Celebrating The Serger (2024 update)

April is National Serger Month. For most serious home sewers, having access to a serger is as important as having access to a working sewing machine. For some of us who have been sewing for many years before sergers became fixtures in home sewing rooms, using a serger was something that we delayed until we were convinced that they were truly useful.

My own personal journey to becoming a confirmed believer in the value of owning a serger is a long one. Back in the late 19890s and early 1990s, I lived in an apartment building in Washington, DC. The woman who lived across the hall was not only a friend, but also a sewing buddy. Both Leesa and I had been sewing since we were children. We graduated from high school the same year and had lots of mutual friends. We travelled throughout the DC/Baltimore area to sewing exhibitions and workshops together and even went on what we called ‘fabric runs’ at least three or four times a year, buying up fabric in some of the finest, most exclusive fabric stores in the area.

When Leesa got her first serger, she insisted that I come over and try it out, but I resisted. After all, I was very happy finishing my edges with zigzag stitches and had been doing so for many, many years. Leesa continued to use her serger, praising it for how fast she could sew delicate fabrics and knits and finish edges. But she also complained bitterly about how challenging it was to change the thread.

Since I could sew knits, delicate fabrics and finish edges on my regular sewing machine without having to work with four threads or going through the hassle of dealing with the complications of threading a serger, I came to the conclusion that owning a serger was a waste of time. I am almost embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until a dear friend gave me a serger that had been left behind after a break up that I even considered using a serger.

With a serger now sitting in my sewing room staring at me, I decided there was nothing to do but to make a commitment to get the best out of this unexpected gift. The first thing I did was sit down with the instruction manual and read it cover to cover. Rather than get too frisky, I decided to start out working with all four threads and both needles.

So the next thing I did was to pull out four spools of cone thread – all different colors, and play around with the threading instructions until I got it right. I then started fiddling with the tension settings, differential feed and stitch length adjustment dial, sampling stitches to get a feel for how it feels to actually sew on a serger.

Once I got the feel of it, I went to my fabric stash and pulled out a bunch of knit fabric that I had been holding on to, waiting for it to tell me what it wanted to be. While adjusting to working with a serger, I wasn’t interested in doing anything complicated, so I pulled out Butterick 3703, a very old tried and true pattern that has five different blouses. Not only have I made all five blouses more times than I can count, I switched the sleeves around, making all of them with and without sleeves and making the sleeves long or short.

I also use this pattern to make tunics and dresses. I’ve used it so much, the envelope fell apart on me many years ago. I keep it in a six by nine manila envelope that is simply labeled ‘5 pull over blouses’. The pattern pieces are so worn, I have had to use tape on some of them and even traced and recut the view that I use most often. My first effort at serging was to make two tank tops, one white and one gray, and one sleeveless v-neck top.

It wasn’t long before I was comfortable enough to experiment with other garments, so I made an elastic waist russet brown knit skirt using a pattern that I had drafted. After that, I was pretty much good to go and expanded my repertoire to dresses, pants, jackets and blouses. In order to make sure I was getting the most out of my serger, I attended a one day workshop on serger techniques at Cynthia’s Fine Fabrics in Tamarac, Florida.

I was amazed to discover some of the great things I could actually do with this little machine that I had for so many years considered believed was good only for sewing knits and finishing seams.

Since those first experiments three years ago, my serger skills have improved significantly. I admit that most of the sewing tasks I perform on my serger are still restricted to those two functions, but I am gradually experimenting with some of the serger techniques I have been observing and reading about.

I have completely given up on finishing seams on my sewing machine and even used some fancy serger stitch work to camouflage a cutting mistake I made on a top. It’s amazing the number of compliments I get on this top which might have otherwise been tossed aside had my serger not come to the rescue. Follow this link to find out how I did it.

If you are under the mistaken impression that a serger is not necessary for making clothes, accessories and home décor items, think again. I guarantee you that once you take the time to explore the world of serging at home, your opinion and attitude about using a serger will be changed forever.

There was no one more skeptical about using a serger than I was. After using one for three years now, I can’t imagine how I managed to go so long without one.

My advice to anyone who is reluctant to add a serger to their sewing room is to visit their local sewing machine dealer and ask for a demonstration of the sergers in their inventories. Just like sewing machines, sergers come with all sorts of features and specifications. A word of warning… If you have never used a serger before, do not go for the machine with all the bells and whistles.

They are great for people who are adept at working with advanced sergers, but in my opinion, people who have never used a serger should stick with the basic overlock models and leave the fancy stuff to those who have been at it for a while. The good news is you don’t have to worry about the threading nightmares you probably heard about from people who purchased earlier models. I find that the newer sergers have some of the most user friendly threading systems in the world.

Some manufacturers offer sergers that are threaded with the mere touch of a button. I had the opportunity to review two, the Baby Lock Ovation and the Juki MO 1000.

These air threaded machines are a dream come true for anyone who is challenged by threading a traditional serger.

I know of a few people who have given up on sergers because they were frustrated by threading machines that they have long since stowed away in a closet or gotten rid of.

I urge these people to give serging another try. Don’t be intimidated by a past experience. You will be pleasantly surprised at the positive changes that have taken place since you last touched one.

As far as I’m concerned, having access to a serger is an absolute necessity in any sewing room. To attempt to go without one is tantamount to trying to cook a gourmet meal on a stove with only one working burner.

Happy stitching!