Bernina Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 Review

While visiting Once Upon a Quilt in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I came across the very first combination sewing and embroidery machine to bear the Bernette label, the affordably priced subsidiary of BERNINA.

At A Glance

Bernina Bernette Sublime Chicago 7

The BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago Seven has a monochromatic LCD screen; on board thread cutter; and a semi-automatic needle threader.

The BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 also has a full series of function buttons: start/stop; needle position; needle up/down; twin needle; reverse stitch/pivot; left/right mirror image; vertical/horizontal mirror image; memory and clear.

There are also tabs for adjusting stitch length and width and a dial which is used to control the speed level.

A full series of function buttons

See through bobbin cover

There are also buttons with directional arrows surrounding a ‘check’ button which appears on other machines as an ‘ok’ button, which tell the machine that you are ready to move on to the next step.

Beside those buttons is a numerical key pad which is used in the stitch selection process when the machine is in the sewing mode.

Beneath the needle is a see through bobbin cover and a needle plate with seam guides etched onto it. The drop feed control switch is located behind the free arm, which is exposed only after the embroidery unit or accessory case/work space is removed.

On the right side, you will find a port for connecting the embroidery unit, but no USB port to allow computer or laptop connectivity. The USB port is actually located on the front of the column, just below the function buttons.

Features

• 200 on board decorative and utility stitches
  • 20 quilting stitches
  • 1 alphanumeric font
  • One 1-step buttonhole
• 100 on board embroidery designs
• Drop in bobbin
• Drop feed
• Embroidery field 110mm x 170mm
• Adjustable stitch length and width
• Adjustable presser foot pressure
• Manual tension adjustment
• 2 Position presser foot lift
• USB port

Working on the Bernina Bernette Sublime Chicago 7

Winding the bobbin and threading the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 is as easy as can be with the easy to follow on board thread guides.

For this review, I opted to test the embroidery feature… primarily because it was all set up for embroidery and I was really curious to see what it was capable of doing with embroidery designs.

Since the embroidery unit was already in place along with the darning/embroidery foot and the hoop with fabric and stabilizer, it just seemed natural that I would start this review by testing the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7’s embroidery capabilities.

The fun started when I realized I couldn’t move from the set up mode until I raised the presser foot. I did that and pressed the check key on the upper panel.

A monochromatic LCD screen

Rather than take me to the stitch menu, the machine instructed me to remove the embroidery hoop, which I did. I repeated these steps a couple of times before asking a sales associate for assistance.

It was only after she went through the same process a couple of times that we came to the realization that the presser foot on the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 has not one but two presser foot positions and we were working under the assumption that it had only one.

Duh!!! Had either one of us taken the time to first read the manual, this waste of time could have been avoided.

With that puzzle solved, I went into the embroidery stitch menu and selected as butterfly. Normally for reviews, I select single color designs primarily in the interest of time and to save store owners the hassle of setting me up with several thread colors.

This time, however, I decided to do a multi-color butterfly design in only one color – pink, which just happens to be a personal favorite. The butterfly appeared on the screen along with images of embroidery hoop sizes from which to choose.

A multi-color butterfly design

The size of the image is adjusted to the size of the hoop you select. After that decision is made, you have the option to further adjust the position and size of your embroidery design and to rotate it left to right and vertical or horizontal.

The next screen will show your image once again in the position you selected along with the thread color, along with the total number of stitches, the number of stitches in the selected color on top, and an icon which allows you to select the default multi-color or single color setting.

Although I chose to execute a multi-color design with single color thread, I decided to use the multi-color option just to see how the machine would handle it.

As with other embroidery machines, the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 stops for each color change. It is necessary to manually clip each thread with each change.

Even at the highest speed setting, this machine moves more slowly than other sewing and embroidery designs I have reviewed, but the stitch quality is excellent.

Stitch quality is excellent

Because executing this design took more time than I had originally anticipated, I decided to forego the other part of the review – testing the quality of utility and decorative stitches.

This is a major departure for me because I usually review decorative and utility stitching options first. Generally, the most challenging issues with stitch quality are found when a machine is in embroidery mode.

Therefore, based upon the quality of the stitches I saw while the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 was operated in the embroidery design, I am inclined to conclude that the stitches produced while the machine is in the sewing mode are of equal or quality.

Fabrics

• Natural fibers/cotton-linen-wool
• Fine fabrics/silk-satin-taffeta/velvet
• Knits
• Synthetic fabrics/blends-rayon-polyester
• Denim
• Upholstery
• Leather/suede
• Fur
• Reptile skin
• Canvas/Twill
• Plastic/Rubber
• Extra thick fabrics or multiple layers

Accessories

Standard accessories:

• 9 Snap on presser feet
  • All-purpose foot
  • Buttonhole foot
  • Blind hem foot
  • Button sewing foot
  • Overcasting foot
  • Satin stitch foot
  • Zipper foot
  • Simple embroidery foot
  • Darning/Embroidery foot
• Lint brush/seam ripper
• Needle set
• Extra bobbins
• Screwdriver
• L-shaped screwdriver
• Long spool pin long
• Spool pin felt
• 2 Spool holders (1 large/1 small)
• Dust Cover
• Spool net
• Embroidery hoop (L-110x170mm)
• Scissors

Optional accessories:

• 6 Presser feet
  • Cording foot
  • Gathering foot
  • Hemmer foot
  • ¼“ Quilting foot
  • Walking foot
  • Invisible Zipper foot
• Twin needle
• 2 Embroidery hoops
  • Medium – 100 x 100mm
  • Small – 40 x 40mm

Maintenance

Tying Off The Loose Ends

Overall, the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 is a machine that I believe is acceptable for use by someone who is adept at sewing machine operation and is expanding into machine embroidery. With only 100 on board embroidery designs this machine is somewhat limited in its functionality.

When I turned the machine on, the LCD screen lit up with an icon indicating that I should raise the presser foot and remove the embroidery hoop even though my intention was to test the embroidery function and the embroidery unit and hoop were already in place.

Embroidery hoop

In my opinion, a machine that is already set up in the embroidery mode should not have to be reset every time it is turned on.

In addition to this issue, I also noticed that there is more noise than other machines in its class and there was also some vibration.

I also took note of the fact that the embroidery hoop is locked into place by a latch connected to a spring, neither of which appears to be all that sturdy.

The body of the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 is constructed with that hard plastic which is prone to becoming brittle or even cracking over time without proper care. With all of this in mind, I cannot help but be concerned about the longevity of this machine model.

I hasten to add, however, that since the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 is Bernette’s very first attempt at a combination sewing and embroidery machine, I am hopeful that the issues I observed will be addressed and corrected after the machine has been in actual home sewing rooms for a little while.

I have observed that BERNINA is one of those companies that listens to its customers and makes adjustments to their products in order to satisfy the concerns raised by the people who actually use the sewing machines they sell.

In conclusion, this is one of those machines that I believe could possibly be a viable choice for a person who is not sure whether or not they want to be seriously engaged in machine embroidery.

I believe that anyone who purchases the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7 should do so only if they want to get to know the basics of what a combination sewing and embroidery machine is capable of doing.

Sewing and embroidery machine

It is also a good choice for a young person who is perhaps 12 or 13 years of age or so and already knows to sew but wants to experiment with machine embroidery.

A parent or grandparent could first invest in this affordable machine before making a major investment in a sewing and embroidery machine with many more features and a higher price tag than the BERNINA Bernette Sublime Chicago 7.

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