How useful is a serger

I would never suggest discarding DH in favor of a special screwdriver. And if you see a pun in that, I didn't.

G'day

That's Ok.....it's a book that gives good basic info that is clear and precise, imho.

Well if you have $1400 to spend, you could do lots worse than buy a serger and an embroidery machine.

All my machines are Janome, two are embroidery/sewing machines, the others are a Compulock (TOL serger) and a Coverstitch machine. There will be NO more machines because I'd have to buy a new house with a larger sewing room....LOL That's not including another Janome, put aside for my 2 x DGD's, and an antique hand crank machine.

Machine embroidery is totally addictive...but I enjoy it!!

Bronwyn ;-)

Moanna wrote:

I'll add here that the instruction should be hands on. Don't leave the shop until you can thread it at least 3 times all by yourself (no hints!) in under 5 minutes. I must say that, though pricey, the Evolve is very nice in this regard.

Phae, ALL my sergers have Taken less than five minutes to thread, and I've never had a threading lesson other than what's in the instruction books! Occasionally I get one that needs REthreading a couple of times, but they are all pretty OK these days.

Does the Evolve have the air-jet threading?

My new Bernina has needle threaders built in: their only time waster! I'm quicker threading by hand, and I don't use looper threaders or tweezers. Mind you, having small hands helps - DH has to use tweezers to thread up!

I do a lot of finishing details on the serger too. Rolled hems, flatlocking, over-edge sating stitch... Depends what I'm making, but a lot of garments are finished on the serger. Both the new ones do a blind hem, which I must play with. :)

Are you trying to get me to blush? You succeeded!

I have an "offset" screwdriver, which has the handle at right angles, so that instead of twisting it, you push on the end of a long lever arm.

I've also seen screwdrivers with round handles the size of a softball. Joy Beeson

We're talking new serger with someone who never had a serger before, Kate. We all know you're faster than a speeding bullet. ;)

yes

One quick try by DH an it was ready to go. I put the attachment on and it works fine. I need to practice using the gathering thingy but I can see where it will save me lots of grief. Now I just have to spend some time trying different types of fabric and writing down my results so that I know what I'm doing when I really want to use it. It's mostly a mater of fabric feeding and control that I have to master.

Juno

Yikes, NOooooooo, Rustoleum is *paint*!

And how did I get that way? DOING IT! Just take a day when you are sewing 9 different things in different colours and you want them all to have matching threads... :)

Even when I got my first serger (the old three thread Toyota) I could thread that in five by the end of the first day. They are nothing like as scary as people think.

I want to play with that one day. Maybe when I win the lotto!

My Bernina 800DL is a piece of cake to thread--- vastly easier than my first Babylock. But, the one looper would have been difficult the first time had someone not shown me. Threading sergers is often intimidating for serger newbies. So the dealer should be certain they can thread it with facility before they leave the shop.

I use the Bernina for all of my 3 and 4 thread overlocking and the Evolve for all the fancy stuff, some of which I have not yet learnt. I was dubious at first but I think the looper tubes are brilliant not only for ease of threading but because you do not have to worry about order of threading. Nice triple coverstitch (double too) and a chain stitch as well, plus numerous other configurations. On the downside, it is not quite as smooth running as the Bernina and you cannot position it so the scraps fall off the table into a bag.

Phae

Next time you're in Bath, come and play with my Evolve!

Megwen

I think the dealer knew I could read the book and was fairly savvy and wouldn't have a problem. He does get one or two who never seem to get it right...

Mine fall on the floor and get hoovered up! :) The Bernina has quite a neat box that catches most of the off cuts, but the Brother hasn't so I just use the carpet...

Deal! ;) I gotta get to the Museum of Costume one day, and DH and James would love the baths. Mind you, I don't trust James not to fall in...

With a serger, it is *imperative* that you get a decent one, not a pile of junk.

And then proceeded to agree that some edges need finishing and some are better without.

I was rather surprised to find that the seams in my linen-cotton shirting hat were better without -- I'd settled for pressing the seams open and top-stitching to fake taped seams because it was only a prototype. Now it's worn out -- probably from my habit of mopping my face with it while gardening -- and the seams have bloomed, but haven't frayed.

The same is true of a cotton-twill hat that didn't even have the top stitching. I guess I'll stop taping seams in hats! Particularly since all my nice taped-seam hats have vanished and the two with raw seams and the one with a brim that's too wide have hung around.

I really, really would like to find the one that matches my white damask suit. Perhaps if I get on a chair and take *everything* off the shelf I used to throw it on . . .

Joy Beeson, wearing a straw hat from big R with the white suit.

But remember that decent does not necessarily mean expensive! Nor does it have to mean new. My Toyota was £130 pre-loved. The brand new Brother was £219, and the Bernina was £475.

Funny you should mention cotton twill, as I happened to spend this weekend running up laundry bags out of a nice bolt of heavy white cotton twill just lying about. Had planned to make slipcovers, but thought there was more than enough for that, and to make a few laundry bags to give as gifts for college students setting off back to school. Besides had a vintage McCalls "Laundry Room Essentials" pattern just lying about gathering dust.

Not having a serger, just did straight triple straight stitch for seams, and used my Singer pinking "machine" to trim off excess round seam allowances, and across the raw edge of the top. Roll hemmed side seams above where stitching ended, then folded over top bit of fabric and used the "overlock stitch" on my Pfaff to make a casing. No muss and no fuss, quite simple. Yes having to sew, then pink took two extra steps versus using a serger, but one must make due.

Now if present company will excuse me, going to see if I can put some free hand monograms on the bags being given this week. Should have done it before sewing, yes I know, but making the bags was so easy have wind left to get adventurous. *LOL*

Oh the pattern? In the end just eyeballed things and ran up the bags without bothering. Hate cutting out patterns anyway, now just have to get the darned thing and it's mates back into the envelope. *LOL*

Candide