I serge the ends of my fabric together before I pre-wash. No ravelling and threads in the washer and dryer. I use it for finishing seams on garments. Used it last week to cut and finish my grandson's dress pants before hemming. It's nice to have. Mine is old (a Singer 4-thread) and I would love to have a 5 thread that would do the blanket stitch (that stitch you see on the edge of satin on the end of a blanket). Maybe I'll replace it one day for a more sophisticated machine. Buy one. They are really a nice tool to have in the sewing machine and have endless possibilities. All you need it time to do it all. Good luck. Gerry