i work at a bridal /formalwear shop doing the alterations and selling and bridal consulting....i mentioned in passing that i would love to take a class about serging if they ever got one....well they went and bought the serger and i don't know how to use it...it has a video tape...do you think i can learn to do it by myself? i usually do well with some sort of a 'teacher' ie hands on....now i'm so nervous about them buying this machine...and feel the pressure to learn to use it...... Linda
Sure, Linda, watch the video. Thread the machine with a different color thread in each place. Follow the threading instructions carefully. Most early problems are the result of mis-threading. The order of threading is
*very* important. Hang in there! We're here to try to solve your problems.
Using a serger is not difficult, but it does take patience to do it well. A teacher would be best - did this serger come with a free class? A lot of them do! If so, do take it, as the classes are really the best way to go. If not, there are a number of good books on the market, and using them in conjunction with the serger's instruction manual and video is a lot better than nothing.
Your workplace would find it very beneficial to send you on a paid course of several days worth of lessons, if there is one going. The best place to make your first enquiries is at the shop where they bought the serger. You have the advantage of already being able to sew so it won't take you very long to get used to the serger. I speak here as one who learned to use her serger purely from the manual (no video with my first serger!), and THEN did a course to improve my techniques later.
Just to start with, they need you to be able to dedicate at least one whole day without interruptions to serve customers to become familiar with the machine and some of the things it can do: work your way through the instruction manual, making samples of the different stitch types on different fabrics, and keep a close record of each one. Make a book of them to refer to in the future. Put the pressure back on the workplace: they bought the machine, so they need to ensure that you know how to use it properly, or their investment is wasted. This will take both time and money!
What type/make of serger is it? If we know the make and model, we can give more specific help.
Also, pop over to my web site and have a look at some of the things I've done - quite a few are done with the serger. There are others here with pix of what they have done too. I make wedding stuff, costumes, quilts, all sorts. I deeply love my serger.
they purchased the serger at the local fabric store ...it is a New Home HF504D i can bring it home and play with it...great idea about the notebook and notes...I think they really thought they were doing me a great favor but i know nothing about one...you are giving me great faith...i appreciate it... Linda
Do ask the shop about lessons then. I was concerned that if it was a warehouse or internet purchase, there would be no back-up like this. A local store is much more likely to do lessons you can get to.
Best of luck, and yell when those threads tangle!
BTW, learn how to thread from scratch! It's not difficult, and can save you a lot of hassle!
Probably in a bridal shop all you will be doing with a serger is finishing off any seams that you have to cut off. I hardly ever cut anything off though, I've learned over the years that you never know with people, and some will put weight back on after you've taken in something.
I do use it sometime to do hems, by serging the fabric then turning it up and stitching close to the hem edge. I only do this if I have the right thread color,and if the original was done this way.
You really must be careful not to have anything under the cutter blade that you don't want to cut. With big bridal dresses and full bridesmaids dresses you have to be VERY CAREFUL to watch at all times that you don't have anything but the seam in the way of the cutter. Bridal alterations are always way to close to the wedding to get the dress replaced, if you were to cut something you didn't want.
What I do use the serger for alot, is to cut off the netting inside bridal dresses, but I remove all threads. (actually I have an older serger that I keep unthreaded for this purpose), I marked inch marks on my serger and if I have to cut off three inches, I just line the edge up and serge away only cutting not sewing. This speads up cutting off hems greatly, you do have to guide the net straight though. You could just serge off the lineing layers, but I don't do this because if the netting catches one thread of the serged hem, then you have a thread mess.
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