Bernina Sewing Machine

1890s to 1910s: Karl Friedrich Gegauf and the invention of the hemstitch sewing machine

The present-day Bernina International AG was founded by Karl Friedrich Gegauf (1860–1926), who, at the beginning of his career, decided to pursue an apprenticeship as a mechanic instead of studying medicine. After completing his apprenticeship, he worked in the Baum embroidery machine factory in Rorschach. In 1890, Karl Friedrich Gegauf set up his own business in Steckborn, Switzerland, opening an embroidery and mechanical workshop for the manufacture of his own invention, a monogram embroidery machine. Together with his brother Georg, a salesman, Karl Friedrich ran the Gebrüder Gegauf (Bros. Gegauf) company. Through his involvement in the textile industry, he noticed how laborious it was to produce hemstitching, which until then could only be done manually. Consequently, in 1893, Karl Friedrich Gegauf invented the world's first hemstitch sewing machine, capable of sewing 100 stitches per minute.

1893 is therefore considered the official founding year of Bernina.

In 1895, the Bros. Gegauf workshop was completely destroyed by fire, except for the prototype of the hemstitch sewing machine, which was the only thing that could be rescued. Karl Friedrich built a new workshop in an old barn, where the focus was no longer on embroidery but on the construction of the hemstitch sewing machine. About 70 people were employed in the serial production of the hemstitch sewing machine. The mechanical production of hemstitching, whether as embellishment for handkerchiefs, tablecloths, or bedspreads, was commonly referred to as "gegaufing", because the name Gegauf became well known in the industry.

1920s to 1940s: Fritz Gegauf and the development of the first Bernina household sewing machine

In 1919, Fritz Gegauf (1893–1980), one of Karl's sons, together with his father, filed a patent application for the "Wotan" hemstitch sewing machine, which became another international success for the company, which changed its name to "Fritz Gegauf". After being in Paris selling the company's tin openers, which had no market in Switzerland, he returned to his home town. His brother Gustav and he took control of the factory after their father's death in 1926. During the Great Depression, Fritz Gegauf joined forces with the embroidery factory, Brütsch & Sohn in St. Gallen, which was also operating in the red. By the end of 1932, they had developed the company's first household sewing machine, which they named Bernina. The Bernina was soon being produced as furniture-cum-sewing-machine, which required the building of a new, attached furniture factory in Steckborn. As of October 26, 1937, a total of 20,000 machines had left the factory in Steckborn. In 1938, the company introduced the first Bernina zigzag machine, and in 1945, the world's first portable zigzag machine with a free arm on the market. In 1947, Gustav Gegauf left the company. By mid-1963, one million Bernina zigzag sewing machines had been manufactured in Steckborn. Since then, the company has commonly been called Bernina, although, since 1947, its official name has been "Fritz Gegauf Aktiengesellschaft, Bernina Nähmaschinenfabrik".

1950s to 1988: Odette Gegauf-Ueltschi and the fully automatic sewing machine

In 1959, Odette Ueltschi (1921–1992), Fritz Gegauf's daughter, became involved in the company, and took over the management of Bernina after the death of her brother in 1965. In 1963, the first Bernina sewing machine with a patented knee-activated presser foot lifter, the 730, appeared on the market. From 1963 onwards, the subsequent model, the 730, was produced, and in the same year, the millionth Bernina sewing machine was manufactured. The top-seller of all the models was the 830 class, which came into production in 1971 and continued until 1981. In 1981, the company took a further step in the development of household sewing machines. The 930 model was the first machine with a stretch-stitch function. It was followed by the 1130, the first fully automated sewing machine, launched in 1986. The enduring mark which Odette Gegauf-Ueltschi left on the company is reflected in the name of the bernette sewing machine line, formed by a combination of the first half of the brand name and the second half of her given name.

1988 to 2007: Hanspeter Ueltschi and the first sewing computer, expansion of markets and production

Hanspeter Ueltschi took over the management of Fritz Gegauf AG in 1988 from his mother Odette Gegauf-Ueltschi, and currently runs the company as owner and chairman of the board of directors. After studying business administration at the University of St. Gallen, Ueltschi spent seven years gaining professional experience in the USA before getting into the leadership of the family company in Switzerland. Under Ueltschi, the company expanded its leading position in the sewing machine technology sector, reduced manufacturing costs, and advanced product innovations and marketing. The company entered the computer age with the artista 180, Bernina's first sewing computer, and ensured the continuous development and optimization of computer technology in the sewing field, as demonstrated by the successive models of the artista and aurora series. Ueltschi worked towards his stated goal of making sewing more appealing and popular worldwide. With Steckborn as the main site at the time, the company expanded internationally by establishing a plant in Thailand in 1990. Bernina Thailand is owned by Bernina International and is managed locally by a Swiss management team. Ueltschi is also largely responsible for establishing the US as a key market and expansion to the new markets in Eastern Europe, Russia, South America, and India, as well as in the Middle East. He renamed "Fritz Gegauf AG" to "Bernina International AG" to accommodate the trend toward globalization and the success of the company brand.

2008 to present

Under the leadership of CEO Claude Dreyer (2008 to 2020), Bernina diversified into longarm quilting machines, multi-needle embroidery machines (Melco), and launched several sewing machine series with the new Bernina hook system. In 2020, the L 850 and L 890, two overlockers with an air threader developed at the Swiss headquarters, were launched. Since 2021, the company has been under the operational management of CEO Kai Hillebrandt, while Hanspeter Ueltschi is chairman of the board of directors. His children Katharina and Philipp Ueltschi have joined the executive board.

In 2024, the company launched the “Bernina 990” sewing and embroidery machine. The machine, which was under development from 2017, features a scanner, camera, touchscreen, and laser, among other things. The equipment enables precise placement of embroidery designs, as the hooped fabric can be visualized in the embroidery hoop.

Models

Mechanical

These machines have fully mechanical controls and internal drive train and from model 125 were electrically driven with an external motor. Starting from the 500 series the 'x30' was the top model in each subsequent range, offering a larger number of stitches and from the 700 series incorporating a knee operated presser foot lifter as a 'third hand' for the busy machinist. These early machines all have a robust cast metal enamelled body, simple controls and produce accurate stitches in a range of fabrics, epitomised by the long running '830 Record' launched in 1971, offering 21 practical and decorative stitches and weighing over 9 kg (without case) popular with keen sewists, educational establishments and costume departments

The model ranges also included smaller and slightly lighter '3/4' sized portable machines with similar build quality intended for sewing class or domestic use, typically offering 7 practical stitches (e.g. 707/717 minimatic). The portable machines incorporating a transport handle from the 800 series were designated 'Sport' to distinguish them from similarly numbered models intended for static use. The 900 series, introduced a new squarer metal body and an integrated motor housing. The 950 Industrial was a long running flat bed model for professional use. The 1000 series with its increased 5.5mm stitch width, was the final mechanical model range and the mid-range 1008 model with 16 practical and decorative stitches remained in production until 2020. The high build quality, simplicity and durability of these Swiss built electro-mechanical models of all eras mean they remain popular on the used market and will give a lifetime of service with regular maintenance.

Mechanical models from the 530 to the 1000 series (and early computerised models to the 1630) use the Bernina 'CB' hook and take either the vintage engraved number two-pronged presser feet (4.5mm stitch width models) or the later type 'A' two-pronged presser feet (4.5 & 5.5mm stitch width models).

Embroidery software

Bernina developed embroidery design editing and full digitizing software branded under its own name and written by industrial digitizing software manufacturer Wilcom International Pty Ltd.