Bernina Artista 200

Short video of my "new" Bernina Artista 200 sewing/embroidery machine.... vintage metal Brother straight stitcher and Brother PC 420 make cameo appearances as well :o)

[@emilsantiz2602]

Excellent Video A+++++ !!!!The Artista 200 was the most advanced Embroidery-Quilting-Sewing machine of the late 1990's early 2000's from Bernina, and also one of the strongest in the market with an all-metal frame and heavy duty servo DC motors. It had everything Bernina offered at the time,includinga 14" x 6" maximum embroidery area for the Machine Embroidery feature, and the position of the bobbin is the best for Embroidery when doing large embroidery motiffs, in terms of Quality and convenience- you don't have embroider in the Brother, so that can not be compared. and Free motion embroidery modes, Color touch LCD screen, and when Bernina introduced the 730E with BSR, the 200 could be upgraded to BSR for about 500.00 USD extra plus the BSR foot for complete Quilting control. An upgraded 200 is the same as the 730E. Only machines from PFAFF, Husqvarna Viking and Janome had comparable machines. And when new, it came with 7 Bernina presser feet, and lots of accessories including hard case, Knee lifter, extension table, extra FLD bulb, tools, etc, more than the C420. The Brother C420PRW from 2010, ten years newer machine, and it is pretty good, but it doesn't have machine embroidery features, just free motion embroidery if you know how to do that, and do not have BSR for complete quilting control. The Bernina can use all the presser feet from Brother as long as you have a 14.95 New Style Presser foot adapter, and I have four of themso the walking foot from Brother can be used on the Bernina. Both have Knee Presser Foot Lifter, variable speed, and other amenities, but the Bernina can have more stitches by way of a USB stick, something this Brother machine can not do. So this gentleman is doing comparison between two different era and class of machines. He needed to compare the Brother (New), with a Bernette (New) to be fair. But I guess that brother being a large Sewing company, will have advance so much that stitch by stitch, is as good as any Bernina!!!! But I inherited a set of 4 Bernina machines that included the 200, and to my surprise, the 200 had already done 15,067,189 embroidery stitches, out of 17+ million total stitches!!!! And have never failed!!!! And machines of the built quality of the 200 are still sold for about 800.00- 1200.00 USD used.

[@DurableMemories]

I discovered why having the bobbin on the side rather than the top. When you are embroidering and run out of bobbin thread you can easily refill the bobbin without removing the hoop.

[@Aleroluver]

Thank you! When I was machine shopping, I couldn't find any videos on the Artista 200, so I was glad to provide that. I tried to give the info I was looking for when I bought... I still love the machine, but I just had to spend 80 bucks to get the thread cutter fixed because it went dull! Glad to have it back!

[@ClouserB]

I LOVE my Bernina 200!! I doubt I will ever ever trade it in for anything else. Nothing hums along like a Bernina!

[@lindarainey2370]

I am a member of a sewing group at our church. We are the happy recipients of a barely used Bernina Artista 200. It has all the bells and whistles. It looks like every possible accessory is with it, some are still in the packing wrap. I got my first look at it today. None of us has any experience with computerized sewing machines, Do you have any advice or suggestions on how we can learn to use it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@krystleroy3068]

Thank you

[@chevydude658]

This is a great video. It's cool to see another man sewing and working with these machines, and not just on the machines. I am in the market for a serious machine. I have 14 vintage machines including 2 Singer Featherweights, a 301, 66, 99, 15, and a 405. My least favorite is the 127, along with a VS treadles from 1895 or so. The nicest as far as features I have is a 1480 Euroflare by White. I think I got the number right. It's computerized and has some very nice features, but it's old. I really want a new machine that has some serious features so I can make shirts more efficiently. Making them on the old Singers is OK but I would like to be able to make buttonholes without a bunch of bolt-on accessories. The thrill is gone. LOL

[@Aleroluver]

Lol email me at aleroluver at gmail I could talk about machines all day 😊

[@zebra96003]

I would be curious to see your observations one year later and after you have learned more about the machine. Did you ever find an application for directional stitching?

[@Aleroluver]

Stacy, thanks for asking, on the 18th, it was exactly a year since I got this machine... It's been an interesting year... at first, I was sure I hated it and was going to trade it in for a Viking Designer SE because it had some problems, but I got those fixed after 3 visits to the tech, and lately, I'm actually starting to love it... the more I use it, the more I love it... I've never found anything practical to use the directional stitching on, but it is fun to have just in case :o) I can really tell the quality of it when I'm sewing through multiple layers... just got a walking foot for it too... it's all good right now!

[@reginahouser3223]

I paid 6500.00 brand new for mine.. you got a steal! The stitch regulator is with it

[@JoanTimmermann]

I have a bernina artista 200 and was sewing yesterday and the needle bar does not go up and down. It moves sideways like doing a fancy stitch but no sew. I can do it by hand but then it will hit the bobbin every so often......... so what do I need to fix it????

[@patriciamiller8749]

Set up my 200 after not using it for a while, I find it no longer reads the CD-ROM. All peripherals are connected before I turn it on, the CD icon is illuminated, the green spool spins forever and never stops. Any advice is welcome! I’m selling this machine so want everything to work.

[@sherrismith2764]

Do you still have the update card for the Bernina Artista 200?

[@vickihutter4460]

If you don’t have the automatic buttonhole number 3A and the single hole throat plate for the Bernina, Artista 200, I have both of those items for sale. The single hole throat plate is quite expensive and I have one for sale along with the 3A foot. Each would be $25.

[@zappzap1221]

I have a Bernina Artista 200 that I've had for a while. I want to delete some of my designs that are in the Embroidery settings. I can delete lines, but when I go back to the designs, they are still there. When I make a new design and try to save it, I get a message that says there is not enough memory. I would be fine with deleting most of the designs that I've made in the past, but cannot figure out how to do this. Any advice?

[@elmacoronado3246]

I love your brother

[@mariapayne9880]

I inherited a Bernina Artista 200 I’m trying to find out what format to I buy to instal designs through USB. I would love to use embroidery feature on it.

[@Aleroluver]

You want ART or EXP for an Artista 😀 Have fun with it!

[@MadmanFactCheck]

Is it possible to do cap/hat embroidery with this machine?

[@JoanTimmermann]

I did hats using my artista 200. All I had to do was buy the hoop for holding the hat.

[@zebra96003]

I think the directional stitching could be used in quilting. Instead of rotating the quilt, use directional stitching and save some wear and tear on your body. I work for a dealer in Northern Ca and there is the floor model 200 that my employer may give me a deal on. I am salivating at the possibility!

[@Aleroluver]

Yeah, I'm really having tremendous fun with mine now.... sometimes I get tempted by newer features like the automatic presser foot and built in walking foot, but all I really need is an auto cutter, adjustable pressure, and a knee lift... I'm not crazy about the vertical bobbin and the slide on table, but I really am loving the quality a day precision! The foot pedal is really sensitive and I appreciate that.... I can sew one or two stitches at a time for delicate applique or I can take off greased lightning for long strips! I think this machine is my most prized possession and I'm having fun with the embroidery too, even though I didn't get the software....

[@Aleroluver]

But congrats if you get a good deal on the machine... it is feature rich! I wouldn't use the directional stitching for quilting because I couldn't use the walking foot with that... will yours have the 730 upgrade that includes USB and BSR? I got the USB, but not the BSR.... The windows operating system is a little slow at times, but it gives us more editing options on the machine itself than many of the newer models... good for people like me who don't have the software!

[@marysnyder9589]

How do you use save function on Bernini artista 200

[@zebra96003]

I finally got my 200e (upgraded to 730e) and I am not getting USB sticks to read in the machine. I am able to transfer designs over via Artlink software directly to the machine, but what a pain! It clogs up the space on the machine and It is not simple to get the machine and computer into the same room together. Is there some sort of formatting I can do to the USB stick to make it work with the Artista machine?

[@Aleroluver]

I don't know because mine has always worked perfectly.... are you using a genuine Bernina stick? That does seem to make a huge difference as to whether or not the machine will read it.... I have an email from a friend about which aftermarket sticks are supposed to work and which don't with our machines if you want me to look for it.... otherwise I wonder if your USB port on the machine is malfunctioning

[@aka4512]

I understand that EXP format is used to transfer embroidery designs from usb to the machine. If that doesn't work then I would suggest to take your machine to you Bernina dealer to get it fixed. Using a USB stick is so much easier than having you machine hooked up to a computer. I don't believe it matters whether you have a USB stick from bernina as my machine takes any thumb drive although I would recommend purchasing a dedicated thumb drive to use for transferring designs. Just a side note there is a free downloadable embroidery software called "ARTlink" on the bernina website this software will enable you to change the format of an embroidery design. Unfortunately this software is extremely limited in editing capabilities. Basically the same as my Bernina sewing/embroidery machine than your 200/730

[@benjjrgraham6842]

+Stacy Mannion check to see if the stick is usb 1.0 or 2.0. the port may be the opposite.

[@KK38941]

Shut off machine. Plug in usb stick then turn machine back on. It should read the stick now.

[@karenwood2928]

Also, do you know how this is different from the 730e?

[@Aleroluver]

I didn't want to lose anything I had on my Brother when I got the Bernina (speed control, needle up down, knee lifter, thread cutter)... the PC 420 really spoiled me. The Bernina is a whole different animal... and there are several things I like better about the Brother, but the PC 420 can't embroider....

[@waverlykm]

I just bought the same machine this year from somebody on market place.. I feel played lmao because if 9 years ago it was worth $1,000 it is not in 2023

[@karenwood2928]

Are you able to use it with a relatively current computer (like does the software require some old version of Windows)? Thanks!

[@Aleroluver]

Karen, I didn't get software with mine (it's expensive, but there are quite a few free programs and you can do a good bit of editing right on the machine)... Whether or not it will work in a certain computer has to do with which version the software is.... The main differences between the 730 and 200 are that the 730 allows the use of the Bernina Stitch Regulator and has a USB port for putting embroidery designs... the 200s didn't originally, but most of them were upgraded to be the same as a 730.... if you look at a 200, make sure it has the 730 upgrade!

[@karenwood2928]

Spamnot Nospam Thank you!

[@johnm6972]

OMG with that card u could have done alot of free updates

[@LadyMoonstar6601]

hey there :) do you stil l have "ruby"?

[@Aleroluver]

I do.... still one of my favorite machines.... just changed the bag yesterday! Truly a treasure! Shes definitely loved and used and i will never get rid of her! Still no attachments though

[@LadyMoonstar6601]

hi, ausom :)

[@LadyMoonstar6601]

Spamnot Nospam hi I was wondering, could that machine crash cause you said its windows powered?

[@joyceellingsen7175]

Your camera work makes me dizzy. Next time find a friend to hold the camera or use a tripod.