Becky Hanson - First Time Sewing with a Serger: The Absolute Beginners Guide--Learn by Doing * Step-By-Step Basics + 9 Projects

THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS GUIDE

by Becky Hanson and Beth Baumgartel

Have you ever wondered how store-bought garments or home dcor items get those perfectly stitched finished seams? Well, you can achieve this same professional finish on your own projectswith the help of a serger!

A serger, also known as an overlock machine, is different from a standard sewing machine. Although both machines sew stitches, they sew them differently. Each machine works best for different aspects of the sewing process. Just as a kitchen has a stove and a microwave oven, every sewing room should have a sewing machine and a serger. A serger helps make many of your sewing tasks faster and easier. It also allows you to create many specialty effects that arent possible with your sewing machine.

Once you start working with a serger, youll be amazed at how much time you save. Youll love the results, too. Soon, youll wonder how you ever got along without one!

Have fun! You can sew it!

If youve never sewn with a serger, youre in for a treat. Sergers are wonderful machines that trim the fabric edge, overcast it, and sew a seam all at the same time. They also sew lovely embellishment stitches and tightly rolled hems. Your serger will soon become one of the most useful tools in your sewing room. Its not difficult to useand youll soon appreciate how much more quickly you can sew and how professional looking your finished results will be!

A serger is also called an overlock or Merrow machine (the manufacturer of the industrial version). Overlock is really the name of the primary stitch formed by the machine, but the term is frequently used to describe the machine itself.

The serger stitches a seam while trimming and overcasting the seam allowance, all in one step. It is also perfect for edge finishing single layers of fabric for hemming or for a simple clean finished fabric edge. It moves at a speed of about 1,300 stitches per minutemuch faster than a standard home sewing machine. It can save hours of tedious seam finishing and give all your projects a more professional look, whether the serged stitches are functional (on the inside) or decorative (on the outside)!

A serger is typically defined by the number of threads it uses, anywhere from two to five (with additional threads if there are double or triple needles on a single shaft). The number of threads, in turn, determines how many stitches and what types of stitches the machine can form. (For a complete explanation of serger stitches, see shown .)

Sergers have been marketed to home sewers for only a few decades. The original machines were large, heavy, and loud, with exposed knives that were somewhat dangerous. Todays sergers are much more user-friendly and are available at many price points and with a range of features. Many models are computerized.

A serger cant entirely replace a sewing machine, but it can certainly enhance your overall sewing. You will find that the more you use your serger, the more comfortable and knowledgeable you will become, and the more youll be able to do with it. Whatever you call itthe serger, Merrow, or overlock machineonce you start using it, youll wonder what you ever did without it.