AURORA, Ill., Jan. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to announce that it’s celebrating its 125th Golden Anniversary this year. Focused on the motto “Celebrating Your Creativity,” BERNINA will rejoice in the past, present and future by offering a variety of special offerings including Golden projects and tutorials, giveaways, and contests. To enjoy an array of golden opportunities, including a free golden paisley embroidery design or gets tips on how to sew a black party dress for any occasion, visit www.BERNINA.com/125years.
To kick-off the 125th anniversary celebration, BERNINA’s WeAllSew blog is hosting the My First BERNINA contest where sewists are invited to share their story about when they first received or purchased their first BERNINA. The Grand Prize winner will receive a limited edition BERNINA 125th Anniversary Foot #1, which comes in a collector’s BERNINA 125th Anniversary tin. First, Second and Third Prize winners will receive Tula Pink specialty Hardware cutting tools. For additional contest details, please visit https://weallsew.com/berninas-golden-anniversary/. To review what current sewists have said about their Firsts, visit the WeAllSew Community Section, https://weallsew.com/community/campaign/my-first-bernina/.
“The My First BERNINA contest embodies the spirit of BERNINA enthusiasts that all share a special moment when BERNINA first became part of their lives and how their machines have made an impact on their creativity,” said Paul Ashworth, President, BERNINA of America. “We look forward to providing more updates on when our various 125th Golden Anniversary offerings will be available.”
Additionally, BERNINA of America’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/berninausa) will host monthly giveaways in celebration of BERNINA’s 125th anniversary. Also, keep your eye on the BERNINA Facebook page for a photo journey through BERNINA’s rich history, plus other news throughout the year.
In the Beginning
In 1893, when Karl Friedrich Gegauf invented the hemstitch sewing machine, the world’s first machine of this type, he could not have foreseen that his mechanical workshop would one day evolve into a global company and leading manufacturer of household sewing, embroidery and quilting machines. During this time Gegauf wanted to open up new avenues in the textile industry and made a mark with the hemstitch sewing machine, a machine that could sew 100 stitches per minute and enabled industrial production of the decorative borders that were popular at the time. After Gegauf’s passing in 1928, his two sons Fritz and Gustav took over their father’s factory. While Gustav decided to leave the company, Fritz continued in his father’s footsteps.
The BERNINA Brand was Born
In 1932, the household sewing machines that left the factory in Steckborn, Switzerland donned the BERNINA brand name and logo, and in 1945 the first portable zigzag sewing machine appeared. In 1963, BERNINA produced one million zigzag sewing machines.
BERNINA Leadership
In 1959, Fritz Gegauf’s hired his daughter Odette Ueltschi and in 1979 she became President of BERNINA. During her rein, BERNINA produced the first computerized sewing machine in 1986, the BERNINA 1130, that had fully automatic one-step buttonholing and stitch pattern memory. In 1988, Hanspeter Ueltschi, Odette’s son, the fourth-generation, began his leadership role and developed an iconic brand among quilters in the United States. Under Ueltschi’s leadership BERNINA made more innovative leaps in the 1990s with the launch of the top-of-the-line BERNINA 1630 that featured a 9 mm stitch width, over 400 stitch patterns, monograms, 5 alphabets and the ability to sew in 16 directions. In 1998, the first sewing computer, the BERNINA Artista 180 was born. In 2004, BERNINA introduced the BERNINA Stitch Regulator (BSR) to uniform stitch lengths in free-motion stitching, which earned BERNINA the “Best Innovator” award from A.T. Kearney. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, BERNINA introduced its first multi-needle embroidery machine, the BERNINA E 16; Longarm Quilting Machines, the BERNINA Q 24 and BERNINA Q 20 and the BERNINA 700, its first embroidery only machine.
The fifth-generation, Philipp Ueltschi and Katharina Ueltschi, have joined the company and are working to build a new brand for young sewists and focusing on the distribution of BERNINA products in Singapore.
About BERNINA
Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA is the world’s premier manufacturer with a proven reputation for offering quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers, and embroidery software. BERNINA’s leadership is marked by an impressive number of ambassadors, industry leaders, influencers and bloggers who chose to partner with the company. BERNINA products are sold in the United States through a network of over 400 fully trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education. Select BERNINA and bernette machines, and BERNINA software can also be purchased online. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. You can follow BERNINA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/berninausa, Instagram: @BERNINAUSA, and Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WeAllSew, and read BERNINA’s WeAllSew blog at www.weallsew.com. To learn more about BERNINA and to find a Dealer, visit www.bernina.com or call (630)978-2500.
Images on Flickr:
Karl Friedrich Gegauf:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berninainternational/3661380375/in/album-72157620577893484/
Fritz Gegauf:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berninainternational/3661381009/in/album-72157620577893484/
Odette Ueltschi:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berninainternational/3662184914/in/album-72157620577893484/
Hanspeter Ueltschi:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berninainternational/37421076546/in/album-72157620577893484/
The world’s first hemstitch sewing machine:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berninainternational/3661341645/in/album-72157620437470961/
Media Contacts for BERNINA of America, Inc.:
Joanne Tedesco, (312)780-7210, jtedesco@dresnerco.com;
Len Hall, (949)280-0413, lhall@dresnerco.com