I agree with Dee, it's a must for sewing- I couldn't sew without my sergers! I also have 3 embroidery machines, and I keep one serger always set on narrow rolled hem for linens and such. If you do any embroidery on t-shirts, I always shorten the hems on them as it makes them look so much better, but I press the hem in place then an inch above crease I zip it off with the serger- so easy, then topstitch. And as said, those small quilting pieces must have the edges serged before washing or you lose an inch. You don't need to spend $1,000, but don't get a super cheapie that doesn't sew well or you will hate it. I have never had a problem threading mine or anything else- they are both over 25 years old now- both Babylocks. Good luck- if you get one, take an owners class!

You can use a serger to serge the edges of your quilts when you attach the binding using a fusible thread in the upper looper. After serging, fold the binding over the stitches to the back of the quilt and iron. It will hold binding in place for you to hand (or machine sew).

I use my surger a lot, but not for quilting.. The only quilt things I use it for is to keep fabric from raveling. I use it quite a lot for making napkins and other decorative items, cutains, purses, and I always do the inside seams on totes I make. Mostly I use mine for garment construction. If you have one, keep it, you never know what you'll be doing next week!

LOVE the serger technique on the quilt! How pretty! I mainly use my serger for home dec, regular sewing & alterations, or just anywhere I want a seam to not ravel. Don't generally use it for quilting, but recently saw a serged ruffle technique used on a quilt to add texture -- now thinking of trying it - even if only in small "accents". I think the serged edges add a unique look.

If you add basting thread (it's fusible) to one of your loopers, then when you press the serged edge or hem, it will definitely hold it in place for you to secure w/ permanent stitching. I think it also dissolves away, so don't use it place of permanent stitching. I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone spend a lot of money on a serger til they know they'll like using one. Start out w/ a lower-end model w/ a couple of practical feet & settings & work your way up.

I use mine to clean up the edges of the quilt before I bind it. It cleans it up, gives me a nice edge and compresses the sandwich a little. I find the binding goes on smoother this way

I've had one for 2+ yeaars. Never have opened the box.

I have two sergers and they stay out on my sewing table at
all times. I always serge raw seams of fabric before pre-washing and I also use to finish all my raw seams in dressmaking, sure can make a difference, also good to serge
edges of hems before the turnup. Haaven't tried them at quilting as of now; but you never know as smart as the ladies on this board are if there's a will there's a way

Oh, wow! I already trim all my quilts with a serger, but this idea about the fusible thread is just great! I will definitely try it the next time I finish a quilt. Thank you! :)

I use my serger for everything. clothes (not just knits) - It goes faster and the seams look like ready to wear. I admit if I am in a tricky area, I sometimes sew with sewing first and go back and serge the seam. When I need to hem pants or a skirt, I mark the hem allowance and then cut off and finish the edge in one pass of the needle.

I have made a quilt using the serger. My favorite way is to use denim. Make your serged seams on the top side of the fabric, where they show. When the quilter quilts the seam are turned ever other way. Multi colored thread looks nice on the denim.

Baby receiving blankets are so fast. Round the corners and there is no starting and stopping until you are finished. It is not necessary to use a rolled hem. A three thread flat lock with a narrow stitch looks great.

Remember when using a serger you have to get on the fabric as if you are driving on an expressway (angle on and angle off).

Napkins and table cloths using a rolled hem are fun and fast.

There are other ways to use your serger too, just can't think of them just now.

Remember to take the new owners class your dealer provides. Be sure to purchase through a dealer where you can get help and service. Ordering from the internet or purchasing at a garage sale is not recommended for a novice. I you are experienced this would be ok.

DONT GET FRUSTRATED. It is a different kind of tool. Learning the parts and termanology (sp) is important.

Good Luck!!

I purchased my serger (pfaff) about 12 years ago I have used it ....MAYBE.... 5-7 times. Never for quilting. If I had it to do over again, I would still purchase one, but I would purchase it off of ebay or buy it used. I would never buy a new one or spend a bunch of money on one again. I just do not use it enough to get my money out of it.

I use the serger to serge the ends to wash fabric, to do garment construction, and in the rolled hem mode a lot. But have not used it for quilting. At our local quilt shop they actually do a serger quilting class. So I know it can be done.

I walked into my local sew store, asked the owner to educate me on sergers, what they were good for, what they did and how they worked. She spent 2 HOURS with me, even teaching me the basics of how to thread/sew. They happened to have a beautiful self-threading Babylock Evolve (8 thread machine, Cover and Serge) just come in on a trade in. The owner showed me the difference between 4 thread models and the big one. She in fact did NOT try to sell me the big one, but recommended the 4 thread for me (a beginner serger). I left the shop, an hour after closing time having put a 'hold' on the Evolve. I bought it the next morning and spent that day at the shop having a one on one training session with the shop's serging instructor. I left, tired... but knowledgeable and confident. (and much poorer!).

It's been 6 months and I've used the serger to:
repair or make towels,
cover stitch knit t-shirts,
make curtains for my sew room,
serged pin tuck doll dresses,
ruffles for pillows,
cushions and canvas covers for my bar stools,
finished seams on garments,
cool handle & pocketed book bags made out of upholstery samples and home dec fabric swatches,
a quilted Thinsilate Lunch Tote, with inside pockets for those plastic Ice bricks, plastic silverware, and tupperware,
an easy/quick quilted thanksgiving wall hanging (ohio stars),
rolled edge linen napkins to match,
a pretty silk scarf (rolled edge again),
Sunbrella boat cushion covers,
nylon ripstop fabric 'flags' for the flag pole out front,
mending and reshaping my DH's golf and work shirts,
and prob. much more that I don't even remember.

A serger can do many things, piping, cording, felling, rolled edge, hemming, blind hemming, flatlocking, pin tucking, gathering, elastic gathering, beading, decorative stitches, etc. It can even do multiple things, at the same time and cut the fabric for you too. I still use my sewing machine for lots, but I turn back and forth between the two all the time now.

Okay... so all the above is to say... you will only use your serger - if you get training on it, and it's fun and not frustrating to use.

That big babylock of mine has up to 8 threads and 5 needles! - but it's self threading using air puffs. When I do a big combo stitch requiring 6 or more threads... it would be HORRIFIC if I couldn't thread it fast. (It takes me about 5 minutes tops to thread even the most complicated cover or cover/serge combo stitches. That makes me happy!)

Most people seem to get frustrated with their sergers cause they take so long to thread, the machine is fussy/keeps jamming or the threads get tangled or whatever. So do yourself a favor, and buy a self threading serger. Even if it's a lot more $$$. You will actually USE the machine versus having it collect expensive dust bunnies....

Also... get it from a good dealer or pay to take it in and have classes on it. Classes on YOUR machine. Then use it. Explore it, try new things... just for the coolness of it.

Oh! To the lady that did the quilt with WAVE stitches on the outside... try using that stitch on the outside of pocketbook style bags joining sumptuous upholstery fabrics with velvets or thick silks or other various types of home deck stuff. It's stunning!

As you can tell, I'm having fun with my Evolve!

Oh my word, you make me want to trade my Imagine in on an Evolve!!

<giggle> Well... serging is a whole new world for me, and I don't spend a whole lot of time in my craft/sew/quilt room - on average maybe... 6 hours a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But that Evolve makes me want to try new things. I figured out how to serge on curve... simply because there was no one there to tell me that 'it couldn't be done'.

The Imagine is nice.. .and likely to do 90% of whatever you could want. I knew that I'd never again be likely to purchase another serger... so I wanted the one with more functionality. That, and the sewing store owner had me actually sewing a cover stitch on a knit hem, the very first time I tried it. Wasn't hard at all... just needed some hand/eye coordination and patience while learning!

If I had gobs of $$ I'd get an Imagine too, just so I could keep one set for specialty stitching and the other for overlock serging.

Do you use your Imagine????

I sure do. It is about the 6th serger I have owned and far and away my favorite. The ease of threading is wonderful. I also have a Singer that I keep set up for cover stitch. Is it quick to switch to cover stitch? Switching to rolled hem is so easy on the Imagine. I really could not do without my serger. I would give up the embroidery machine first.

ah... so you're a PRO! Okay... well... I'm so not! <laugh> The cover 'side' of the machine is mostly, but not all, seperate.

To change over from overlock to cover on the Evolve: basically, you pull the needles out from overlock area, and put 1 to 3 needles in the chain needle area. Change out to the sewing 'deck', engage the chain looper, and dial in the chain looper tension and the Chain needle tension. Upper looper is down. Dial in the length, align your fabric and go. With the three needle positions, you can opt for a simple 1 needle chain stitch, various 2 needle coverstitches (either right, left or wide) or... put in all three needles and do a triple cover stitch. It's really neat when you set the sucker up for a Triple cover + 4 thread overlock. All five needles going at once! It's SCARY! lol!

Ah so...I think I will keep my combo of Imagine and coverstitch machine. I do not want to have to do all that switching around when I want to do a cover stitch hem in the middle of my project. I am intrigued with the decorator stuff you can do with the Evolve. I bet you end up doing some neat things with your quilting projects. Check out the Yahoo group for Babylock sergers.

Oh the rolled hem on the Evolve must be identical to the Imagine. There's like 3 or 4 ways to do it... depending on what the fabric is. I discovered I really liked running lite chiffons, silkies and sheers through it, to lettuce the edge. Never could do that before! I also tried the gathering foot and the one adding elastic, encasing and blind heming all at once. I wasn't so good at that, but I figure that practice will help me do it better. It was too many things holding/happening all at once for me to keep up with. It worked, but I need to work on my guiding/feeding 'skills'.

I just got a couple KwikSew knit patterns, and I think I'm about ready to 'graduate' from doing little projects... to attempting my first ever knit garment. Something really easy... like knit work out pants. I mean like, those are so easy I shouldn't be able to screw them up! (too much!) lol.

You go girl!! keep practicing with the gathering foot..it took me a while to get the hang of it. Sewing knits is a breeze with the serger. A good thing to do is make yourself a little book of the different combinations of stitches and fabrics using examples you then label with the settings you used. You can use that for a resource as you work on different projects and want to achieve different looks and results. Different fabrics react differently tho the automatic tension is fabulous. My other machines did not have that and I really appreciate it.

Interesting. The serger instructor and the shop owner both told me to do the same thing. I haven't really done it. Oh, I've kept my practice pieces and written on them in ball point... what the settings were. I guess I should get a notebook and staple them in there... Hum i'll go dig one out tonight. Thanks for the encouragement...

Yes... I can see where it would be practical to have two different machines, and it seems lots of folks do, esp. if their livelyhood/business is in sewing. The combo stitches are more interesting than practical... at least to me right now. Oh and thanks for the heads up on the Babylock yahoo group site...

I use a photo album and just slip the samples in the holder pages.

I have had a serger for years to use with clothing construction and home dec. Wouldn't be without one. Don't use it on quilting. Makes seams too bulky.

If I'm going to wash my fabric before cutting it, then I'll serge the ends first so it doesn't ravel. I make mostly Art Quilts, so don't wash my fabric, usually. I mainly use it for finishing seam edges in clothing or making rolled serged hems on napkins and formals.

i use my surger for seams when I make aprons and other things besides quilts.

When I first got my serger (which I didn't even ask for), I used it to repair all of my towels. I haven't had it out of the box for years now, because the last time I had it out, I couldn't get the tension right. I wonder if it needs a tune up. I really need to repair towels again! I probably wouldn't use it too much in quilting.