I want to purchase a serger and would like some opinions on which one to consider buying. Thank you

Babylock has sergers that are very easy to thread - I have the Imagine and love it!

I just bought a Brother special edition serger - it's the Project Runway model. local quilt shop had a sale so it was 15% off. Included extension table and extra feet. Also an instructional DVD which was extremely helpful for threading. I've only played with it a little bit, but seems like a nice machine. Runs smoothly and quietly. Have to do a project to really get a feel. Oh, LQS also includes free lessons, which I can really use.

I love love love the 936 Viking. Easy to thread, has the coverstitch capability and is very east to use.

How much do you want us to spend? :)

Not really sure what a serger is good for that a sewing machine can't do??

me too,,,,and love it....

What do you use your serger for? I have one and would
love to use it other than every now and then, but I don't
know what to use it for that I can't use a regular sewing
machine to make.

I have a Babylock self threader and I LOVE it.

I barely use mine :(

Agree wholeheartedly. The Imagine is awesome and goes through all thicknesses of fabrics without a hitch and never breaks thread like an old Riccar serger did.

I have a Singer ProFinish and love it ....I don't use it very often either!!!

I bought the Babylock Imagine in August and I haven't stopped using it since. I made several clothes for my GD and now I am making placemats and napkins for Christmas gifts. Some are quilted and edged with the serger, some are machine embroidered and edged with the serger and some are just reversible and edged with the serger. I love the edging the serger does so much more than the binding that I had to do before I bought the serger. It looks so much more professional. Having the serger to sew clothes with cut the sewing time by about 3/4! I'm also making some silk scarves for the young women on my gift list. Very simple. 2 yds of silk for $30 will make 3 scarves and I can put a rolled hem on them in minutes. Very pretty and inexpensive gifts and so much easier than using my rolled hem attachment on my sewing machine. I had heard remarkable things about what the differential feed would do on the serger and now I can say that it is all true. I wouldn't want to try to sew anything at all with out doing all I could on the serger. It's like the difference between cleaning your carpet with a broom or a vacuum! If you've always used a broom then you don't understand the difference a vacuum will make. The same is true about sewing with a good serger.

I have a Babylock, however mine is really old and it has only 3 threads.
when I bought mine it was starting to sell for home use. Maybe someday soon I will get a new one, but, the Babylock has work really wonderful and I love it.

Thank you, I have been wondering this same thing. I am buying myself one as a graduation present in the spring. I have seen some really cute baby things made with fleece and serged.

I'm a garment sewer who also quilts, and I LOVE my serger. But the only quilting thing I've used it for is serging my fabric ends before prewashing. Otherwise, it's great for sewing knits and for finishing seams.

I have a Necchi, and it's been working great for me since I bought it six years ago. If possible, get a serger from a local fabric store which teaches classes on how to use it. I bought mine following an intro to serging class. I haven't used half the stuff I learned, but it was great to get the exposure.

I have my older Bernina 3 thread serger that I only use now to serge the edges of fabric before washing. Unless you have plans for doing garment sewing, you might want to consider a used one from a dealer.

Ladies, Thank you for all your suggestions...I saw a pattern to make scarves that are done on the serger...and sevral other gifts done on one...also saw a book on how to make quilts with one. I love the finished look of the finshed seams.

I have an older Bernina - probably about 20 years old - and I love it. Haven't used it in quite a while but I won't get rid of it yet.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Yes, the silk scarves are beautiful and look so professional! This year I am making cosmetic bags for Christmas gifts. All you need is some pre-quilted material (I make my own), a zipper, and about 15 minutes time from start to finish! I plan to put a gift card in each bag for Christmas.

I have had 3 different brands.Baby Lock is my current one (I've had it 6 years) and it is by far the best I have used.

I've had a Babylock for 25 years and it's been a super workhorse. Easy to thread, color threading guide right on the machine. Love it.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love my Babylock, use it primarily for "dressmaking" for those finished seams. Invaluable for interlocks, and do use for rolled seams for napkins and quickie tablerunners. In my ignorance, used for the first "pattern" quilt I ever made, a double Irish Chain for a niece who just turned 18. That quilt was also "tucked and turned" and had ties. Just had to repiece it a year ago. Now has machine quilting.

I have a teacher that also serges her quilts when she's done and they are waiting to be quilted. This lets her know at a glance that it's ready for quilting; which she does but can't always get around to until later on.

I also have a Babylock, but the Imagine. It is an AWESOME machine. It's a little pricey but it's well worth the price. So easy to use, great instructional book and cheat sheet.

Now, instead of having only white thread because I cringed when I broke the thread on my old serger and had to re-thread, I change colors in a minute....such a nice machine !!

How are you planning to use it? Do you want a 3 or 4 thread machine? Do you want to have a rolled serged hem edge capability? How much can you spend? Do you have a good dealer locally? Sometimes they have some great deals on used machines. Are lessons available? Make sure you get an instruction book to go with it.
A hint on rethreading: tie your new thread color to the old on each spool, change the tension to zero, pull the new threads thru, you might have to actually thread the needle as that knot might not go thru the needle, then put your tension right back to where it was, then your ready to serge. The small amount of thread wasted is teenzy compared to the time it takes to rethread the whole thing. This of course if you don't have one of those snazzy new ones that shoot the thread thru with ar.

I have a Babylock Imagine and love it. It treads so easily threads can be changed very quickly unlike my first serger that took so much time to get threaded properly that you were almost out of the notion to sew by the time you got it "ready"

I have a Babylock Imagine got it last November and I love it . And these week I went and bought the Babylock Evolution it is the best Serger ever. It does all the stitches very quite and turns curves so easy. I love both of these I'm keeping both of them. Go to you tube and look at the video's and Nancy Zieman has a video with Margret Tully that is get. Good luck

MIne is a Janome 2040. A serger is for pretty specific things IMO. Been sewing taffeta victorian skirts had to serge all the seams to prevent fraying. My Sapphire doesn't overcast well. Have made knit baby blankets, tablecloths and napkins. Serging gives a nice professional edged seam. Got one lower looper that is a bear to thread. I will tell you everything from how your thread cones are placed to the threading has to be done 100% right to work. Never misplace you book!

Oh lordy lord yes indeed! I have had several sergers...high end, low end old and new and I will tell you the one thing that can frustrate me to no end is threading the loopers. At some point you just have to do this and when I saw how the Babylock is self threading on Sewing With Nancy I knew that I had to had have that machine. I traded a Bernina 1300 for mine. Threading is no longer a dreaded pain in the you know where. If you buy a serger get the self threading kind for sure.

Pat P, you are so right on the book, I just got a new one called Evolved and is self threading, I love it. My pillow cases I give to charity goes so much faster. the fishing on clothes are great.

Cookie

Almost all commercial sewing is done on a serger or at least most of it. While I don't garment sew all that much anymore I use it to make my Linus quilts. I make them pillowcase style and sue the serger to do the initial joining of the two layer and the batting. I then turn it right side out, press it and machine quilt it. I have recently started making the little dresses that are sent to the Carribean to cover the little girls to help keep them safe. I serge all of the raw edges of the material I use on the dresses. It gives them a professional look that makes the children think they are "store" bought just like the "rich" girls. This is my second serger. I had a basic Bernina one for about twenty years. I used it a lot making garments and crafts for my daughter and grandaughters including the dresses for my daughter's wedding. Last year I traded up to a little more efficient one that was much easier to thread. It gets used as often as my sewing machine.

I have a babylock protege' 4 thread for 275.00 plus shipping pm me if interested

I use serger for napkins, tablecloths and recently made some pillows for my daughter's couch with ravelly material and used the serger for all the seams. It sews so fast!

Babylock Imagine I have one and it is awesome serger

I have a Brother 1034D serger that runs at least once a week for something or other - sometimes every day.

It's so easy to thread, I can almost do it with my eyes closed.

It has a differential feed for shirring or sewing knits, a rolled hem that takes two seconds to set up and is adjustable for a wide range of effects.

I trim my quilts before I apply borders or bindings. I made a 60" snowball quilt entirely on the serger for a new grandbaby. I finish the inside seams on doll clothes, pillowcases, all apparel.

I paid around $200 for it and it's more than earned its keep in the last few years.

Before I got a serger, I used to think it was silly to have this extra appliance - what would I ever use one for when I had so many good sewing machines which do everything?

But sergers are amazing - I wouldn't want to be without one, again.

I have the same questions. Other then hemming pants what would you use a serger for and also ...what is a good price for one?

Love my Babylock Imagine. So easy to thread!