Your opion wanted regarding sergers
 

I am thinking of buying a serger to use for quilting and sewing clothes, the stretchy type. What are your thought on sergers and what should I look for when I buy one? I am looking at both used and new sergers.

I've had one for years a babylock, recently upgraded to the Juki with air threading. Never used it for quilting but invaluable when garment sewing. Particularly if you like to sew with silks or knits. Gives the professional finish to seams of bought garments.

I like my sergers.

I use them for overcasting raw edges of fabric before washing it.

I also use them a lot for finishing the edges of bags and garments. The serged edges take away "that home-made look".

Which Juki did you buy? Do you think the air threading was worth it?

Here's a blog entry about what to look for in sergers. http://shesasewingmachinemechanic.bl...blog-page.html

We sell Juki and Bernina sergers where I work. The Juki 654 is a great machine that runs about $500. The Bernina 1150MDA is a nicer machine that costs about $1,100. Both have built-in rolled hem, tall thread rack and differential feed. The Bernina 800 DL runs around $900, if you can find one -- they've been discontinued by Bernina. The Juki air threader MO1000 kinda scares me, because if the air threader gets clogged, you can't manually thread your machine.

I have a Bernina with the automatic tension that I really like. I've never used it for quilting though. It would be very hard to get an accurate 1/4" seam and all the thread adds a lot of bulk.

It's great for edging fabrics so they don't ravel as you sew them and can be used in place of a sewing machine for some things. I make all my pajama pants exclusively on a serger.

I bought a 4-thread Bernina serger about 15-20 years ago, around the same time I bought my Bernina 1230 sewing machine.

If I had gotten air threading with my serger, I'm sure I would have used it a *lot* more to make clothing for my daughter. The serger was not something I used every day, so threading was a recurrent problem for me (even with tying threads together). As I have gotten older, getting the loopers threaded correctly has become even more of a challenge -- because my eyesight is not as good as it was, I cannot bend and turn and twist as easily as I used to, and my fine motor control is not quite as good as it used to be. If I had it to do over again (hindsight is so wonderful!) I would have paid the extra money to get a 5-thread machine with air threading.

5-thread means you can set the serger up to do a cover stitch (if you check the hem of a t-shirt, that is a cover stitch; two parallel lines on the front, a cut edge that is overcast with a zigzag on the back). This stitch helps make your garments look professionally finished, plus it speeds up garment construction -- especially if you plan on making lots of children's clothes.

Air threading is expensive but, in my opinion, it makes a serger much more user-friendly over the long-term. Things have changed over the years, but I believe Babylock has a good track record with air-threading sergers. I would never buy the all-singing-all-dancing sergers that are on the market today. They must be great for creative people; however, I know all those options would simply confuse me.

If buying used, you want to make sure that the serger has differential feed. Differential feed is extremely helpful when sewing on stretchy fabrics, and there are old sergers out there that do not have differential feed.

Edit: For me, setting and re-setting thread tensions was not an issue so I would not see automatic tensions as being something I would pay for. But I would pay for air threading!

I went with a lower end Janome machine. Absolutely love it. I would be a "little" concerned about a used one only because if someone didn't use it nicely things can get bent. I haven't run into anything like that but I have heard stories.

With that said, as long as they can show you how to thread (the most important and usually what gives some people hissy-fits) and it works well, go for it.

I don't use mine often, but when I do it is worth EVERY cent as it has saved me a kajillion hours of time :)
Good luck!

I got the Brother 1034D. It is easy enough to thread. I found a video tutorial on line. It was about $200. I use it regularly.

I've got the original Babylock Imagine with air threading. It comes with a very narrow gauge wire and loop to thread with if the air gets blocked. It can also be purchased from any dealer.

As Juki made Babylocks originally, I should think Juki would also have something to use if air fails.
I'd check with a dealer.

I have a BabyLock for many years, do not use it regularly ...however, when I need it I am very happy I have it...an older model so no air threading...i just get out manual when needed :)

Judy in Phx, AZ

For me, the cover stitch -- used to hem tee shirt, swim suit, and other stretchy fabrics -- was a must. Only the more expensive air-threading machines offer this. If you want one of the basic air-threading machines, and don't need the cover stitch, that's great. Should you ever need it, you can buy a stand alone cover stitch machine, and use it just when needed. It need not be air threaded, as with 2 needles and one looper thread, all of which are relatively easy to learn -- and all of us will tell you that you can "tie on" a new color of thread, and pull it through, up to the eye of the needle.
The Baby Lock machine I use at work is wonderful, with the air threading! but -- there is no way to thread it if this system is not working; ours did have a build up of lint from threads over time, and needed a service call to clean it out -- we use it extensively at work to do the most beautiful rolled hems on many craft items we make for
our shop.

Juki still makes Babylock Overlockers. Babylock has no manufacturing capability and all their machines are made for them by other makers.

I highly recommend the Juki MO1000. No affiliation at all just a happy sewer. I had a Pfaff coverstitch, an older one with a beautiful stitch but having to change stitches back and forth from coverstitch to overlock stitch was a pain. It took me longer to get the changes made than to do the stitching, literally. I took the plunge and got a used Babylock Coverstitch machine, and a new Juki MO1000 and I love this arrangement. No time lost changing back and forth and I get beautiful results. I do lots of garment sewing for my grand children. There are several reviews for the Juki online and this is the main reason I choose this particular machine. It serges like a dream, through any fabric with little to no adjustments. The rolled hem is beautiful. Can't say enough about it.❤️❤️❤️

Babylock had the patent. When the patent ran out, Juki could make their sergers. They do make nice ones.

I have the Imagine and the Coverstitch. I have the Juki 2010 single stitch.

The only problem I am seeing with the 2010 machine is lack of some accessories. The machine itself is great.

The same with the Pfaff IDT walking foot. Patent ran out, Pfaff didn't renew, and a few companies did try it. You couldn't buy a walking foot for a Pfaff with IDT. My Pfaff has the IDT. Wouldn't sew without it.

Thank you for all the great input. I have some ideas as to what to look for. In the meantime some one is letting me use her serger. No idea what it is and she did not know either. She plans to dig it up. It is older and she bought it used a long time ago but maybe it will give me some understanding of what a serger is.

Why does it scare you. I hear it gets less clogged than the babylock air threading. I heard it is actually better threading than babylock. My dealer sells both. I know my dealer told me the 654 is a wonderful serger but not the best for a beginner. Do you find that to be true. I am saving for the juki QVP-2000 because it looked more solid than the babylock eclipse.

Well the serger is a Juki but definitely needs attention. It does turn on. I am excited and hope I am off to a good start for now. Juki MO-654DE She said it is at least a decade old and she bought it from a friend. She used it once.

I use mine all the time to serge the edge of my quilts before adding binding. Makes a nice firm base for attaching the binding.

Babylock Ovation is the best......but they are pricey. Depends on your budget. Babylock has other models with the air threading that are less expensive. Love my Babylock sergers.

I have had both a White (very old) and a newer Bernina (1350?). Are you comfortable with adjusting tensions on something like an old Singer or a long arm quilter? If so, you will just need to bite the bullet and learn how to do it. There is definitely a learning curve for a serger - threading, tensions, inside corners, outside corners, curves - that you will need to spend some time with. In the classes I got with my Bernina serger, we tried lots of different types of threads and stitches, retreading and adjusting tensions with each one. I got good at it by the end of the classes. The key to retreading is just to be orderly about it and follow the sequence. BTW, there are some great accessories for most servers. My "elasticactor" foot to apply elastic is tremendous! I do not like auto-tensions. I am picky, and I want to control tension adjustments myself. Threads and fabrics just vary too much. Then again, I have vintage Singers, a multi-needle embroidery machine, and a quilting machine that all have manual tensions so I am very comfortable with adjusting.

I would not not recommend getting a cover stitch machine like I did. I was convinced I would use that capability, and I haven't done a thing with it except in class. It is a pain to convert, and it would have been better to get a separate inexpensive cover stitch machine and the basic 4 thread serger. It would have been cheaper and easier.

I second the the concern about using a serger for quilting, but they are wonderful for clothing construction and home dec.

Pam

I have the Bernina 1300 MTC which has the cover stitch. If I had it to do over, I would buy a serger without the cover stitch and a separate cover stitch machine if I needed that function.

I've had a Juki MO654DE for over ten years now, it's never given me any issues at all. I have giant white cones on it for clothes and I have a couple of cute easy serger quilts that I like to make as well. I replace the needles as needed and vacuum it out as needed. Highly recommend

I sewed for 35 years without a serger and I didn't miss it. I finally bought a basic Singer that was on sale for $149. It was difficult to thread the bottom loopers but I used it constantly and I even did Heirlooms sewing with it. I upgraded to a Janome with all of the bells and whistles and I can't remember the last time I used it. I think simple is better; at least for me.

Oooooh that is like the machine my friend gave to me to use. So good to hear you have a positive experience with it. we still need to clean it up and have it serviced but I am hopeful. what are serger quilts? Are there patterns for it? I mainly got it so I could make stretchy clothes but an easy quilts always sounds good too.

That is also encouraging to hear. For now the threads are all in correctly and I plan to leave them in and do the tying on of new threads instead of threading it every time. One other person told me the simpler machine is better. Ironically she uses a very old singer also.

I have a Singer that I would love to take a sledge hammer to. It has never worked good for me. I am going with a Babylock Imagine or Enlighten. I like the auto tension feature. The air threading is not bad feature either. Just remember, you get what you pay for.

Just a head's up with the serger you are borrowing. Most likely it will need to be threaded in a very specific order. So if you can get the manual with it, or instructions from the lender it will be a big help. I have an older, basic Viking 905 that I absolutely love. Purchased it (very) used for $200, maybe 10 years ago and haven't had any problems and it has a beautiful stitch. It needs to be threaded in a specific order.

I have owned 3 sergers -all used for sewing clothes and crafts, not quilting. My first one was a Singer when they first came out. It was awful. My second was a Viking 1001 that I used successfully but did not love. My third is a White 2900 that I absolutely love. The one thing that you absolutely must do when buying a serger is thread it a couple of times before buying it. They have some wonderful advantages, but threading is probably the most important feature that will determine how much you really use it.

Annaquilts: Kaye Woods 6hr quilt is a good pattern and from there I kinda started going out on my own. Sorry I'm on my phone and bad at links lol. Kaye has a YouTube video that shows you the technique. I've made several quilts for children and adults with her pattern and they've held up great, nice way to do QAYG. I especially like it for kids cause the 6 inch strips show off whatever fun kiddie print they are into at the moment. They go thru the washer and dryer well, not heirloom but meant to be loved to death :)

I use my sergers a lot when making my own curtains and drapes. They are fantastic for clothing and other projects. I would not be without them. I have made many scarves for my dressers and hemming with a rolled hem. Good luck on whatever you decide.

I have never been able to bond with my serger. I don't use it very much and not sure I will ever buy another one.

I have not used my serger for quilting although one of the stores here does have a class to make a quilt using a serger. That being said I use my serger all the time for making childrens clothes for a charity. I've been sewing for this charity for more that 22 yrs. The first serger I bought was a babylock 25yrs ago. At a sewing retreat put on ASG (Arizona Sewing Guild) the lady behind me had a newer Babylock with the air threading and she "sold" me. It was so amazing and easy!!! I didn't want to pay the price of a new one and went on Ebay and found one for $600 it was the Imagine model at the time about half price of a new one, I think about 8-10 years ago. I was nervous buying it used, oh what if it doesn't work I would be out all that money. But it was perfect. BUT then I wanted a machine that did the cover stitch (explained in an previous post) So... I go on estatesales.net and I always look to see if there is a sewing machine in the pictures if there is and it is convienent for me to stop by I do. Ususally there will be notions or material and sometimes I get lucky and find something that I can use. Well, I got really lucky and found a Babylock Evolve. I wasn't able to try it at the sale but I bought it anyway for $300! I took it for a free class at the store that sells them here and it was missing a little piece that is need to change it to do the cover stitich (my heart sank) but to my surprise it was only $12 yippee! and I love it. And because I have the Imagine which does everything I need which includes a foot to gather and seam at the same time (which I love to use to add a ruffle to the skirt or dress) I keep the Evolve set up in the cover stitch mode. I absolutely love both machines and the air threader I could not do with out! I have heard others say oh but what if I get the air threader ports clogged up... I think that is just an excuse someone will give you to sell you another machine. I have not had one single problem with these machines and I did not even buy them new. What is so cool too is they come with a quick reference guide to change the settings to do different types of seams and it could be any easier, really! I really should sell these machines!!! And a serger is necessary for sewing garments to give a professional finish. You can check out other serger but I wouldn't waste your time. :)

Thank you for responding. I found a link telling all about it. It might be a good way for me to try out using a serger. I make a lot of charity quilts so this is great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOTV-YSF-48