Evy

I have an opportunity to purchase a serger. I have never used one but have always been curious about them. What's the advantage of one and are they difficult to learn to use?

mgmsrk

They are fast and are great for quickly finishing edges on knits. I use mine to stop the edges from fraying on wovens before I do a prewash, make quick cloth napkins, unpaper towels, dish cloths and putting together knit clothing quickly.

There is a learning curve to them as they are a bit different than a sewing machine and can be a pain to thread. Be careful buying a used serger if you can't test it first. A lot can go wrong with them.

Quiltngolfer

Baby Lock is the best brand. They thread easily and you don't have to adjust the tension. I had trouble with another brand I owned because it was too hard to thread and adjusting the tension for different stitches was a big problem. Try it out before you buy it.

mighty

I have one and I am sorry to say I have never used it. I know they are great I guess I am going to have to give it a try!

quilter2090

Serger's are a great tool to have if your budget will allow. They are not difficult to learn, it's just like anything else in life, you need to practice using it. I have read on this board, so many posters say that they have a serger,but, it sits in it's box and they have never used it. What a shame! If you make fleece baby blankets, a serger is great!If you make napkins, a rolled hem feature makes hemming a napkin a breeze. You can make reversible quilts with them, check out the Bernina video's on the Quilt Show. If you make garments, most of your sewing can be done on the serger. A serger cuts and seams at the same time. A lot of quilters on this board use their serger to keep the fabric from raveling when they pre-wash their fabrics. Check out Sewing with Nancy website, she just had a 2 part episodes dealing with sergers. Check out You Tube to see serger video's so you can see what a serger does. Enjoy!

QuiltNama

I have a Juki and just love it. Have had it for a number of years and use it for lots of different things. The advantage of a serger is, it cuts and finishes the edge of what ever you are sewing. They can be difficult to thread but most have a diagram on the inside door to show you how. I cut my thread, tie on the new color and run the machine til it comes to the needle then all that needs to be threaded is the needle. There is a learning curve. I use mine to serge all my fabric edges before washing, sewing clothes, long straight strips in quilting and other things. If it is within your budget, go for it but do test it out first.

jjsnacks

Don't hesitate to get one ..... I had one and unfortunately it got left behind when I moved house .... if you do dressmaking it is brill .... I had a singer and it was all colour coded for threading, never had a fault with mine in over 10yrs and it was used alot .

happykidshappylife

I love my serger! The Huskylock 341 D to be exact. I have literally worn out three sewing machines, however my serger just keeps going. Very durable and doesn't take a lot of care for all the sewing I do. Anyway, there is my penny's worth of opinion on it. Once you use it a couple of times, you won't know what you did before having it.

AliKat

Do you sew? If so the serger is great for finishing edges so the fabric doesn't fray. If you don't sew but think you might one day, then if you can afford it, buy it.

As for brand. I have a Pfaff and have had no problems with it at all. A friend has a Bernina and likewise no problems. Baby Lock is also good, as is Viking.

If you get one get the 4 thread. You don't need the 8 thread styles.

yes, you can use them with quilting. I just don't.

pumpkinpatchquilter

I have a Singer and I love it! I just received mine this past year for Christmas but I had been wanting one for so long. My Mother had Singer serger for years and even though they aren't high end they do the job and I don't remember my mother ever having issues with it. As a matter of fact she developed cataracts and couldn't see to thread it so she taught my Dad to do it for her...it's color coded, just follow the guides. The tension isn't that hard to adjust, as a matter of fact the new sergers come with a dvd that walks you through it. Mine came threaded and I actually was able to serge with it immediately out of the box!! lol*