things I’m going to like best about the Bernina is some instant gratification. If I say or hear something clever or just bizare enough, say, over breakfast conversation, I can embroider it that same day.

Other processes I have used to get text onto fabric have taken anything from weeks to months to not happening at all.

This is a nice new thing, indeed.

But I still need to either use the Bernina to attach these other cloth bits to shirts, embroider directly on the shirt itself, or maybe just frame them as is?

...and haven’t sold it yet. I waited too long, and had time to think about it. Nothing is more dangerous, and I consider myself foolhardy for allowing it to happen.

But look at all the rationalizations I managed to come up with! I was trying to learn two new things at the same time! There’s no way I could succeed, foolish me! I should try to learn how to use the machine and then learn how to use the software.

That sounds alot more reasonable, doesn’t it?

In the spirit of that, I did this quick embroidery test on some spare fabric I had lying around. Success!

But am I saying that to myself, or is the machine speaking to me? My precious…

Really man, what where you thinking?

Ok, yeah, well, that’s all well and good, but you have other things to do. Sell it on eBay, back from whence it came and get on it!

I feel a certain amount of relief, it’s a good thing to let go.

Got the BERNINA rolling again tonight, and let me rephrase that. I got the power turned on, and not much else. It wouldn’t talk to my laptop (something I need it to do to import designs, unless I sink another few bucks to try a USB stick, which could be an easy fix, gods willing), and I had a hard time with the interface which then I used to completely flub another test of the embroidery module.

And it makes this weird noise whenever it’s on that could be the fan? I don’t know but it’s pretty irritating and doesn’t seem like it should be happening…

How many strikes before I finally give up on this one…

I unpacked the BERNINA and all its accoutrement and even gave it and embroidery spin using a pre-programed design. It didn’t go well, but you know, scrap shirt & first run and all.

But.

I’ve installed and done some basic checking on the software.

It doesn’t do what I want it to do in terms of being able to import other images and convert. The software that I need to do this is about twice as expensive as a retail copy of photoshop.

So now I have to decide if I want to lay down even more visa to get the software to pursue my original plans, or send the BERNINA back out to the ebay from whence it came and cut my losses.

I may be able to find an embroidery shop that would do some basic digitizing for me on a per-design basis. This sounds like a serious pain in the ass, though, and if I’m going to mess around with this embroidery stuff, I’d like to have a little more control over things, and not waste time on waiting on others to produce when I kill enough time all on my own.

What to do.

I know I should cut my losses, clear it out, and carry on with other things. Simpler, happier. But then, I was never one to hesitate to throw money on the fire. But where has this gotten me in the past? Happiness? Hardly.

How is it that a sewing machine could turn into such an emotional argument about my personality and hopes for the future?

...maybe tonight this will happen for me…

Behold, the mythical Bernina. Used, even!

I bought it. I just got into a car accident, moved into my first home, spent the last few months freaking out and the majority of our savings, but I bought it anyway. But it was used, I cry…

I’m either completely stark raving mad-mad, or somehow a genius. In time, all will be revealed through the Bernina-oracle.

Dear Jesus, let it be genius.