4 Most Common Bernina 590 Problems

The Bernina 590 is one of the fastest Bernina sewing machines in the world. And to top it all off, the Bernina 590E is an embroidery sewing machine that can handle most fabrics that are thrown at it. Even though it was technically made for embroidery (with its official name being Bernina 590E and the ‘E’ standing for embroidery) you can also use it for sewing (which traditionally means joining two pieces of fabric together) and quilting. The breathtaking ingenuity and sheer power of the Bernina 590 is not exempted from the problems that plague most sewing machines though. Bernina sewing machines in particular have a knack for being very costly for average and even more professional well-off sewists and users.

Table of Contents

1. Uneven Decorative Stitches

Sometimes the Bernina 590 has a tendency to produce uneven decorative stitch patterns. This problem is due to the fact that all of the designs of the stitch patterns may vary widely in number, but most of them are too similar to each other in design. At times when you pick a stitch pattern design for decorative embroidery the sewing machine may not be able to decipher it correctly (because the Bernina 590 is a computerized sewing machine) and so it ends up making bad stitches. This problem can also be because of a bad or uneven stitch balance setting on your Bernina 590E.

Solution

  • Although the stitch patterns are wide and varied, it would be good to keep stitch selection minimal on the Bernina 590E. Picking each and every stitch pattern there is on the sewing machine is likely to cause faults in the parts that create the stitches due to overuse.
  • Always make sure that your Bernina 590E is up-to-date with the latest firmware version.
  • The Bernina 590 sewing machine should have a perfect stitch balance right from the box. But if it doesn’t, you can adjust or toggle it via the balancing scales icon (home screen) located on the colourful LCD touchscreen.

2. Unbalanced Buttonholes

For a sewist to create a ‘buttonhole’ they need an entirely different presser foot called a buttonhole presser foot, it allows the sewing machine to sew a perfect buttonhole right onto the fabric as easily as pushing their foot down on the foot pedal. Unfortunately the buttonhole presser foot doesn’t work so well on the Bernina 590E. Which is really a problem related to the sewing machine already doing too much. And although the Bernina 590 claims to have a stabilizer for this presser foot function, it rarely works as stated.

Solution

  • When changing your presser foot to the buttonhole presser foot make sure that you plug in the buttonhole presser foot to the Bernina via the small cable it comes with.
  • Also make sure that the buttonhole presser foot is from an approved Bernina dealer. The Bernina 590E readily comes with this type of presser foot and a couple more others.
  • Also be sure to check that your needle’s thread tension isn’t so tight that it pulls the bobbin’s thread unevenly.
  • If this is a problem that develops overtime, then it might be time to take your Bernina 590E sewing machine for some well deserved servicing at your dealer.

3. Issues During Software Updates

Most of these computerized sewing machines require software updates to continue working properly or your sewing machine will start behaving maliciously. The Bernina 590E’s problem is that it is one of those computerized sewing machines and the only effectively install these updates is by using a USB drive. Sometimes the Bernina 590 will not recognize the USB drive you will be using. The sewing machine can also block the update voluntarily and if the software update is not from the official Bernina website the date of the update will not be found.

Solution

  • To make sure that the Bernina 590E certainly picks up your USB drive it has to be an official Bernina USB drive.
  • If the Bernina 590 has blocked the update, make sure to remove the USB drive and to then switch off the sewing machine. Then switch it back on again to follow the instructions that will appear on the touchscreen.
  • To make sure that the date of the update is found, you have to unzip the update file (when downloaded) using your personal computer before placing it on your Bernina 590. Make sure to save the files contained in the update file to the USB drive individually and not as one combined file. This will make sure that the Bernina 590E gets a good read of each of the files and install the update accordingly.

4. Slows Down Occasionally

It would be very alarming to witness your beautiful and elegant Bernina 590E to start slowing down whilst you’re still sewing, needing to finish or beat a deadline. But that is precisely what the Bernina 590 does, as of it has a car’s engine, the sewing machine will start to slow down when the weather becomes a lot cooler. But this problem is also due to the Bernina 590E’s easy speed setting. What I mean by that is that you can change the setting without even noticing because it is very easy to slide.

Solution

  • It is advised that you should place the Bernina 590 is a warm room for one hour before you start sewing.
  • Along with the silver easy-to-use slide switch located on the outside of the sewing machine, you can adjust the Bernina 590E’s speed in the Setup Program.

More Solutions

  • Only use the Bernina 590 sewing machine in dry rooms.
  • Always lubricate the Bernina 590E with oil especially in the bobbin area under the needle plate.

Conclusion

The Bernina 590 computerized sewing machine is as complicated as it is beautiful to look at, but that’s just the reality of computerized sewing machines with Bernina leading the charge, as it’s sewing machines are the most easily recognizable and loved by sewists. The Bernina 590E just has a lot going for it and although this is a friendly gesture from Bernina to ease the lives of sewists (by charging more money), the sewing machine definitely complicates it more.