A serger machine (also known as an overlock machine) stitches up and trims the edge of your fabric, automatically creating an enclosed seam allowance as you run it through the machine. I've had my serger, a Brother 1034D, for at least two years now, and I found it so intimidating that I only started using it last month. If you're familiar with sergers, you probably can sympathize with why I had been too scared to use it. If you're not familiar with sergers, then let me help you understand why sergers put the fear of God into even the most seasoned sewers.
It looks...weird
I know what you're thinking. It sure looks like a sewing machine, but something about it, and you just can't put you're finger on it, just doesn't look right. It's as if some insecure, self-conscious sewing machine got tired of being made fun of for being so small, and decided that today, yes, TODAY, he was going to do something about it and downed some steroids. Except, someone forgot to tell him that even though steroids will bulk you up, they'll also stunt your growth in all the wrong places. And you kinda feel sorry for the guy, but not so much that you want to be his friend.
That's how I felt about my machine. So it sat in its box, in my living room, staring at me everyday for years. In fact, I finally forced myself to use a serger by going on a sewing retreat. I really needed someone to hold my hand to work with one of these things, but once I used one, a whole world opened up to me and I laughed at myself for being scared to use one. But then I remembered another thing about sergers...
Threading a serger is a nightmare
At the retreat we used Babylock sergers (although I can't remember the exact model), and those puppies thread themselves with the push of a button. And I am not exaggerating. You literally stick the end of the thread into a hole, press a button, and the serger is threaded! But with most other sergers, you have to manually thread each of the four threads that run through it. Not only that, but you have to thread them in a particular order, otherwise things will explode. Okay, well maybe not explode. Implode is more the word I'm looking for.
With my 1034D, which I've named Sergeant Serger, I numbered each path (in red numbers) so I would know in which order they needed to be threaded. Luckily my serger also has clear diagrams that show what goes where. The first time I threaded my serger it took me less than an hour, but I have heard of other sewers that have taken hours to thread their serger. Hours.
There's no "undo" once the serger cuts your fabric
Sergers will slice and dice your fabric into next week if you're not careful. That little knife is intimidating and forces you to take the "measure twice, cut once" adage to the extreme. For me, it's more like "measure thrice, cut onc..., wait, what was that measurement again? I'll just measure it again five more times."
Fortunately I got over my serger fears. I decided that I didn't want it to be a paperweight anymore, so I made up my mind to use it in January. I started off with an easy project, a blanket, using straight lines, and with fabric that I wasn't afraid of messing up. It was scary at first, the machine running so fast and cutting all that fabric, but I quickly learned how to adjust my speed. It is also important to run a test swatch through before serging your project fabric.
That brings us to this week's project.
I've chosen two fabrics from the Aqua Terra collection, a red-orange fabric for the main body and a brown fabric for the band, for the basic Pillowcase.
It looks...weird
I know what you're thinking. It sure looks like a sewing machine, but something about it, and you just can't put you're finger on it, just doesn't look right. It's as if some insecure, self-conscious sewing machine got tired of being made fun of for being so small, and decided that today, yes, TODAY, he was going to do something about it and downed some steroids. Except, someone forgot to tell him that even though steroids will bulk you up, they'll also stunt your growth in all the wrong places. And you kinda feel sorry for the guy, but not so much that you want to be his friend.
That's how I felt about my machine. So it sat in its box, in my living room, staring at me everyday for years. In fact, I finally forced myself to use a serger by going on a sewing retreat. I really needed someone to hold my hand to work with one of these things, but once I used one, a whole world opened up to me and I laughed at myself for being scared to use one. But then I remembered another thing about sergers...
Threading a serger is a nightmare
At the retreat we used Babylock sergers (although I can't remember the exact model), and those puppies thread themselves with the push of a button. And I am not exaggerating. You literally stick the end of the thread into a hole, press a button, and the serger is threaded! But with most other sergers, you have to manually thread each of the four threads that run through it. Not only that, but you have to thread them in a particular order, otherwise things will explode. Okay, well maybe not explode. Implode is more the word I'm looking for.
With my 1034D, which I've named Sergeant Serger, I numbered each path (in red numbers) so I would know in which order they needed to be threaded. Luckily my serger also has clear diagrams that show what goes where. The first time I threaded my serger it took me less than an hour, but I have heard of other sewers that have taken hours to thread their serger. Hours.
There's no "undo" once the serger cuts your fabric
Sergers will slice and dice your fabric into next week if you're not careful. That little knife is intimidating and forces you to take the "measure twice, cut once" adage to the extreme. For me, it's more like "measure thrice, cut onc..., wait, what was that measurement again? I'll just measure it again five more times."
 |
| No do-overs! |
Fortunately I got over my serger fears. I decided that I didn't want it to be a paperweight anymore, so I made up my mind to use it in January. I started off with an easy project, a blanket, using straight lines, and with fabric that I wasn't afraid of messing up. It was scary at first, the machine running so fast and cutting all that fabric, but I quickly learned how to adjust my speed. It is also important to run a test swatch through before serging your project fabric.
 |
| Aqua Terra fabric for two pillowcases. |
I've chosen two fabrics from the Aqua Terra collection, a red-orange fabric for the main body and a brown fabric for the band, for the basic Pillowcase.
The Husband doesn't like feeling the seam where the main body and the band meet, so I measured the main body out a little longer than what the book calls for.
After threading the serger, I ran a test swatch through, and I'm glad I did, because after a few inches, I noticed a mess coming out the other side of the foot. I opened up the serger to try and figure out where things had gone wrong, but after a few minutes I decided just to rethread the machine. Sometimes it's just better to start over than to try and figure out what the issue is.
I ran the test swatch through again, and the stitching came out just fine, so I serged up the fabric for the pillows.
Looks great, and we're almost done with the pillowcases!
Hooray! I've got two new pillowcases to use tonight, and I didn't even have to go to the mall! This project was so simple and quick, that I've upped my goal from four pillows to six pillows!
Now that the basic Pillowcases are done, I'm moving on to the Stepped-Up Pillowcases. I've chosen 10 fabrics from the Bed and Breakfast collection for these pillowcases. One pillowcase will be blue and the other green, with a brown ruffle for both.
After threading the serger, I ran a test swatch through, and I'm glad I did, because after a few inches, I noticed a mess coming out the other side of the foot. I opened up the serger to try and figure out where things had gone wrong, but after a few minutes I decided just to rethread the machine. Sometimes it's just better to start over than to try and figure out what the issue is.
 |
| Yikes! |
I ran the test swatch through again, and the stitching came out just fine, so I serged up the fabric for the pillows.
 |
| Much better. |
Looks great, and we're almost done with the pillowcases!
Hooray! I've got two new pillowcases to use tonight, and I didn't even have to go to the mall! This project was so simple and quick, that I've upped my goal from four pillows to six pillows!
Now that the basic Pillowcases are done, I'm moving on to the Stepped-Up Pillowcases. I've chosen 10 fabrics from the Bed and Breakfast collection for these pillowcases. One pillowcase will be blue and the other green, with a brown ruffle for both.
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