I do other sewing besides quilts. I am thinking a serger will give it that finished look. Anyone else use one and do you like it :D

I have a Janome and I use it alot to finish edges the quick and easy way on some projects. I make alot of receiving blankets, crib sheets, etc and it only takes minutes to give them a finished edge. I love it.

I have a Huskylock that was my mom's...I was intimidated by it for years, and wouldn't even try to use it...and then one day I had William oil it up, and I sat down with a threading diagram (it's an old machine)

It's the best thing that's happened to the shirts that I make for him!! :) He likes what it does too, simply because there's no more fray!

I vote for buying the serger! ;)

You will find many uses for a serger. Decide what you want to do and then buy according. I received several sets of knit warm up pants that were too long. I had a serger but wanted one that did the "overlock" or "under lock" or whatever it is called. The one that on the top looks like two straight rows of regular stitching with the cross thread on the back side. I havn't used it yet to shorten the pants but sure have used it for other things. Used it recently to make the "little dresses for Hati" and am going to serge a piece of fleece for a couch cover and a friend gave me several yards of very good wool plain. I'm going to make lap throws and serge the edges. I can go on and on.

I've had a serger since 1982, it's still going strong. It's a babylok. It doesn't get used as much as it used to since I do more quilting than clothing now, but it's a real workhorse, has only been serviced twice since I bought it.

I took a class once for a serger quilt, it was SUPPOSED to be a wall hanging, I made a king sized bed quilt. WE embroirdered the center of the block then serged all the blocks together. I love my serger.

My SIL has one, and her clothes look so professional. She make everything, even swimsuits, and they are so AWESOME! I say get it!!!

Everyone is being so helpful. If I buy it today its on sale a...Janome Kenmore....A 3-4 thread...with cover stitch...uses reg needle

I have a Babylock Evolve. I may not use it all the time, but when I want to make say a pair of shorts, pj's or whatever, it goes so fast.

I also have a babylock and love it. It has made my life so much easier. Especially if you plan on making any knit clothing. Big difference in the finished product. I think a class would be great to start out with. There are so many more things that can be done with it if you know the settings and the correct threads to use. There are lots of books on the subject available too.

I have the Huskylock 936 and absolutely love it! I make a fleece pieced quilt with it and it turned out great.

If you are new to using a serger I would suggest buying one from a machine dealer for the support. I have lifetime support from my dealer. I can go to the store anytime for personal one on one lessons as well as a free monthly serger class with the dealer.

I've had to call them a couple of times and they have been able to help me right over the phone.

Just my opinion. But I do love my Husky.

If you can get a Juki please try it. I have a serger too, a cheap one but I saving for a Juki.

I have had a Kenmore serger since the early 80's. I love it.

OK I now own a kenmore/Janome....internet said this one is a janome....now to figure it out and get thread at a reasonable price

Have fun with buying a serger

One of my friends uses her serger to finish the edge of the quilt before binding it and says she loves the look on the edge before she puts on the binding

I have a surger the only complaint is that it is hard to thread, make sure that the one you pick out is easy to thread. Then you will love it.

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

I wish mine had a cover stitch

I have a Husky 936. I jumped right in making 5 satin medieval style angel dresses. Boy, did I have a bastism by fire with that. It has been a match made in sewing heaven ever since.

About the time I quit doing a lot of dress making , I bought a Bernina serger. I use it a lot just finishing things like making rolled hems for napkins, valances etc. It sometimes now is used more than the sewing machine. Knit tops it is great. If there is a possible way to use it, I do. Many quilt tops are serged as it is so much faster when doing a lot of straight stitching. For the charity quilt pattern I use, it makes it come together in no time. Mine is just one of the cheaper models from a few years back and it has been heaven having it. How I managed to sew little girls dresses and hubby shirts without one, I will never know. Whatever one you end up getting you will use it a lot . Mine is not a self threader so if you buy a cheaper one, do not be intimidated by it. Once threaded it is easy to change thread. :thumbup:

I got a video and a very good book with it. It came already threaded so i just had to tie on the new thread and pull it through. I just used white and off white. It has an easy diagram when you opened it I bet it will be good for purses.
A pair of slacks first :-D

I have a Babylock its about 14 years old. I use it all the time. I like to serge the ends of my fabric before washing them. I don't have to deal with the fabric raveling.

I bought a cheap serger from Walmart about 13 years ago because I didn't want to spend alot on something that I might not use alot. I loved it then and still love the same machine today and it turned out I use it alot

I have a Huskylock 936 and I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had owned a serger that I bought from Sears and I hated it.

I love getting professional results on clothes that I make, and I just used it on some of the seams on purses that I made. It will also do a coverstitch, but I don't like changing the plate to do it. So, I bought a Janome cp 1000 coverstitch machine that I love also.

Peggy

I bought a White serger, and really have yet to use it - just too intimidating for me! I am selling it at the "sewing parking lot sale" on Springfield MO the end of the month.

I make almost all my clothes and love knits. I have had a Bernina (4) since they first came out years ago and wouldn't be without one. Like all the rest of you, I tend to be a perfectionist. years ago, my dresses had to be as finished on the inside as well as the outside. Sewing time is cut in half.

Biggest problem is new serger sewers are intimidated at first and don't take the time to learn how to use it. If you do, you won't be sorry. I do everything from seams to putting in zippers. AND the perfectionist in me is very happy with the finished product.

I have a Babylock Imagine and wonder how I ever got along without it. The threading is so easy and never have to check the tention. Be sure to check out these features when making you decision.

Congrats on your purchase, let us know how you like it. I have wanted one, but could never figure out what to use it for as I don't sew. Duh huh? lol.

good luck with it have fun.

Rita

I have a Janome, love it, love it, love it. Use it all the time. Once you have the treading down, it is so easy to use. Now with all the clothing fabric being stretch, a serger is the way to go. When threading, it is about what order to thread. For mine, and most, the order will be 2,1,3,4. Once you remember that, everything goes smooth. Very rarely do my threads break now. I highly recommend one if you do a lot of clothing sewing.

I use to it serge the raw edges of fabric before washing it - and for regular sewing.

I love the finished look of the seams. Takes away "that home-made look"

And there is no fraying of the seams.

Aside: My Mom always said there is a difference between "home-made" and "custom-made"

But one has to start learning somewhere, so keep on trying if this is something that interests you.

I saw a tutorial on this site called "Super fast jellyroll quilt. I did this quilt in about 1 1/2 hours using my serger to do the 1/4" seams. Now I am wondering why I don't use it for other quilting? Dumb!

I have a white that is a 1995 model. I love it, one thing to be careful of make sure it doesn't crawl on the table while you're using it. Maybe the newer one don't but the older models used to.

I had a Huskylock years ago and had lots of trouble with the tension. I was very frustrated with it. Looked at several brands and bought the Babylock Imagine probably 14 yrs ago and feel like I had dies and gone to serger Heaven. I love it! No messing with tensions and it is used alot. I do hemming for people and it is great to finish the edges of the pants before I turn them up; use it with sewing anything with a straight seam; go around the edges of quilts before binding. Try them out and see what you like. Sometimes a sale is not the right answer. Good luck with whatever you decide and take lessons if you can-that always helps.

I have a Huskey 936, I love it!! I use it constantly! It saves me so much time. I serge my fabric before I wash it. Doesn't matter what color thread, but really prevents fraying. I use it for all of the seams in the clothing that I make. Make sure that you get one with a built in cover stitch. You use that for hems. A rolled edge for finishing almost everything else, including quilts before you bind. Cuts and finishes it before you add the binding. HEAVEN!!
I was intimidated with it for awhile, but now. . . . . I can't live without it!! If you can afford it, it is a great addition to your sewing room! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I also use mine for this purpose - it gets rid of all the fraying bits too if you use the knife cutter, and you can see so much better to line up the binding.

I'm in the market for a new one - mine is very basic and I want one that will do the coverstitch since I'm only 4'11" and need to hem everything.

This is just a question! I have a 6600 and can do blindhem, overcasting, etc. Except for the material cutting on the machine, can you explain the difference to me. I'm trying to visualize and see if I need one of these. :-D

My serger is older - so the new ones may be different

The blades cut the excess fabric off before it gets to the needle and threads - so the overcasting goes over the raw edge(s) of the fabric after it has been trimmed.

Clear as mud?

You should stop by a shop and demo a serger. It really depends on how much you sew. I do more clothing than I do quilting, so for me, it's a huge time saver. But, I know people that own one and never use it. My sewing machine is on my left, the serger is on the right. I use both of them all of the time. It really depends on the project. ;-)
I know................clear as mud! I own several size irons too! Different ones for different things, same principal!

I just purchased a Juki and I love it. I will use mine alot to serge the outside edges of the quilts after they are machine quilted and before binding them. It makes for a great edge for binding.

A lot of people are afraid or stymied by sergers, mainly because some are horrible to thread. I had a beautiful little serger which worked well. But when I lost my thread somewhere, it was a bear to rethread.

I bought a Viking serger six months ago. I was promised it would be easy, but I had a hard time learning to thread it and the store where I bought it was no help. I found another store and now I know how to operate it and I use it all the time.

Make sure there are some lessons with the machine (cost free for a new one) so you learn how to use it. It costs you money having it sitting on the shelf.