To set up the Bernina 215 we’ll start by plugging it in to the side.
It will be way back here and then there is a power switch right on the side of the machine.
Go ahead and turn that on and then for your foot control the power cord is attached to
the bottom.
You can unwind just the amount that you need.
Sometimes I don’t like a lot of extra cord, so I’ll just unwind it based on where it’s
sitting on my floor.
That’s going to plug in right here on the front part and then we’re ready to start
threading it up.
You can go ahead and turn the hand wheel.
Bring that needle up out of the little sample fabric that came from the factory and a little
sticker here to help everything stay in place during shipping and there’s also a little
peel here.
You can remove that from the screen, so get those all out of the way.
For threading we want to wind the bobbin first, and our accessories.
We’ll go through these in just a second, all the goodies that come with your machine.
You have two bobbins in your accessory box and bag, and then one that is filled with
white thread in the machine.
We’ll just go ahead and take a new one out and we also need a thread cap.
Let’s talk thread for just a little bit.
In the way that it is wound on the spool, this particular brand is wound so the thread
is cross wound.
You can see little X’s on it.
If you have a thread that is stacked and that’s where the thread kind sits right on top of
each other as it goes up the spool.
That is going to sit on the vertical spool pin.
With this one we’re going to put it on the horizontal one and then we’ll reach into
our accessory bag and find a spool cap that best matches the spool.
We’ve got a little tiny one and a large one.
We’re going to go ahead and use the medium one.
The one thing about spool caps to be aware of is just make sure they go on all the way.
Don’t leave a little gap inside here and then that way, that thread will find its way
between the spool and the cap and that breaks the thread, breaks the needle, not fun.
Just make sure it gets on nice and snug.
For winding the bobbin we’re going to just take our thread here.
People always ask me, which way does the thread actually come off the spool?
It really doesn’t matter.
You just want to have it on there and you always use the first guide behind the machine,
whether you’re threading it or winding a bobbin.
To wind the bobbin we use the first guide and then we come around the pre-tensioner
for the bobbin winder.
You’re going to find that there’s an arrow on the top of the machine, so follow the arrow.
Make sure it gets in this little spring part.
You can almost feel it has now a little bit of resistance in the bobbin.
You can put your bobbin on the machine.
You can kind of do this two ways.
If you put it on and just wrap it around the Bernina bobbins.
They have this nice kind of core in here.
It makes it so it will hold that thread and then as soon as you’re ready you can go
ahead and get the bobbin winder and step on the foot control.
The other way to do it is to take your thread and go up through one of these holes and hold
on to it while it’s spinning and eventually that tail will break off and then you’re
ready to go, so whichever is easiest for you go ahead and wrap it around clockwise and
then go ahead and fill your bobbin.
It will stop when it’s done.
Let’s talk bobbins for just a second.
Bernina bobbins are very specific for the machine, so no mixing and matching just; because,
you have a metal bobbin from another machine.
Don’t use it in this machine.
You have to have the Bernina bobbin.
Your machine will just work ten times better, so we’ll just let it fill.
You’ll notice it stopped and then this comes off to the side.
There is a cutter underneath this bobbin part here.
Just lift it up and cut.
Now if you hold this the way it comes off, a little tip here for when we actually put
it into the machine if you pull this straight off and then you need to flip it over to drop
it in.
That way the holes spin clockwise.
That is the key for putting your bobbin in correctly.
If it’s upside down that can lead to some inconsistence stitches and well just always
do it that way.
Clockwise it is, so pull it down.
I hold on to it and then bring it down the side of the bobbin case.
You can go ahead and put that in.
I like to become left-handed when I go to insert this bobbin piece into the Bernina
sewing machine.
By using my left index finger, this finger here goes straight up.
It does not matter which side of the finger the thread lays on and then I’m going to
go ahead and put it straight in the machine and that will go ahead and do that.
Once it is all the way in there, there’s a cutter on the side of the housing here and
that is our cutter number two.
We have cutter one, cutter two and then we have one on the side of the machine.
It’s awesome how many they put on here.
Go ahead and cut your thread and close the door.
For threading what we’re going do we only use this part here for winding the bobbin,
so come across the back side of the machine.
Keep it in that guide that it was in originally.
Come straight down.
There are arrows for you to follow, all the way back up in on the right side and down
on the left.
You’re going to see a little place that’s going to click into to make sure it’s showing
in the little hole right here and then down.
You’ll have two guides above the needle.
One on this side and one at the very top of the needle.
Then what I’ll do, I’m going to do zoom in so you can see how to use the needle threader.