Great tips and thanks Everyone!

For ending the serger threads there two different methods we use in class. You can use a dot of fray check.

You can also stitch off and leave a thread tail. Fold that thread tail back down over the seam line (where you just stitched). Turn the fabric so you are stitching over the same threads again. Stitch about 1-2 inches and stitch off on an angle. Don't re-cut the fabric and stitches.

Practice on some scraps first to get the feel of the fabrics and stitches. Enjoy!

I bought my serger in the '80s when they first came out - it is a basic model, Toyota brand and I have used it a lot to make clothes, craft projects and decor stuff. Have not used for quilting though I have done edges of fabric yardage before washing to prevent fraying.

That little machine is easy to thread and has been a work horse! Last year I took it in to my local "old sewing machine guy" because it wasn't cutting well. He replaced the blades and found that the feed dogs had dropped a bit which resulted in a jagged cut edge even with a new blade. He tried raising the feed dogs but it still is chewing up the edges. Guess it's time to replace this sweet little machine :( so I have been on the look out for a used one. I did look at the Husqvarna Huskylock with the coverstitch but the reviews said that it was difficult to work with. The Babylocks look like dream machines but the new are very pricey. I definitely will try to find another serger because they are so handy to have.
Any suggestions or reviews?

https://www.amazon.com/JUKI-MO654DE-...i+654de+serger

costumegirl, this is the serger I have, I've had it for ten years and it's been a great machine. I keep it oiled and vacuumed out and I've changed the blade once since I've had it, super easy to do, I keep universal denim needles in it and it has never let me down. Easy to thread, just follow the colors and has a good manual. The only con is that it doesn't have a thread catcher.

I got one of this model for Christmas, and have yet to learn how to use it (never had one before). Do you have a link to the tutorial?

I just ordered the Juki MO1000. I can’t remember whether Juki makes the Babylock server or visa versa. Regardless the price was great.

Actually, it's neither. Both are made in the same factory but none of the three serger factories in the world are owned by any of the big names we know. Babylock doesn't build any of their own machines and Juki only builds industrial machines. All of their sergers and household machines are contracted out.

Cari

Have one and it lets me know when to dust...since it sits gathering!

Mine is nice, but old, and I don't use it often enough to remember from one time to the next how to operate it. It came with a VCR video, and luckily I was able to record it on a DVD, so I can take a refresher course when something goes wrong. Unfortunately it is usually after I have messed up and broken a needle that I come to the realization that I don't know what I'm doing. I don't really have a lot of use for this machine in quilting, but I like having it around, just in case. I got it at a garage sale for a pittance, but had to go to a dealer for the manual, and that cost more than the machine, but it was still not a bad total price for a nice machine in great condition. My only serious mistake was in buying a whole lot of cheap serger thread that is on some sort of celluloid like cones that have started to crumble over a period of about 10 years. The poly thread would be okay, but if I push a little hard on the cone, I hear a crunch and it won't stand upright. Learn from my mistake and only buy thread you intend to use soon (true of any thread for any purpose). Well, I probably thought I was going to use all that soon, and it was on sale - the magic word.

Stretchy fabrics such as cotton interlock (and many others) are knit fabrics. Sergers are great for making clothes out of knit fabrics because, unlike sewing machines, the differential feed allows you to adjust so that the seam does not stretch out the fabric edges.