Serger Sewing Machine?

Question

My beloved sewing machine has finally given up the ghost. I need to get a new one ASAP and am looking a bit into getting good serger and then an additional basic sewing machine. I've never used a serger and sew mostly costumes, using many types of fabrics including lots of stretchy ones. Any suggestions? What do you look for in a good serger? Are they just an expensive toy or will I find myself using it all the time? Are they hard to learn how to use? AAAARGH!!!!

Answer 1

I don't use mine as often as I thought I might.  It is not so hard to use, but is a real pain to thread.  I try to never rethread it.  You have to use special tweezers and I have to reread the instructions every time.  It is a White Speedylock.  If you sew knits often then you might just love it.  I think taking a class would help you get proficient and give you ideas on what to use it on.

Answer 2

Sergers are a little bit like the microwave of the sewing world... they're not (for the most part) used for couture, but when I need or want professional looking garments, they're the first thing I reach for.  You'll especially like them for costume work and stretch fabrics.  I literally can complete a serger-constructed t shirt in about 20 minutes.  15 for an elastic waist pair of knit shorts or pants.   The sewing machine mostly gets used for darts, buttonholes, topstitching and basting,

There is a learning curve for serging that's pretty steep at first for some people.  If at all possible, I usually suggest that first sergers come from good local dealers, not mailorder or big box stores, and that you go to the guide classes.  I'm not as fond of suggesting used sergers as I am of suggesting used sewing machines because sergers tend to have a shorter lifespan than sewing machines, particularly low end machines.

Suggested reading from your local public library:

--Chris James Complete Serger Handbook (one of the few available that talks about coverstitching*)

--Ultimate Serger Answer Guide (the book that stayed on my sewing table for the first year I owned the serger; also the book that convinced me I could handle a serger without having to call in the dealer every 10 minutes. <g>)

-- Sewing with an Overlock (Singer sewing series)

-- ABCs of Serging

-- Serge something super for your kids (a couple of similar titles)

-- Serger Secrets

See if they have Nancy Zieman's Serge With Confidence DVDs, or Margaret Tully's.

Then go shopping.  Play.  Try rolled hemming and a couple of kinds of seaming.  Apply some waistband elastic.  Use the differential to make ruffles or set a sleeve.  Bring along some really nasty, slippery, stretchy knit that's difficult to handle -- cheap slinky works well -- and use the differential to get a perfectly flat seam.

If you can learn to thread a sewing machine without a manual, you can learn to use a serger.  If you'd like to see some photos I took of threading my old Pfaff 756 3/4 thread machine, look at http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view...

and look at the Pfaff albums one through 5 -- these were taken for someone who had a similar serger and a crummy manual.  Takes me about 3 minutes to thread the machine from scratch, so don't let the number of photos scare you. (I was trying to get each tiny step because I didn't know what was giving her trouble.)

*Coverstitch:  Look at the hem of a commercial t-shirt... two rows of "topstitching" on one side, zig-zaggy thread on the inside covering the edge of the hem.  Can be faked with a twin needle on a sewing machine, but the sewing machine version is not as stretchy as coverhem, which makes it the stitch of choice for such things as swimming suits.  There are sergers that do both "regular" and coverstitch, and separate coverstitch machines.  Coverstitchers in the home market are a relatively new development and some of the machines with coverstitch ability are clunky to convert.  Some of us (me!) prefer a dedicated coverstitch machine and a "regular" serger.

Good place to ask more questions; the yahoo group "sergers".

IMO, good brand if you must buy sight unseen: Juki (who build very sturdy sergers not widely advertised in the US market.  Very good manuals that I think a beginner with sewing experience could easily follow.  Nicely engineered.)

If you're unlucky, you may wind up like me... unwilling to sew unless you've got a serger to use. <g>

Answer 3

my sister's friend uses her serger for everything.