I am a fairly new quilter, but I was wondering if a serger is a worthwhile purchase or can this same thing be accomplished with your own personal machine?

Just curious, any advice would be helpful.

It is not necessary to own a serger to make a quilt.

It is nice to have one for serging raw edges of fabrics before washing them (if you are one that washes - I am) and for finishing the raw edges of a quilt before binding it.

It's great to have for general sewing - those finished edges sure make an item look better.

I like mine.

Yes, I own one. No, is not necessary to own one.

Mine was given to me. Is is useful if you make garments or things like courtains, but not needed for quilting. It secures the edge of the seams, but you do that from the outside when quilting.

I have a serger and although I'd consider it pretty necessary for garment sewing you don't need it for quilting.

I have one and never use it, the threads keep breaking and I have finally given up on it. Probably has about 30 minutes of sewing on it.

Ditto, almost...I've got several hours on mine but it's 20 years old. Most of the time, it's not worth the aggravation. It stays in the closet unless I'm ready for a fight!

If you just plan on quilting, put that money into a good sewing machine instead. JMHO :)

I'm afraid if I buy a serger I might have to sew clothes. I've been quilting for 12 years and haven't needed one yet!

A serger can be used to make a quilt, but I personally had problems with both accuracy and seam bulk when I tried it. For me, anyway, it's much better to sew quilts on a sewing machine. The serger is great for sewing curtains and clothing (especially knits), not nearly as useful for making quilts.

There are many quilt patterns that can be made on a sewing machine that cannot be made with a serger. The serger is much more limited for quilting applications.

Not to mention the expense. Instead of spending money on a serger that I may or may not use I'd rather use it on getting a better machine or fabric.

My sewing machine comes with an overcasting and overlocking stitch. The big difference is that the serger will cut the fabric while it stitches. The only time I've used the overlocking was to do curtains for my stepsons room because the fabric was ravelly and I've also used it to hem pants. For me not worth the investment.

you don't need a serger to quilt

I have 2 and have never used them for quilting. I say use the money for more fabric :lol:

I bought my serger to sew clothing. I have sewn an incredible amount of dancewear with it (and costumes for dance theater groups). I would have to say that I would never want to use a serger on a quilt. I do too much "reverse engineering" aka ripping apart which is much harder to do with a serger becuase you have to deal with at least 3 threads more!

I love my serger and use it alot. I love my sewing machine and use it alot. Each does its job well. In my opinion for quilting only a serger is a big expense. I can actually sew anything I want without a serger (finishing seams might take longer is all).

I have one and don't use it much. Probably would be good for making clothing.

I had one and gave it away. Too hard to thread and not worth the effort for me.

Zigzaging the seams works just as good as a serger with out the bulk. I zigzag my seams just for the fact it reinforces the 1/4 inch seam and keeps the fabric from fraying. It is a good idea to do if you wash your quilts alot.

I have a serger and would not be without it but I haven't ever used it for quilting. I am considering using it around the sandwich before binding it tho. I've heard it does a really nice job. I also used it once to finish the edges of placemats and was pleased with the way they turned out. I think it all depends on what you want to use it for.

I am with the majority here. My mother gave me hers. I have never used it or even taken it out of the box. I think I would take a class to learn the machine if I did want to do some garment sewing.

I"ve had two, and I use it a lot. I make a lot of little girl clothes, for dress and play and I love doing the straight seaming and having a clean seam. I haven'/t used it for quilting, but for anything else, I couldnt do without it. Threading isn't easy, but if you follow the manual, you can do it. Best to tie new thread to old on the loopers!

I have my mother's serger, and didn't use it for the first five or six years that I had it...then I got my sewing machine, and William wanted me to start making his Hawaiian shirts...I use it everytime I make one for him! :) Love the thing!

I dont have one, most people I know that have them use them to make clothes. Seem to work great on knits...I know a lady who makes her own swimwear with hers, and its AWESOME!

I used to use my serger almost every day, but now that I don't do garment sewing any more, I rarely use it. However, when I do need it occasionally, I'm very glad I have one. Mine's very basic and is old now, but sure comes in handy sometimes and I've never regretted buying it.

I don't have one. They are not necessary but are nice to have. Someday I may have one.

I don't believe it is necessary to own a serger, but I could not get along without one.
I always serge my binding edges before sewing onto a quilt.
I also make baby receiving blankets and burp cloths and serge the edges on both.

I was intimidated by the serger when I first bought it, but am gradually learning more and more uses for it.

So all in all, I think it is up to each individual whether or not they need one.
Good luck on whatever you decide.
Sue

i have one, for oh, about 5 or 6 years now, have not used it ever...at first i couldn't see to thread it, then loaned it to my daughter, where it lived in a corner for about 3 years...she never got around to 'trying' it out, so finally returned it...i thought, well i have glasses now, maybe i could finally learn to use it...problem now...threading and usage instructions are on a vhs tape...and our player quit working, all we have now is a dvd player...so, do i go out and try to buy a new vhs player...just so i can watch this tape and learn to thread this thing, or, does it just continue to take up space under the bench in the mud room?.....

I got one about ten years ago. I don't even know where it is right now. So that tells you how much I use it.

No, you don't need a serger to quilt. I think it makes the seams too bulky. However, that said, there are certain fabrics that scream for a serger because of raveling.

I've had one for years (updated a couple of times) and couldn't live without it for sewing my clothes and for others. It's like my embroidery machines. I don't NEED them but would be miserable without them.

I have learned the hard way (about when I was ready to pitch mine) that if the directions say to thread 'a' first then 'b', to do it in that sequence. Otherwise you will continue to break the thread. There could be other reasons, but that is usually mine.
I have a Husky 936 and love it---now.

Yes, I own a serger. No, it is not a necessity. I don't use it for quilting, in general.

I got one with my Brother when I bought it. I don't use it quilting nor do I finish off my edges before I wash(I just cut with the zigzag rotary cutter) I do however use it a lot for making crate pads and cage covers for the humane society. Makes everything go so much faster.

I had a serger but always had trouble threading it so I sold it. You definitely don't need one to be a quilter.

I also had the thread breaking problem and I was ready to throw the darn thing out, but my DH said let's take it back to the store where we bought it, and they looked at it and said the pressure was too high and they fixed it and now it works great, but I still hate threading it. I do use it for finishing raw edges--not on quilts, but I'm planning to make the 6 hour serger quilt as soon as the pattern I ordered arrives.

I have a serger and love it. I don't use it for quilt making but I'm sure you could. Clothes making or placemats, tote/purses a lot of things that you want a finished seam. I also like to shorten T-shirts with it. Like a sewing machine you can do many thinngs with it. I'm not sure we need half of the 'things' we have but, we love them anyway!

I own a serger and I love what little I have done with it. I am challenged with the threading, but have taken it to quilting classes and am learning the advantages. I used it to sew on the binding of placemats, and it looks so professional. I whipped up a great pillowcase with ease. Of course that it is class with a teacher. I need to learn to thread it without help. I think I will try the tying off the thread so I don't have to keep threading it.

I have talked to a few women that say they only use their serger to sew quilt tops, and use the sewing machine for things the serger can't do.

I like the idea of serging the edges when you wash fabric.

I have 3 sergers , but I use them a lot in my sewing shop for alterations, keep one w/white one black and use one for colors. Couldn't do without them, but not necessary for quilting.

I have a 20 year old, 4-thread White Serger. I don't use it all the time, but find it very useful for bib cloths, receiving blankets, cool wraps for your neck, and especially pillowcases. I serge long strips for sub-cuts - it's great for the rail fence pattern. While not a necessity, mine is a real workhorse and makes a really sturdy quilt for my lovely grandchildren!

I have a serger & I do not use it for quilting. I don't have enough control of it to keep a consistant 1/4" seam. There are many times I wonder why I even bought it, however, I am finding that I like it when I do pillowcases. That said, my sister has one & does beautiful work with it, but again does not use it for quilting.

I have three sergers and I love to sew with them. I keep different color thread on each one. I took a class at the local Sew & Vac Center and learned how to thread the sergers easier. I bought a Singer first, then bought a Janome when my mother bought one and it was more user friendly(I thought) than my Singer. Turns out it was just the operator. Now, I have three to use because after my Father passed away, I moved in with my Mother. I have made the quilts I made for Christmas with the sergers. I was worried about the stitching coming out on the regular machies. But, I think I might go back to my regular Singers to do some more quilts. Sergers are not necessary, but very handy to have around, in my opinion.

My comment on Threading a serger pretty much answers this question. I found after purchasing my serger that I could easily live without my "have to have." It's handy if you sew kids' clothes, edging fabrics that easily ravel, quick napkins, etc.

I have a serger and use it all the time for clothing. I did make a serger quilt once. It was all done on the serger except for the binding. I might even get around to making another one someday. A serger is not necessary for quilting.