Originally Posted by clsurz
I have a Singer Ses 2000 all in one machine. It sews, serges, cross-stitches, auto punch, embroidery, photo stitching but have used it only for embroidering so far and got it for that feature as well as photo stitching and sewing but now I think I will play with it for serging and see what happens.
I have the SES 1000 and it came with the "serger" foot, too - it trims off the excess fabric as it finishes the edge. But if you compare it to a serger, you won't really get a good idea of what a serger can do. The "serger" attachment is very slow compared to a dedicated serger and it doesn't give you the multiple threads for security and decoration that a serger will give you.
I used to wonder what on earth I needed a serger for - after all, I had zig-zag machines that could do overedge stitching and I had narrow rolled hem feet for hemming ruffles and sleeve edges and such.
Then I got a serger. A used one that only did three threads, and it was a BEAR to thread, but I was hooked! So I bought a used Babylock 400 and that was terrific, too but it had some defects that I couldn't fix and was also frustrating to thread, so after doing some research, I bought a Brother 1034D serger from walmart.com for about $190, I think. It's earned its keep and then some. It's SO fast, very easy to thread and clean and it does a lot of different stuff. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive for this model and if mine died suddenly, I would buy the exact same machine. :)
I made a bunch of rolled edge linen napkins, prepared lots of fabric for pre-washing, hemmed yards and yards of linen for curtains and bedskirts, finished the edges of all my quilts to prepare them for binding, serged a whole quilt top, made a bunch of doll clothes - sheesh, that thing is a wonder!! :)
When making the doll clothes, I drew the pattern pieces on the wrong side of the fabric, put two pieces right sides together and serged the pieces together wherever possible. After sewing the pieces together, I would serge the hems and/or waistbands in one long swipe. The tiny free arm is perfect for this. Then I could go in and do the elastic casings or neck openings with a sewing machine and scissors. Fewer small pieces to handle and finishing the edges is done at the same time as sewing.
If I ever get around to making a primitive quilt top with homespuns or a "shiny" quilt top with satins, I would choose a pattern that lends itself to serger sewing. No fraying - yippeeeee! :D
Have fun with that attachment, but if you love sewing and quilting, you will be doing yourself a huge favor if you invest in a serger.