There on the floor in the corner of the secondhand fabric store, was that tell-tale red handle sticking up, like a unicorn. It’s a 1977 Bernina Nova 900.

This is the machine I used to swoon over in the sewing shops in the 1980s, when I was young and working my way through school. Cute, stylish, and not as expensive as the now-iconic Bernina 830.

It has a wrap-around case that also serves as a toolbox, with a holding place for each of the tools and accessories in plain sight.

The Nova has this adorable round foot pedal that is actually a very useful design. You can step on it from any angle, without having to make sure it’s lined up a certain direction under your foot.

It came with the basic stitches, and a few decorative ones.

Like most vintage Berninas, this model has a capacitor that can eventually go bad; although this one is still working fine. If/when it does go bad, it’s a $10 fix with a new capacitor, a tiny bit of solder and a soldering iron. The tutorials are out there.

I tested out the Nova on some of the historical sewing I’m doing for my Summer movie gig. The machine works flawlessly.

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Summer gig update!

It’s been an adventure, sourcing fabrics and coming up with authentic designs for the late 1800s. I’ve constructed several garments for the 1870s-80s time period, They are unfinished until fittings can be done.

The nightshirt I was cutting out in the prior post is ready for fitting. This is one of the garments for the male lead.

This will be one of my outfits as an ‘extra’.

This is the start of a dress for another actor.

I’m using this pattern for the dresses, although I’m modifying the dress into two pieces–top and skirt. I’m also eliminating the ruffles. It is an excellent pattern to work with. It’s from the long-established Past Patterns company (pastpatterns.com).

The first scene where I’ll be an extra and the dresses will be worn, will be filmed later this month. Stay tuned!