I often hear my students or the seamstresses around me say:
- "I have a serger but I don't use it; it's still in the box, actually"
- "I'd like to make t-shirts but I'm afraid to use the serger"
- "I prefer sewing poplin over jersey because I don't know how to use the serger"
- "I have a serger but I don't know how to thread it and I don't understand the settings"
- ...
In short, I thought it was too bad... while understanding their frustration with this machine... I admit I spent hours taming my first serger before I could get something satisfying and "wearable" out of it... but my desire to use it, my tenacity, and my patience made me stick with it!
After progressing together as a little duo "serger/seamstress," after some arguments and cold spells... today, I can say the serger has become one of my best friends in the workshop for sewing t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jersey dresses for myself, as well as joggers, pajamas, shorts... for my godchild. And I wanted the same for my students!
Let's demystify the use of the serger
As you know, the serger has many functions, but the most interesting one, and the reason people decide to buy it, is sewing knit fabrics.
How does it work?
Serger sewing means making a tight stitch that overlaps two pieces of fabric to hold them together edge to edge. During this step, the serger also cuts the fabric edge while assembling and making the overlock stitch. In other words, in one step, the serger sews, overlocks the edges, and trims the excess fabric.
That's the big difference with a sewing machine!
Since all these actions happen in a single step, serger sewing is very fast and allows you to create your projects in the blink of an eye.
Want to get started: My 7 tips for beginners
1. Choose a simple piece: a t-shirt, a sweatshirt or a children's harem pants... with large straight lines and big curves
2. Don’t skimp on the quality of cotton jersey or thread. You might be tempted to buy cheap jersey to test your serger, but cheap jersey stretches, shifts, is often thinner, and therefore harder to work with, usually resulting in poor quality. I encourage you to "sacrifice" a piece of good quality jersey to practice and get comfortable with the machine.
Also buy good quality cones. You don’t need to spend a fortune on premium brand cones, but avoid the cheapest ones that shed lint and clog your machine.
3. Start practicing on scraps to:
- check your threading
- check your settings
before starting your project
4. Learn to control the pressure on the pedal to adjust the machine’s speed (the speed can be surprising!)
5. Check carefully the type of needles to use for your serger model and make sure to stick to that type when buying needles.
6. Don’t forget to change your needles regularly.
7. Regularly clean your serger with a brush to remove all the dust that clogs the mechanisms.
Sew your first t-shirt
At the workshop, I chose to offer t-shirt courses. We picked a simple t-shirt/sweatshirt pattern with a round neckline—it’s the easiest neckline to make!
There are many patterns like Coralie Bijasson's Essentiel or Atelier des premières' Marion... The choice is plentiful!
The steps to complete
1. Start by assembling the shoulders, remembering to add a bit of stay tape. Feel free to read my article about stay tape on the blog.
2. Assemble the sleeves by placing them right sides together at the armhole you just created by joining the shoulders.
3. Assemble the sides and close the sleeves with a single seam.
4. Assemble the neckline with the overlocker (you can baste this step for more precision)
5. finish the sleeve and body hems with:
- a hem
- a double needle "stretch" topstitch finish
- a knit bias tape to add some pep to your sewing
At the workshop
We have 3 overlockers (Juki and Brother) available for students and we organize special overlocker sessions, especially to sew your first t-shirt or sweatshirt!
Last Saturday, we sewed a simple t-shirt pattern with more or less neckline depending on each person’s preference. Martine and Muriel chose two floral jerseys from the shop with eucalyptus and poppy patterns.
As for me, I chose to "add some sparkle to my life" with the sparkling rain jersey on white background, which comes in other colors.
And my three students left with smiles on their faces and their new t-shirts!
We took the opportunity to review different edge finishing techniques. Muriel chose a red knit bias tape that adds a pop of color to her sewing project. She just needs to attach the knit bias tape to the sleeves and finish the hem with the double needle at home.
Martine chose to finish with the double needle for the sleeve and body hems.
Can’t wait to see these finished sewing projects!
I loved giving this course and the results are so rewarding with the students’ smiles and the pretty t-shirts that came out of the workshop that I’m going to schedule more course dates! You can find the upcoming dates in the courses tab of the blog or by clicking here.
And do you have an overlocker?
Do you use it a little, a lot, passionately, madly, or not at all?
Alright, I’m off, I have a sweatshirt to finish!
Get your needles ready!
