I just bought a serger and it's a PIA.

[Starlight]

I thought this would make my sewing/decorating projects easier, but so far it's just incredibly confusing and I haven't even done anything but thread the machine and sew a few test seams. :dunce: I don't remember it being this difficult to learn to use a regular sewing machine. Why do they make sergers so complicated? :shrug:

[Warpy]

1. They're complicated because they're versatile

Buy a bunch of remnants to play with, and start to play with tensions, colors, stitch length, and any of the other variables.

Most people who own them don't go far beyond the basic edging stitch, but the machines are capable of far more.

(my serger was a $29.95 toy, and even it had a lot of capabilities)

[Starlight]

2. I called the Simplicity customer service line.

And a very nice woman told me which adjustment to make to solve my problem. She also recommended a serger book that I immediately ordered from Barnes & Noble. And my daughter, who taught serger classes a couple years ago and works off & on as a costume designer/seamstress, will be in town this weekend. :)

[China_cat]

3. Just wait until you even get the easiest things down.

You will be zipping through stuff like nobody's business. Did you order 'The Complete Serger Handbook'? My copy resides on the shelf over the serger.

[Starlight]

4. "The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide" was what she recommended.

I think it deals mainly with tensions and other adjustments. She told me they use that book to look up customer problems all the time. I also ordered "Serger Secrets: High-Fashion Techniques for Creating Great-Looking Clothes" just because it looked interesting and I needed to order over $25 to get free shipping. :D

[China_cat]

5. Oh yeah Serger Secrets is a good one, too.

It's a bit of a learning curve but this morning took me about 45 minutes to put a nightgown together that would have taken me 2 days with just my flat machine...I would have had to pin and hand baste and swear at the stuff because it doesn't want to co-operate.

I used to hate working with knits and now I love them.

[Starlight]

6. That's great to hear.

[fortyfeetunder]

7. That's the book, and some advice

One of the best.

I agree that you should practice your serging, and while you are tweaking, record the following on an index card:

Stitch Type (overlock, flatlock, rolled edge, etc.)
Material Type
Thread Colors
Thread Types (for loopers and needles)
Stitch Length
Stitch Width
Differential
Upper Looper Tension
Lower Looper Tension
Needle Tension(s)

When you get your perfect stitch, cut a swatch and staple it on that index card. File away for safekeeping.

I have a collection of these index cards when my serger was young (it's 10 this year) and it's been a lifesaver when my butt is against the wall and I have to serge something...

[likesmountains 52]

8. ok, now that you've had it for a while how do you like it?

I am considering buying one. Do you need special thread? If sewing garments with buttonholes and top stitching do you need to also use a regular sewing machine? Thanks!

[China_cat]

9. Yes, you will still need your flat machine

There are lots of things a serger won't and can't do. But if you need ruffles and gathers, a serger will make you wonder why you ever bothered doing it any other way. Rolled edges and especially rolled hems on fine fabrics are a single step process. Working with stretch knits becomes lovely instead of something to be avoided. And a serger will allow you to work with spandex, make bathing suits and lingerie that the flat machine could almost do but not quite.

[likesmountains 52]

10. thanks, do you need separate spools of thread too? I'd love to

save time, but don't want to end up with a big, complicated work area!

[China_cat]

11. You can use regular thread

but the cones made for sergers are really more convenient. You can go into specialized threads like the loopys and woolies later, when you've had more experience.

As for a big area...sergers are really not that big. I've got my flat machine and my serger both set up on an old computer desk that we took the drawer out of so I can roll back and forth. The shelves on the desk hold a tackle box with my extra feet, threads, tools, needles, pattern box, etc. and books.

A space about 4 feet wide and a little less than that tall.

[likesmountains 52]

12. thanks...I might take the plunge pretty soon. Any brand or spec

recommendations?

[fortyfeetunder]

13. What type of serging do you want to do?

Simple serging for supplementing your regular sewing, or do you want to dink around with its decorative capability? And believe me the decorative capability will open up a whole new dimension....

Computerized or mechanical?

A bunch of decisions....

[China_cat]

14. I haven't played with any of the more complicated ones

It'll depend a lot on what your budget for purchase is. Mine is a White 3/4 thread overlock. It was under $200 new. The only thing I'd be sure to recommend is that you DO get a 4 thread and not a 3. They're much more versatile.

[likesmountains 52]

15. I don't do much fancy sewing, I am mostly interested in having

serged seams at this point. I would be spending about $200 and want something that's not complicated. I don't sew on knits that much..

[China_cat]

16. My White was $150

and I've been very pleased with it. Others will probably chime in with their favorites.

[fortyfeetunder]

17. 3/4 thread is probably what you want.

And you can experiment as you wish with flatlock, and overlock. You don't have to spend much.

Some dealers are required by the mfr to provide lessons, more common on the high-end models. However, you can usually find someone in the store to help you learn how to thread and adjust tension.

As the wonderful salesperson told me when she sold me my serger, "sewing machines have personality, but sergers have attitude".

[likesmountains 52]

18. Thanks for all the advice. Now I'm excited!

[fortyfeetunder]

19. Yes, get excited you will need it

Have an open mind and sense of humor helps when learning how to use a serger.

I'll tell you what sealed the deal for me to buy a serger.
When my mom passed away, I had to find some burial clothes. The last time I saw her, which was about 3 weeks prior, recalled she was nearly bald. So I had the additional challenge to find something to cover her head. I found a terry cloth turban that matched a dress she had. But I wanted the effect be prettier, so I looked for a sheer scarf. No such luck.

So I went to the fabric store I used to hang out when I was a kid bought a couple yards of something sheer and realized I had to hand roll the cut edges to get away with using it. On one side of the store was a woman demoing sergers. She had white thread in the serger. I approached her and explained my predicament, and less than a minute later, she had rolled the hems of both cut edges. And I thought, dang, if I had one of these at home, I wouldn't have been here..the rest is history.