Bernette B79 Sewing and Embroidery Machine Review (2024)

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I bought the Bernette b79 sewing machine over a month ago and I am in love with it! I have already sewn five projects and have many more in the works. I decided it was finally time to sit down and write a review of this amazing machine. I hope you find it useful in your search for a new sewing machine.

The Bernette 70 Series was launched in the summer of 2019. It has three models — the b70 DECO sewing machine, b77 embroidery machine, and b79 sewing/embroidery machine combo. I bought the Bernette b79. It offers all the benefits of the b70 DECO with the embroidery perks of the b77. I think it is the perfect machine for my needs because it has a 6″x10″ embroidery field if I ever want to add embellishments to my sewing projects, but it is also a high-quality sewing machine with more stitches and other features than I’ll ever need. My favorite feature on the Bernette b79 is the built-in walking foot, but I also think the programmable foot pedal and knee lift are cool features.

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Product Features

• Touchscreen Display: The 5-inch, LCD touchscreen allows you to view and select embroidery designs with ease. If you’re familiar with BERNINA machines, you’ll recognize the same, high-quality user interface on the Bernette b79.
• Maximum 6”x10” Embroidery Field: While not as large as some of the embroidery machine models on the market, the 6”x10” embroidery size is large enough for most people who sew for a hobby. To get a larger embroidery field, you’ll have to pay double the cost of the Bernette b79.
• Dual Feed: This machine has a built-in walking foot that you simply pull down on the back of the presser foot lever to engage. It makes sewing slippery fabrics a breeze.
• 500 Built-In Sewing Stitches and Designs: The standard straight and zig-zag stitches come on this machine, along with scallops, flowers, geometric shapes, and 133 other decorative stitches. Additionally, there are 17 buttonhole stitches, 35 quilting stitches, 7 alphabet fonts, and 208 built-in embroidery designs. You can edit all of these motifs easily with your fingertips or a stylus pen (included).
• Programmable Stitch Patterns: You can also create your own designs and save them to your machine’s memory.
• USB Port to Import Embroidery Designs: You’re not limited to the designs that come preprogrammed on the Bernette b79; you can download thousands more and import them with a USB drive.
• Permanent Quick Reverse: You can program stitches to create an automatic lockstitch at the beginning and end of a stitch. This saves you time and ensures your seams are always secure.
• Automatic Thread Cutter: Just press a button and your thread will automatically be cut. Of course, you can still use the manual thread cutter on the left of the machine, if you prefer.
• Semi-Automatic Needle Threader: You’ll never waste time trying to thread the eye of your sewing machine needle again because the Bernette b79 has a semi-automatic needle threader. You simply pull the thread through the guides on your machine and then pull down a lever to thread the eye of the needle.
• Drop-In Bobbin: You don’t have to remove the bobbin case to put the bobbin into this machine. You simply drop it into the jam-resistant bobbin system. A bonus is that the clear bobbin cover lets you easily see when you’re running low on thread
• Large Throat Width: You get 9 inches of space to the right of the needle for ease in quilting and large sewing projects.
• Fast Stitching: The Bernette b79 has speeds up to 1,000 stitches per minute!
• Presser Foot Knee-Lift: A hands-free system to control your presser foot.
• Programmable Foot Pedal: You can program the back-kick function to automatically finish a seam and cut the thread.
• 10-year warranty

What’s In the Box?

• Bernette b79 Combination Sewing and Embroidery Machine
• Accessories: This machine comes with everything you need to make it work, including a power cord, foot control pedal, knee-lift lever, slide-on extension table, and two stitch plates.
• Removeable Embroidery Arm and Three Embroidery Hoops: The Bernette b79 automatically detects what size embroidery hoop you are using (160×260 mm, 120x180mm, and 50×70 mm).
• Machine Dust Cover: A nice, canvas cover with pockets for your accessories.
• Quick-Start Guide
• Presser Feet: This machine comes with several sewing machine presser feet to get you started, but there is an additional presser foot set you can buy.
• Free Bernina Toolbox Editing and Lettering Software: Included with the Bernette b79 is some Bernina embroidery software valued at over $600! That is amazing.

Pros and Cons of the Bernette b79

Overall, I am very satisfied with the Bernette b79. It is the best sewing machine I have ever owned. I don’t think I’ll ever need to buy a new one. If you’re still not sure, check out this pros and cons list I created.

Pros

• Built-in Walking Foot: This feature is helpful when sewing through multiple layers or slippery fabric.
• Programmable Foot Pedal: You can program the back kick to tie a knot and cut the thread at the end of your seams.
• Lockstitch: With the press of a button you can create a knot on the bottom of your seam instead of the standard backstitch.
• File Format Compatibility: The Bernette b79 will read Bernina and practically any other embroidery file format, including PES, EXP, JEF, DST, and more.
• Favorite Stitch Memory: You can save any stitch or design in your favorites folder on this machine.
• Good lighting: This machine has four built-in LED lights.

Cons

• Weight: The heavy weight of this machine lets you know it is a quality machine and can handle practically any fabric. Of course, you won’t want to be transporting this machine around.
• Up Time: It takes a while for the Bernette b79 to turn on.
• No Hard Copy of Machine Manual: My only real complaint with the Bernette b79 is that it does not come with a hard copy of the instruction manual. You can get a PDF copy online for free or access the manual on the touchscreen of the machine. I suppose this is sufficient, but I would prefer having a hard copy next to my machine for easy reference.

Why I Bought the Bernette b79

I needed a new sewing machine after an unfortunate incident with my last machine — my toddler pulled it off the table… Yes, it’s sad. I’m not ready to talk about it yet.

I decided a broken sewing machine was a good excuse to get an upgrade. I went with the Bernette b79 because it has some amazing features you don’t see very often with the added feature of embroidery. It was also something I could afford.

Did you know that some sewing and embroidery machine combos cost more than $20,000? I think that’s insane! I can’t imagine why you’d ever need to spend as much money as a car on a sewing machine…

Sure, the more expensive embroidery machines have huge embroidery fields, but I personally don’t think I’d use that feature enough to justify the purchase. Maybe you’re different than me, though. Some embroidery machines have embroidery fields larger than 9”x12”! The Bernette b79 has a 6”x10” embroidery field. That is plenty large for all of my purposes. I only ever add cute designs to hems and pockets. If you can afford one of those expensive Bernina embroidery machines, I’m sure they’re amazing, but the Bernette b79 hits it out of the park for me.

I hope you found my embroidery machine review helpful. CLICK HERE to check out the best price for the Bernette b79 on Amazon. (I’ll get a small commission if you buy through this link. Thank you!)

Can’t afford the Bernette B79? The Brother Se1900 is a cheaper alternative. It is half the cost, but you still get the benefit of both sewing and embroidery capabilities. I would choose the Bernette b79 over the Brother SE1900 if you can afford it, though.