Bernina artista 200E Selected as
Consumers Digest Best Buy

Aurora, Ill –The revolutionary Microsoft® Windows® Powered BERNINA artista 200E sewing and embroidery system was evaluated and chosen as the Premium Best Buy* selection in the Computerized Sewing Machine category in the December 2003 issue of Consumers Digest magazine.

For over forty years consumers have looked to Consumers Digest magazine for reliable product information and to identify outstanding values. A Consumers Digest Best Buy rating is awarded to less than 3% of the competing models in any given product category. A Best Buy is defined as a product offering the most value for a given amount of money. The Premium Selection category includes products of superior quality that are priced accordingly.

BERNINA artista 200E sets a new industry standard reinventing sewing with its Microsoft® Windows® Powered state-of-the-art sewing and embroidery system. A top of the line machine with BERNINA legendary quality, precision and performance, the artista 200E was evaluated and selected a Best Buy.

“BERNINA design team broke free of all constraints to set a new industry standard by producing this exquisite machine,” said Martin Favre, president of Bernina of America. “We know that our customers have embraced the artista 200E and consider it to be a valuable addition to their sewing rooms, and we are proud that the artista 200E has been independently evaluated and awarded such a prestigious rating.”

Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA – maker of the world’s first sewing and embroidery system that is Microsoft? Windows? powered – manufactures state-of-the-art sewing, embroidery and serger machines, and sewing software systems that are sold in the United States through a network of approximately 500 fully trained dealerships.

Any sewer’s heart will be warmed when she sits down and experiences the artista 200E, a workhorse of a system that combines an intuitive interface and Bernina’s legendary reliability. As a member of Bernina’s design team, I can assure you that we have broken free of all constraints to set a new industry standard by producing this exquisite machine.

The only sewing and embroidery system that is powered by Microsoft. Windows. CE operating system to create a familiar, easy-to-use interface, the artista 200E allows each sewer to immerse herself in creativity by fully customizing the system to her own needs and conveniences. The artista 200E "world-first" features include: A role as the world’s first and only sewing system that’s powered by Microsoft Windows CE, with the most intuitive, familiar and easy-to-learn system available. Truly a sewing computer, the artista 200E has a fully tested, stable operating system that will stand up to day-in, day-out use.

The industry’s only eye-level, ergonomically centered color touch screen that offers one-touch access to most-used features. Friendly icons, like the "file drawers" and "trash can," make file management simple. An optional Bernina modem that makes the artista 200E the only sewing machine in the world to connect to the Internet, via the online myartista Portal. Sewers can download the newest embroidery designs, access additional tutorials and project ideas, plus scroll and navigate through premium content created exclusively for artista 200E owners.

The most advanced and most reliable connection ports in the sewing industry, linking the machine directly to a computer and to the artista 200E CD-ROM drive for image retrieval and manipulation. A PCMCIA slot allows sewers to download designs from embroidery cards or use artista’s innovative PCMCIA modem. The versatile USB port offers universal connectivity.

The revolutionary Bernina CD-ROM Drive option, allowing access to any Bernina licensed embroidery design. An included Design Tutorial CD-ROM introduces sewers to a range of free designs, along with informational video tutorials ranging from threading the machine to inserting an invisible zipper.

Bernina’s original Stitch Altering Area where users can preview a stitch before sewing it. The optional artista Suitcase System that puts the entire artista 200E sewing and embroidery system on wheels. Pocketed sections slip out so the machine can slip in, with space for the slide-on table, manual, accessory cases and presser foot lifter arm. The embroidery module fits in a separate case.

The Superior Choice for Embroidery

With its expanded on-screen editing options, a spacious 5.7" x 10" embroidery field and the industry’s most powerful software, the artista 200E can handle big ideas. Like all artista embroidery systems, the artista 200E offers Bernina’s exclusive feature of actually rescaling embroidery designs – beyond the simple resizing limitations of competitors’ embroidery systems. As an embroiderer enlarges or reduces a design, the machine automatically recalculates the number of stitches needed to perfectly maintain the integrity of the original design, including special "fancy fill" fields.

Using Bernina’s exclusive ART Engine, embroidery motifs are available from a variety of sources, both built-in and accessible from CD-ROMs, Bernina Studio Embroidery Cards or the myartista Portal. Embroiderers also can create their own motifs with the easy-to-use artista embroidery software.

The artista 200E model also offers the following features: on-screen editing; vertical and horizontal mirror imaging; customized stitch density for perfect stitch-outs; the ability to stretch embroidery designs by height and width; the ability to rotate designs every degree in a 360-degree circle; superior stitching speed; and arched and aligned lettering with a push of a button.

Bernina’s attention to detail saturates every aspect of the artista 200E. From the popular Free Hand Sewing system to the exclusive, shadow-busting "U-shaped" compact fluorescent light, the artista 200E will leave behind a collection of beautiful projects – as well as happy sewers. Other features introduced with the artista 200E include:

• Thread color lists for Isacord, Mettler, Maderia and Sulky brands
• Improved Automatic Needle Threader and convenient Bobbin Thread Cutter
• Easy to use Instruction Manual and the "Seasons of Artistry" Inspiration Book
• New Stitch Navigation and Stitch Altering areas
• History Memory of the last 15 stitches used, which is retained even after the machine is powered off
• An average embroidery speed of 600 stitches per minute (spm), with a maximum of 900 spm

As with many Bernina machines, sewers have the freedom to customize the machine to their needs. Individual stitches can be adjusted in stitch width, stitch length and/or needle position to suit personal sewing preferences. The Personal Program allows the sewer to save time by establishing a personal screen featuring her most-used stitches, customized with settings to fit personal sewing needs. And the Favorite Function button on the front of the machine can be programmed with any favorite or often-used sewing function.

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To learn more about Bernina, visit Portsmouth Fabric Company at 112 Penhallow St. in Portsmouth or call us at (603) 436-6343.