Hemming Machine

I bought one like this:

'm probably going to eBay it, for the amount of set-up time to change threads and test it on different fabrics, it's not worth it to me. YMMV, Beverly

Melinda, you left out my "YMMV" (Your Mileage May Vary). :-) I have used a serger for years, and find them relatively easy to thread and test on different fabrics when compared to the hemmer. I found the blind hemmer to be a PITA. YOU may find it to be the best thing since sliced bread! ;-) Try a test drive?

I can do acceptable blind hems on my singer 401A, and if it won't produce the result I'm looking for, hemming by hand will. I have many useful tools, I just think the blind hemmer is over-rated.

Beverly

Great for those making curtains for a living! And I've tried the domestic Babylock too, and it is a PITA. Like Beverly, I decided to save the space for something less irritating. If I ever have the space to set one up permanently, I'll get an industrial one.

Those cheapo(baby lock, simplicity, etc.) home ones are horrid, nothing compared to a real blind hem machine. The portables are affordable and work.

Well, I don't even have a serger, but I have no patience with things that are complicated or take a lot of time, so I am pretty sure if it's not easy to change threads, I won't want to bother.

Like many things, it really boils down to what one is used to and comfortable with. Though own a slew of various ironers and presses, find most times can iron something via hand with less nonsense. Suspect same with sergers and blind hem machines.

When I worked in the garment industry (sales not sewing), the sewing girls/guys rarely "changed" threads on their sergers/blind hem machines for just one thing. That is if they were producing items that required white thread, that is what was there. If you came in with sample request to be run up and the material was say green, guess what colour the serging/blind hemming was?

Personally cannot help but think some of this mania for home sergers/blind hemming machines is coming from sewing machine makers to get them to sell more stuff. Blind hems have been around for ages and many home sewers/seamstresses/tailors managed pretty well without a dedicated machine. Sure a good serger probably could produce great looking items "just like you get in the store", but one of the reasons am sewing something is because I do not want something that looks like it came from a store. It is all down to technique and skill, no serger or hemmer machine is going to operate itself, one still would need to learn and practice.

Candide

"Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper." Quentin Crisp 1908 - 1999 _+_+_+_+_+_+__+_+_+_+_

I have the babylock blind hemmer and it is wonderful. BUT you have to have a lot of hems to do as they are not cheap and it's another machine to keep. I love it for curtains and voiles. It will not do much larger than a 3" double hem though which is a pain as I like very large hems on my curtains. Industrial machines are cheap and very fast, too fast for me but curtain makers and people doing alterations use them all the time as time is money and no domestic is fast enough Liz

Can't speak about a hemmer, but let me tell you, there is nothing that takes the place of a serger. The speed, the ease of use, especially on knits, there is just no comparison. I can't imagine not having it. I don't use it as much since I don't make many clothes anymore, but I still use it to repair seams in DD's tshirts. I use it to finish the hem edge before I blindstitch hem. I use it to finish off the edges of the millions of fleece blankets I've given as gifts to friends and family.

I really, really endorse using a serger. It's not a toy and it's not a gimmick.

Cindy

That's good to know. I was looking at a Janome Cover Pro.

Cindy

For some fabrics and processes, there is no comparison. Having the seam as strong and stretchy as a bought garment is a must when you are making bespoke dance stuff and swimsuits, for example. It also makes some fabrics that I'd otherwise avoid very manageable. Polar fleece for example: I'll never seam that stuff again on an ordinary machine again unless I'm desperate! It produces the best almost invisible seam on sheer fabrics. Yes, you can get excellent results using hand finishing methods, but other than for things requiring a couture finish, being able to whiz through seam finishing and hems on the machine can make the difference between affordable and impossible. I often use a combination: right now I'm finishing off some bridal stuff with hand stitched hems that were neatened using the serger. This combination gives me the soft fluidity and invisibility of the hand stitched blind hem with a durability of the serged edge stopping the fabric fraying away to nothing. There's no way this fabric (£3.50 per metre) is worth a hand overcast edge, and it wouldn't stop the rot much anyway!

Some garments never go near the serger, as it just isn't appropriate. Some garments would never get made without it! And what sold me my first one (a used 3 thread Toyota) was seeing how quickly and easily it did what it does, and the superb quality of the results. That machine has gone to a sister who sews, and I now have a Huskylock 910 with differential feed and a free arm, and a 4 thread Toyota back-up machine for when I either need two at once for different processes, two different coloured lots of thread for particoloured projects, or one is in the shop for its annual servicing. Once you are used to it, rethreading the machine is easy and takes very little time.

If what you enjoy is hand finished couture stuff and heirloom style sewing, then you may not have a lot of use for a serger. If you make stretchy custom outdoor gear, use fabrics that fray easily, or need the speed to keep a family or customers in things that fit, it could be a life saver. No sales person has ever tried to sell me a serger (except one, and I didn't buy their machine!). They all ask: are you sure you need one, because they are not for everyone. When I explain what I do, they all say: AH! One of the converted! I don't have a hemming machine (yet!), but I do use the blind hem stitch on my sewing machine a LOT! :)

I have one - I keep it threaded with nylon thread, although I don't mind rethreading it - it seems easier to me than my serger. I will add that my instructions say you need a 2 inch minimum hem, they mean it. As long as I do that I don't have a problem.

YMMV

Diana in Silicon Valley, CA

Hi

I have a TacSew T-500 machine, new condition, never used. Sells on Allbrands.com for $450, I'll sell mine for $350.00. Check this link out to see the machine specs:

can contact me at snipped-for-privacy@gci.net.Tom

What brand do you have, Diana? Cindy