I also have the Bernina 640 and I found it to be a very unfriendly beast....but hang in there ....I love love love that machine. I did not get any classes because I bought my machine at a quilt show. The dealer would not transfer the classes to a local shop. I had to pay for every class. But I took a few and picked up a lot of information from other quilters in classes I took. Hang in there ....you will love your machine..:o

I was in your situation about 5 years ago. bought a Baby Lock and absolutely love it. I now have two of them. Easy to use; manual is straightforward and I have had NO problems with it. I would never own anything else.

I have a Pfaff QE 4.0 that I love for all my quilting and sewing needs. I also own two Elna 6005 that is great for everything too, I bought the second one in case anything ever goes wrong with the first one because I just love that machine. They are hard to find which tells me I am not alone in my thinking. I have a Viking 180 that I inherited from my mother but it is in the closet because I am not fond of the Viking. I do have a Brother CS6000i that I use to take to class because it is very light weight and has enough functions on it to do most anything. It's only drawback is that because of the lack of weight, the machine moves on the table as I sew. The other machine I have is a Juki 98E and it is great when I have a lot of FMQ to do. It is very heavy duty and will sew any fabric. I also have the added feature that all the elna and brother feet are interchangeable. I can also switch the ankle on my Pfaff, Brother and Elnas to accommodate All the feet. I thought about the Bernina but the feet are expensive and it does not offer me any more than what I have on my other machines. I clean all my machines often and use my machine book to troubleshoot.

Thank you all for your advice and opinions! I went to the shop where I purchased my machine today because I needed more fabric (NOT!), and signed up for the first of three classes on my machine and two classes for my embroidery module. I certainly do not think that I could make any kind of decision until after the classes so I am going to try to give this an unbiased try. I think it might be the manual more than anything but I will soon find out. I am keeping the Viking in mind and heard a lot of really positive things about the Brother. Thank you all very much for all the insight :)!

I agree. Bought a BabyLock Elizabeth about 6 weeks ago and find it to be VERY user friendly! Love my Lizzy!

I was wondering if anyone has a Viking Designer 1 machine? And are you happy with it and it is easy to use? I have a chance to get one and sewed on it and I loved it.

I agree about the classes. Yes, you will go home and not know how that thing we did with the memory, changing XXXXX-what ever, but you will gain experience as to where to find the information, and how Bernina thinks when sewing. That sounds kind of odd, but how to tackle a problem. Also you should have a manual. There are exercises in the book, for the most part that is what you do in the classes. Try it, it will take you through each step. I suggest you also make a sample of your stitches some embroidery some just functional. You can write on the fabric, what thread, what foot, what settings. Often you may look at what you did on the fabric and be able to go from there.

Bernina is a great machine, but it can be intimidating. Your friend's machine will always look easier, because she knows how to run it. If she had your machine, and knew how to run it it would seem easy too.

I too bought my machine at quilt festival. I got it at a local shop, and the classes were free.

I have a Designer 1 and just love it. It was my first Viking, and now have 5. I got mine in 2000, had a little trouble with it when I first got it, something with the electronic board, but they fixed it no charge and have not had trouble since. That is my workhorse. I also have a Topaz 30, a Designer SE, and a Designer Diamond.

I have a Bernina 640 and have to refer to the manual when performing a technique that I don't do very often. I keep it handy. My biggest problem with my Bernina has been the thread cutter. Has anyone else had at problem with the cutter not cutting the bobbin thread but making an unusual noise and leaving a long thread tail? Then I have to remove bobbin and case, rewind thread, and start again. It has been in the shop multiple times, even when still under warranty, and they can't seem to find the problem. The cutter problem even happened once when using the embroidery module so it isn't just me doing something to it.

Otherwise, I like the machine. It just frustrates me no end when it won't cut the bobbin thread and I have to crawl under a big quilt to cut the thread.