Bernina needs a ruler foot

[Lois B.]

Chantel...no fretting over your English... it will be far better than the no French that I have ! :huh: Will
love the history....didn't know there was a French /Amish connection.??

No French, or any other language for me either. Can't say that I am very proud of that fact. Chantel, just do the best you can and we'll be grateful.

[Lois B.]

Congratulations Rita!
Catching up this evening and just saw your post. I purchased a Bernina 440QE and thoroughly enjoy I know you'll enjoy the 750QE!

Barb

[Chantalida C.]

Hello Lois and all the interested people about the French Amish story, I hope this little page will give you an idea about the past of these People. First of all I talk about the Founder of the Amish movement, then Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines and at last the Amish story.
Jakob Amman1645-1730, is one of the main leaders of the religious anabaptist movement and founder of the Amish movement which settled down in Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines in 1696, coming from switzerland where his followers were persecuted.
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines is located in Alsace, region located in the east of France, very beautiful region with villages among wine yards with numerous half timbered houses in blossom. Alsace is on the north of the swiss border, so only about 300 miles away from the Bern Canton. The people are speaking french as well as a german dialect. Apparently this dialect is very similar to the one spoken by the Pensylvanian Amish. A French man from Alsace, working for United Nations in New York is saying : « when I feel home sick, I go to the Amish country in Pensylvania, I can hear and speak a dialect very close to my alsacian dialect ».
The Amish movement finds his roots in the anabaptist peaceful communities of the Bern Canton, located in the german speaking part of Switzerland, Bern being now, the capital of Switzerland. At that time this movement is not yet called Amish.
In the year 1528, the Edict of Spire (Germany) prohibited the anabaptism as the passed away children, without baptism, could not go to Heaven. Further to this Edict, the violence of the Berner authorities against the anabaptists became very hard, the anabaptists had 2 choices : either to be converted to reformed church (protestantism) or to emigrate. Most of the communities emigrated to Alsace. They have been welcomed by the authorities as the war of 30 years just ended and they needed new people to replace the people who died during the war.
The Amish Schism starts from the year 1693, the anabaptist minister of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Jakob Amman provoked a debate, about religious practices, between all the anabaptist communities (Mennonite). the schism devided the anabaptism communities in 2 parts : 69 pastor ministers remained with the same religious practices (Mennonite) but 27 followed Jakob Amman who founded the Amish movement. All the Amish stayed in Alsace, very close to Jakob Amman. They always lived in the countryside in the land of the lords who found their interest to give them farms, because they always return to the owners more than what would have produced a none Amish farmer.
In the year 1712 Louis XIV the Sun King (builder of Château de Versailles) takes an Edict of expulsion for the anabaptists Amish of Alsace as Catholicism is a state religion and has to be the only one religion of France. The track of Jakob Amman gets lost, he died before the year 1730 in Zellwiller Alsace. (the exact date is uncertain).
There are many Mennonites and Amish who passed in territories not submitted to king of France. Numerous also emigrated towards the Netherlands where is an important and prosperous Mennonite community, then, from there for north America.

[Renata L.]

Chantal,
thank you so much for the history of the Anabapistes and how Mennonite and Amish communities evolved to how we know them today. I found it particularly interesting because I actually spent a few years growing up about two hours from Sainte Marie aux Mines. I lived in Saarland (on the German side of the border with Alsace Lorraine) in a small village called Saarlouis-Roden. I crossed the border into France every day to attend school in Saint Avold (about two hours north of Ste Marie aux Mines). It was not difficult, dialectically, to cross over from France into Germany in that region because of the Alsatian dialect (which today I still understand in bits and pieces but cannot speak anymore). On an aside, one of my grandmothers was from the Loir et Cher region of France, born in Blois. I still get around in French (with a slight Italian accent, hope you'll forgive me, because Italian and English are what I grew up speaking on a daily basis).

I do admire your English and so glad you joined the Forum! :cheer:

[E.M. T.]

Chantal...All so interesting ! Thanks for sharing and educating us with some fun history !

[Chantalida C.]

Hi Renata, I know very well all the towns you are talking about as I have lived in Nancy for almost 2 years. I know very well the Loire et Cher region beautiful as well with all the castles, all this region is now registred to UNESCO, did you visit it with your grandmother ? where are you from ? personaly, I live in center Paris and I love it. If you have any other questions about the Amish in Alsace, please ask me, I shall do my best to give you an answer.
Chantal

[Lois B.]

Thank you, Chantal. The people we refer to in our communities here in central Pennsylvania, namely, Snyder County & Union County, refer to themselves as Mennonite, and Old Order Mennonite. The Old Order folks also refer to themselves as "horse and buggy people". They have no electricity in their homes and they farm using plow horses and of course, they do not own cars. The women use treadle sewing machines. Many of the men folk in that community have now begun lumber milling, cabinet making and furniture making businesses. Some womenfolk have businesses selling fabric or grocery stores. Many sell fine quilting fabric at prices even lower than the typical $10.00 - $12.00/yd. The mennonite folks drive cars and own other kinds of businesses. In fact, the Bernina Dealer near here is Mennonite. His store is way out in the country in the midst of farmland. I understand his store sells more Berninas than any other on the east coast. His showroom is large and modern. They have a huge classroom and have all kinds of classes (mostly embroidery) many days of the week. I go there often for notions, thread and fabric. I don't have a Bernina sewing machine but let me tell you the pressure is on every time I enter the store. I did buy a machine there once. It was a second-hand Singer 500, known as a Rocketeer and manufactured in the 1960's. When I saw the owner that day, I joked with him telling him that this was the day I was buying a machine from him. When I showed him my $75.00 bargain, he laughed. Alex Anderson has been there more than once for one of his big promotions. I met her there. I digress. Thanks again. Chantal.

[Lois B.]

I'm late to this party, but..... I have just returned from the Lancaster AQS show and they do have the ruler foot for the Bernina long arm and it will fit domestic Berninas. It looks well made and I'm excited to finally have an option for a proper ruler foot for my Bernina friends to use ruler work for smooth lines and curves while free motion quilting.

Since I pretty much got the whole free motion ruler work thing started, I've checked out all the ruler feet on the market. My hands down favorite is the Janome combination that results in what I call the ruler foot. But I'm a Janome user so it's an easy thing. I don't recommend the Parrs Reel Ruler foot as it has been made an odd size and won't work well with other rulers to give 1/4 and 1/2 inch spacings. Plus its a hopping style foot with the cheapo bar over the needle screw. Not much height adjustability either. The Westalee ruler foot is nice if you can't use the Janome foot. If you can use the Janome ruler foot combo, it's a toss up. The Janome foot adjusts better for batting thickness and is rounded on the base of the foot so that the fabric doesn't get 'pushed' upon occasion with a bulky quilt. But the Westalee foot has better visibility around the foot with its simpler foot attachment. The Westalee ruler is probably cheaper even with shipping than buying the whole combination of the Janome convertible free motion foot set and the frame quilting foot set. Both still require the adapter shank to work with Bernina. I talked to a Brother dealer at the show and the Janome foot can be used on Brother machines, as on several other machine brands. (No, I don't work for Janome.)

So visit my blog if you'd like to learn more on ruler work on sewing machines. Amy's Free Motion Quilting Adventures

Additionally, I don't recommend doing ruler work with a standard free motion foot. Way too easy for the ruler to slip over the foot and break a needle and possible throw your machine out of timing. Nor do I recommend using thinner rulers for ruler work as they could slip under the foot with the same results.

[Brenda R.]

Amy, do you know how we will be able to adjust the foot for different thicknesses of batting?

[Brenda R.]

Sorry Brenda, I don't. I'm thinking the Bernina has a pretty good foot height adjustment on the machine? I'm a Janome gal myself, I just am sharing this because so many of my blog's readers have been asking about a foot for ruler work. The Bernina ruler foot doesn't look to have any adjustments on it.

Amy
Amy's Free Motion Quilting Adventures

[wendy w.]

I have the 560 and can adjust the foot pressure using a dial on the side of the arm I'm sure other Berninas have similar

[wendy w.]

Janome's also have a foot pressure adjustment - well my elderly My Style 22 does at least. Cannot help with the newfangled ones (ie younger than 15 years :whistle: )

[Brenda R.]

Oh, yes, absolutely, my Berninas have the foot pressure adjustment. Thanks for the replies.

[Paula D.]

I have no doubt we will see a ruler foot from Bernina at some point (I'm saving up my $75 or so dollars. LOL) Also on the growing wish list is a totally mechanical machine with a stretched harp. Interesting concept.

[Paula D.]

For everyone looking for a Bernina ruler foot- look no further! Bill & Leonie West at Westalee Designs make ruler feet to fit Bernina's. You do need an adapter shank -#77. Tell them your particular model. They also sell various rulers as well - check out their videos on You Tube. I have one & it's works great. No need to wait on Bernina! They test their products forever!
Happy quilting!