Burda Style For people who sew

My mom had 2 industrial sewing machines, a juki & a brother she also had an industrial serger. those things felt like they were 100 pounds.
Anyway when I was a kid my mom really only used her serger for a lot of things.
But is it really necessary?
It seems like more of a luxury than anything.
What do you think?
When I get more practice with my machine I may get a serger if it will really really be worth the money.

Mar 11, 2010, 11.35 PM by Hang Hoang

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10 Posts

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  Mar 12, 2010, 01.12 AMby drflen

  A serger is better at finishing seams and making a more professional look to the insides of your garments. I personally did not start out with a serger until I got around to making a knit pullover. It makes finishing knit garments so easy and just helps with certain things in general. I have a juki but just not an industrial one, but it still weighs 25 lbs. It just depends on how deeply you feel that you’ll be getting into sewing garments or other pieces. It’s always nice to have but it is in no way a necessity.

  I hope this helps.
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  Mar 12, 2010, 04.08 AMby mlssfshn

  It also depends on the type of sewing you do. I have a 5 spool serger, it makes a chain stitch, you finish the seam and make the seam at the same time no sewing machine involved, on most steps in your project.
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  Mar 12, 2010, 04.56 AMby oscarthegrouch108

  in my experience, everything that i need to do can usually be done on my sewing machine. i do have a serger, but i find it a hassle to switch between the sewing machine and the serger (i find that there are some things that i just cant make the serger do).

  what i really love about the serger is the rolled hem feature. i love to use that for a quick hem on a skirt, or for chiffon/organza….wonderful. to be honest, the serger is set up for a rolled hem about 80% of the time!

  see if you can borrow one for a few weeks and see how much you really use it. if it becomes your go to machine (or you see it becoming so), then save your pennies and get one! if not…..politely ask to borrow said friends every once in a while!

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    Mar 12, 2010, 09.04 PMby Hang Hoang

    My mom still has her’s it’s just a hassel to drive 20 minutes. Also, I’m the only crafty one out of all my friends. :[

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  Mar 12, 2010, 08.48 AMby katexxxxxx

  I could not survive without my two! But then I make for others as a professional dress and costume maker. If you want a professional looking finish on unlined stuff and stretch fabrics, it’s the way to go. It’s also FAST!. Yes, see if you can try before you buy, to see if it suits the kind of thing you do. I automatically thread up the serger along with the regular machine at the start of every project. I find it essential for sheers, stretch stuff, things that fray, and things that need to be TOUGH!. About the only time I don’t use it is for fully lined tailored projects or hand made hats. And occasional upholstery projects in stuff like vinyl. :)
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  Mar 14, 2010, 02.31 PMby gdac

  I picked this little bit of info from a course that I did… before sergers people used to zig zag to seal their seam edges to prevent fraying. You line up the edge of the seam so when the zig zag goes to the right it just goes outside the edge of the fabric…. so you may not even need a serger – but the rolled hem is great. There are still soooo many things I need to learn about my serger and I’ve had it for 5yrs – I’m not yet confident with my sewing shapes (I have no idea why) to simply use my serger as a 4 spool – so I sew and then serge, and none of my garments split at the seams.
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  Mar 14, 2010, 04.06 PMby wzrdreams

  I sewed for over ten years without a serger, but I always always wanted one. Then, my first Liz blouse seams fell apart because they frayed over tim in the wash. I finally treated myself to serger for my last birthday and I am so very glad I did. I don’t use it for absolutely everything, but it is really worth it for those seams that need the extra finishing to hold them together. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary for knits… my sewing machine has a knit stitch function, but I do prefer the serged seams for knit fabrics. Anyway, knowing how affordable my Brother 1034 was, I am really amazed that I didn’t get one along time ago. They are so worth it.
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  Mar 14, 2010, 07.30 PMby katensew

  I didn’t get a serger ( overlocker ) until I started to work with Lycra stretch fabrics for skating dresses. But they have drawbacks as my son will testify to. When I was out working he and my husband decided to take in some trousers — of course it cuts as it finishes/stitches with no room for error - hence they couldn’t get their feet into the narrow trousers !! So sometimes I just use it to finish edges depending on the fabric. It is a boon for stretch fabrics though – anyway these garments are too tight fitting to be basted together or use a straight machine stitch ( though a very close zig-zag stitch will do) — I always wondered if someone would come up with stretchy basting thread !!
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  Mar 14, 2010, 07.47 PMby molzsews

  I sewed for about 2 years using either a zig-zag or another stich that wrapped over the edge before getting my serger. I finally got one when I started making most of my kids clothes. It’s great for all kinds of fabrics. I usually use both my sewing machine and serger when making anything.
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  Mar 14, 2010, 09.56 PMby vintagerouge

  I couldn’t live without my sergers! I use them all the time for finishing seams and sewing knits. As others have said, it really just depends on what type of sewing you do. If you want to cut, overlock, and sew a chain stich or do a cover hem (like the belt loops on jeans) I’d recommend a 5 thread but if you only want to finish seams, hemlines, or do basic knit construction a 4 thread is just fine.

  And those industrial sergers are FAST! :)
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  Mar 17, 2010, 01.08 AMby Marla Rodriguez

  when i started sewing, I didn’t really understand sergers, I thought they were just a Luxury, but now that I have one, I love it :) it’s great becuase it doesn’t distortion knits the way a zig-zag stitch might, and it’s a life-saver on those sheer fabrics :)

  a rolled hem is a special setting on a serger that wraps around the thread very tightly on the edge. It comes in handy especially when you need a very narrow hem or when you have to do time consuming french seams.

  honestly, I would recommend one, chances are that you will use it :) I also recommend you buy a book on beggining serging :) such as “Successful Serging” od “Serging with Confidence”

  When I first got mine, I never used it cause I didn’t know how to work it, but once I got a book everything was clear to me and now I just can’t stop :)