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How To Get Started With A Serger

You can definitely sew without a serger but once you have tried a few projects on it, you will love it right away. Now let’s find out all the things you can do with a serger.

What Is A Serger

A serger is in essence, still a sewing machine, but it makes use of more spools and needles to create stitches that a regular sewing machine cannot do or takes more time to do.

It may sound complicated at first but you will mostly need up to three spools, which means it is one more than a regular, starter sewing machine. As a serger cannot replace a sewing machine completely, you still need to have both in order to sew. For some suggestions on a best starter sewing machine,    visit this link .



How to use a serger sewing machine

Most sergers on the market today offer you both decorative and utility stitches. When you try the machine at the dealer’s place, run a few lines and you will know what you need.

Why You Should Have A Serger

The most obvious advantage of a serger is that it is quick. It can help you make a pair of pajama pants in no time, fix torn seams in a blink of an eye, and many more. Most sewists say that a serger’s stitches stretch more and are sturdier than those produced by a regular sewing machine, thus, the garments you make are more durable than usual.

The most serger has a blade to cut off excess fabric. This works simultaneously with the needles so you do not have to do the job yourself later.

The Settings

When you work with a serger, you have three functions to adjust so that you can produce different stitches:

1 - Cutting Width

This setting determines how much fabric is left within the seam. If you want a larger amount of fabric, change the cutting width to a bigger number. I usually increase this setting when I deal with thick fabrics.

On the other hand, thinner fabrics call for a smaller amount of fabrics. So in this case, what you have to do is to decrease this number. Whenever you notice fabric building up beneath the stitches, try decreasing the number a little bit to solve this problem.

2 - Feeding System

A serger is different from a regular sewing machine in another feature; it has two sets of feed dogs. The first set works just like that of a sewing machine, while the second one helps the project gets out of the machine.

For fabrics of medium weight, the differential feed should be set on “N”. Increasing the setting makes the fabrics gather while decreasing will stretch them out.

You can use it to serve your purposes. Whenever you want to ease something, set this function to a higher number. When you try to sew a light-weight fabric but do not want it to pucker, set the serger at a smaller number.

3 - Thread Tension

Whenever you run into a problem with the tension, do the following.

Always start off by using the setting for each stitch on your serger and see how things turn out. If it does not work, rethread the machine with a thread of different colors so that you can easily identify what causes the problem.

When you know exactly where the problem comes from, either increase or decrease the tension setting, but go slowly and by small amount. Keep changing the setting until the result is what you expect. What you want is the two looper thread show themselves and they are linked to each other when you look at the edge.

Important Serger Functions

1 - Seam finishing

With this function, you will never have to touch the pinking shears again. The seam allowances will be quickly finished and neatened by a 3-thread system. It works on both woven and knit fabrics.

You can totally do seam finish with any entry-level as well as a more advanced sewing machine. A serger merely provides a quicker way. For beginners, I highly recommend mastering your skills first and then buy a serger later. To save your time, here is an article on   Where To Buy The Best Basic Sewing Machine For Beginners And Home Use to point you in the right direction.

2 - Seaming Knits

The elasticity of stitches made by a serger is the best fit for knit fabric because they can stretch with it. I usually use the 3-thread function for seaming.



Sergers helps seaming knits easily

3 - Gathering

Gathering is a quick way to add a little decoration to a home décor piece or ruffle to outfit. While you can do this with a regular sewing machine, a quicker way is to increase the differential feed setting. To do this, you set the machine at a higher number so that more fabric is fed under the foot when you serge.

4 - Coverstitching

Ready-made garments are usually hemmed by a serger so they look professional. If you want the same outcome for your outfit, a serger can help with that. So those who want to make garments often, what you want is a serger that has built-in coverstitches.

5 - Optional Serger Functions

Rolled Hem

For kid clothes, the rolled hem function will save you a ton of time.

Chain Stitch

This one is more a decorative stitch than a utility one. I often use it for denim projects and when I need to topstitch. My last project with it is a skirt and I am planning a new pair of jeans at the moment. I feel like a whole new world of possibilities open up for me when I have this machine. However, be careful with this stitch as when you accidentally pull the right thread, the whole thing will come right off.

Elasticator Application

For quick half-slips, pairing an elasticator foot with a serger will make a thing go a lot easier and faster.

Flatlock Seams

This stitch type is handy on so many occasions but I love to use it for tights because the seams will not rub on my thighs.

This special seam can be created on a best sewing machine for beginners, like the ones listed in this link  https://craftsselection.com/best-sewing-machines-for-beginners/ if you know the right techniques.