Serger for Quilting - How do you use yours
 

I found a Serger at the local consignment store and they wanted 100.00 I talked them down to 60.00 - no idea if I got a good deal or not since its older but looks brand new. its an Elna 614. I have never used a Serger but have read here and there its great to use for quilting. I am very interested in hearing how others use their Sergers when making quilts. I know I am going to have a huge learning curve...and looking at the machine wonder how hard its going to be to thread. I am looking forward to hearing how others use their and also tips and advice.

i don't use mine for quilting as it adds too much thread bulk in the seam allowances. glad to hear that you got a good deal on your serger.

An idea for threading your serger is to tie a thread on the existing thread before it comes to the end and just pull it through and viola you have it threaded. I don't use my serger for quilting but always serge my cut ends of fabric when brought home and then wash so it is ready to go when I am ready to use it.

I bought a serger about 5 yrs ago thinking how much I would use it....not.....it now sits with a dust cover on it.....once had to rethread....5 hrs later....still no luck...had to take it back to store and was rethreaded in less than 5 minutes, so hint about tying that thread and leading thru paths is a great hint. I honestly cannot remember when I last used the dumb thing....of course I only quilt, so why did I think I needed that monster...........

There is not that much use for serging in quilting. the only use I could see is serging the ends of fabric you wash so it doesn't unravel

I found this video on how to quilt using a serger http://video.search.yahoo.com/search...eb&n=21&tnr=21

Welll i love my serger....i`ve done a lot of clothes in the past with it but now use it mostly to serge edges of fabric before washing....as well as once in a while when i see that some fabric unravels easily i will go back and serge a few edges...yes, in the back of my quilts....i haven`t had any problem yet with the thickness , but i only SID for now....I also serge the edges of my quilts after thy are sandwiched and when i have quilted enough lines to hold it together....It so easy to put the binding on it after the quilting is done....and I handstich my bindings so makes the work much easier ...for me anyways....

My first couple of quilts, I used my serger. I didn't know better, but my quilter did tell me they were the most accurate quilts she had ever quilted. I thought that was funny. She did tell me that if you enter a quilt in a big competition that it being serged would disqualify it. Probably because they are too perfect. :-P I now just use my sewing machine, to get the full experience piecing.

You can use your serger for a decorative effect on top of your quilt. One way is to make your quilt as if you're making a rag quilt but instead of attaching the individual squares with your sewing machine, attach with the serger with some of the beautiful threads they have out there.

I sew all my seams on the serger. As a result I never have a problem with seams splitting. I also use it round the edge of the finished top. This stops the edges fraying and makes binding easier.

There is a pattern called a 6(?) hour quilt. Not sure how many hours but it's not many. We made these for donations quilts at quilt guild. The turn out great on the serger. You are sewing 2 layers of batting and 4 layers of fabric together at a time. The serger has no problem with this and they are cute when finished.

Eleanor Burns did that book.

I plan on doing a quilt combining the blocks with the serger. As long as the quilting is confined in each block area and doesn't cross the serged seams then I don't see the problem. I use my serger to edge my placemats and matching napkins so that they look less homemade and more professional. It makes pillowcases in a zip. It makes silk or chiffon scarves for gifts that look like I bought them at Dillards. I like the edge the sergers makes on mug rugs and coasters better than a binding- much easier also. It can look as good as the made in the hoop ones on the e mbroidery machines.

Kaye Wood has the 6 hour quilt pattern with instructions for either sewing machine or serger.

Thanks...I have more to look up. I love all of your ideas!

Me too! Except I got mine as a birthday gift! I used it when I made some flannel pajamas for everyone one Christmas. I have had to rethread it a couple of times. I broke a needle about 7 months ago and I have yet to change it. Considering selling it as I never use it!!

You're correct, it was Kaye Wood. My bad! lol!

Someone recently posted that she pieced together a bunch of blocks serging the seams since it was for a cover for an old quilt. she serged it since she made it removable. By serging it the seams will not ravel. I can't wait to figure out my machine.

What a great idea to serge the ends of the quilt before putting on the binding - WOW I love all the great suggestions to make quilting fun!!!

I serge the edges of my quilts too. I think it's so much easier to bind it that way. I don't see where it adds any more bulk to the edges. Figure it would be easier if I ever need to replace the binding too.

I just bought a Brother project runway and I love it, I use it for finishing pillowcases that I give to kids in hospitals.
I have made napkins with the rolled edges with my old serger.

Oooooh yes! A pieced top that was serged, and a big sheet....that would make a Wonderful duvet cover!

If you pm me when I get home I'll get the name of a book that I recently bought about serging and quilting. I think that I saw it on either Sewing with Nancy or Georgia Bonsteel and I was intrigued but havn't had time to really look at it. I'm not sure about where you live but I think here Fabric Hut sells Elna so if you can find who sells them they might be able to help you learn about you great find. I know one quilter who serges her finished tops while she's waiting for time to quilt them. It lets her know in a blink that the top is finished and protects the ends.

I have the book with DVD called Serge and Merge Quilts. Ido use my serger to piece large simple blocks. The last one I did was a quilt for my son to hug him. I used a contrasting thread with the flatlock stitch to join pieces together. After it was pieced and sandwiched I stitched inthe ditch down the center of the flatlock with another contrasting thread. I didnt find that it added too much bulk for quilting.

I've also done this pattern with a serger - it's perfect for this though I've not used it on any other quilts. I do use it still for apparel and had to break down a few years back and buy a self threading machine... the threading and tension was too much for me.

Nancy Zieman has a serger quilt video on utube. check it out. The serger seam is on top of the quilt. Looks great and think I might try one.I found a serger on Craigs list and it was a Janome brand new. The lady that owned it couldn't figure out how to use it. Got it cheap and it sews great. Just have some patience and check utube for videos for your machine and see if they have any. Or go to the machine makers web site and see if they have any informatiom that can help you.

Serger quilting
 

I use my serger for piecing quilts, strip sets and strata for strip quilts can be whipped out really quickly using a serger. You can use the serged edges on the outside as a decorative element or hide them in the inside just like traditional quilting. I serge the edges of my fabric before I pre-wash to keep raveling to a minimum. As a long-arm quilter I love it when my customers serge around the edge of their quilts to stabilize the edges- no split seams !! One thing to remember is to use a good quality thread when piecing. Not all serger threads are created equally some are very linty and fuzzy, you will not be happy with the result if you use one of these threads. I do not find extra bulk to be a problem during quilting with my long-arm. Bulk may be an issue if you hand quilt-- I don't know.

Good luck with your new serger.

I found this video on how to make a quilt using only a serger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOTV-...layer_embedded