Wondering what is the difference between a coverstitch machine and a serger? In this sewing tutorial on coverstitch vs. serger we will analyze these machines, find out how to sew with the coverstitch, what operations it performs, etc.
Here I will compare a sewing machine vs serger vs coverstitch machine so you can be sure you have the right working tool for your intended sewing projects.
Learn the differences between a sewing machine vs. serger and coverstitch machine and which one is best for your needs.
Wondering what is the difference between a coverstitch machine and a serger? In this sewing tutorial on coverstitch vs. serger we will analyze these machines, find out how to sew with the coverstitch, what operations it performs, etc.
How to make a serger mat to reduce vibration, sound, and movement. These anti vibration mats are great for muffling sewing machine noise.
Have you ever been sewing with knits and completed your seam only to notice that edge is now longer than … More
Wondering what is the difference between a coverstitch machine and a serger? In this sewing tutorial on coverstitch vs. serger we will analyze these machines, find out how to sew with the coverstitch, what operations it performs, etc.
A cover hem is a professional-style "serged" hem that traditionally has two to three lines of parallel stitching on the right side and a looper stitch which covers the raw edge of the fabric on the back side. It's the type of hem commonly found on most ready-to-wear knit garments (and many woven RTW items as well) as it has plenty of stretch and so will not distort the hem. It's also very fast and clean! We have a short lesson showing how easy it is to make a cover hem as well as our thoughts as to why a specialty cover hem machine may just be the coolest machine to add to your sewing space. Before we explore the "how," let's talk about the why. As in, "Why on earth would I want a machine that only does one thing?" The best answer? "So you can do more than one thing!" A cover hem machine is all about making professional, high-end-looking hems. Most folks use them for garments, although there's no reason you couldn't also use this type of hem on home décor items, especially items with lots of length to hem, such as tablecloths and curtains. A cover hem is made using a serger with a cover hem looper. There are high-end, five-thread sergers that allow you to do general serging as well as cover hems. The Janome 1200D is one such machine. Although we have general sergers in the Sew4Home studios, we personally prefer using a stand-alone cover hem machine. It's simple to use and ready at all times to sew a hem. We use and recommend the Janome CoverPro 1000 CPX. In addition to giving you super professional hems and eliminating the stretching so common with knit fabrics, a stand-alone cover hem machine has more throat space on the bed of the machine, which makes it perfect for sewing deep hems. Plus, it's simpler to thread and use than a standard serger. But the biggest benefit is how this type of machine allows you to sew in a more efficient manner, especially if you are making several items at once or creating more complex garments that require you to hem at multiple points within the construction process. You don't have to take the time to re-thread and set up a standard serger for a cover stitch, you simply switch to the cover hem machine to create the hem, then go back to your regular machine for basting or buttonholes, then back to your standard serger for clean seams. Repeat as needed, and your project is done more quickly and easily! Our thanks to Janome America Education Coordinator, Nancy Fiedler for providing these helpful tips, techniques, and samples. Okay... now let's see the "how" A cover stitch is normally sewn from the right side. Press the hem in place and, if possible, use a seam guide. An adjustable seam guide is usually an optional accessory (the Janome CoverPro Seam Guide is pictured below), but it does offer that extra bit of precision. The type of hem: 3 thread, 2 thread or chain stitch, is decided based on the number of needles and the finish you desire. See the Samples section below for more information. You can use matching or contrasting color serger thread in the needles and looper. This choice depends on whether you want the hem to blend in (matching thread) or to be an accent element (contrasting thread). Once the needles are threaded, turn the hand wheel a full rotation towards you, and slide the tip of your tweezers (yep, sergers always come with tweezers) under the presser foot to pull the needle threads under the foot. Place the fabric, right side up, under the presser foot and start sewing. Stop sewing at the end of the fabric. Do not attempt to sew off the fabric to create a chain as you might do with a standard serger; the threads will break and tangle requiring you to re-thread. To release the threads and create a secured stitch, turn the hand wheel towards you until the needles are in their highest position. Lift the presser foot, and use the tip of the tweezers to pull the needle threads toward you about 4". Clip the needle threads leaving about a 4” tail. This gives you starting thread for your next hem. Grasp the fabric behind the presser foot and gently pull straight back until you've completely removed the fabric from underneath the foot. This pulls the looper thread up through the needle plate and the needle threads to the wrong side. It's kind of like magic. Cut the looper thread. The needle threads will have all been pulled to the wrong side, securing the stitch. For a neater finish, thread the tails into a large-eyed needle and sew them (hide them) under the loops. Stitch samples 3 thread - 3 needles: Best hem for high-end detailing. 2 thread wide - 2 needles: Most common hem. 2 thread narrow - 2 needles: 2 needle hems are good quick-finish hems for things like T-shirts and pajamas. The width you choose is simply a matter of personal preference. Chain stitch - 1 needle: This hem can be a decorative effect or used as a temporary seam that can be quickly removed by pulling the chain from the looper side (this is the stitch you often find on bags of pet food or farm feed). The chain shows up on the looper side so this is an instance when you would sew with the wrong side up. Our thanks again to Janome America Education Coordinator, Nancy Fiedler for her help with this tutorial. To stay up-to-date on all the news from Janome, visit their website and/or follow the creativity on their blog, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
NEW! Starting TODAY, Watch Stitch it! Sisters Program 208, Serger Techniques Pouch! With host Deanna Springer from Team NZP and guest Pam Mahshie from BERNINA
Learn how to use your coverstitch tutorial for knit hems
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A comprehensive guide to using and purchasing a coverstitch machine. By Melissa Fehr.
A blog about my sewing, knitting, and spinning adventures.
What is a coverstitch? A coverstitch is the twin or triple needle stitching you see on the hems of most ready-to-wear (RTW) knit garments. The top looks like parallel rows of straight stitching and the underside looks like serger loops which *cover* the turned down raw edge. Sometimes the "wrong" or loopy side is sewn on top as a design feature, especially in activewear. Coverstitch machines can also stitch single needle chain stitches. Are there coverstitch machines for the home sewer? Yes. Many top-of-the-line sergers/overlockers have a coverstitch option. However, there are also currently 4 brands of stand-alone coverstitch machines, Babylock (which I have), Brother, Janome and Bernina. There are subtle differences among all of the above machines, including price, available stitches, features, and accessories. Click HERE for a comparison chart. There are also industrial coverstitch machines available to the home sewer which have even more stitching options, such as coverstitch loops both top and bottom at the same time. Why would I want a stand-alone coverstitch machine? Sergers/overlockers with a coverstitch option must be converted from overlocking to coverstitching. Some machines convert more easily and faster than others, but all combo machines *must be* switched over somehow in order to coverstitch. Because a coverstitch can be used on the garment in places other than just hems and because some sergers/overlockers are convoluted to convert, it becomes a time and hassle factor to keep switching back and forth between overlocking and coverstitching during the construction of a garment. A stand-alone coverstitch machine is always ready to coverstitch and keeps your serger/overlocker always ready for its best task. Stand-alone coverstitch machines also produce more consistent and pleasing coverstitches than combo machines because they are built and engineered for just this one task. This means the stand-alone machine's foot and the space for it do not have to be "second fiddle" to a serger/overlocker's knives and feed dogs. How about accessories? Most of the above 4 brands of stand-alone home coverstitch machines have custom accessories available. These include specialty feet, binders, fellers, and beltloopers. See the Comparison Chart. In addition to buying "brand name" accessories from your dealer, generic "industrial" attachments can also be purchased on Ebay for considerably less cost. See the "Where to Buy" info on the General Tips page. The generics fit the Babylock without any modification and are nearly identical to the Babylock branded accessories. Slight modification and/or "rigging" is sometimes required to fit the generics onto the other home machines, but owners of all brands have reported success with attaching and using the generics. See the General Tips page for more info. What is a binder? A binder is an attachment for creating and attaching bindings in one pass on a coverstitch machine. You feed a precut strip of fabric through the binder and it folds the strip around the edge of a second piece of fabric, such as a neckline or sleeve hem, while you coverstitch the binding into place. Binders are available for a variety of finished binding widths and work so well that binding is a breeze! This is one of the Babylock branded binder attachments for the Babylock Coverstitch machine: And this is one of the industrial generic binder attachments I purchased from an Ebay seller. There is absolutely no difference (except price!) in design or functionality between the generics and the binders sold by Babylock dealers. Below is a Brother branded binder attachment. This is the Janome branded binder attachment, along with the plate needed to attach the binder to the Janome CP 900/1000. Below are binders which will fit onto many overlocker/sergers with a coverstitch option. Some are "plain" or single-fold, and others are "2 fold" or double-fold. Plain binders will fold the binding strip in half, leaving the raw edges flat and unfolded (unfinished). The 2 fold binder will fold the binding strip in half and will fold under both raw edges resulting in the clean, folded finish you're probably more familiar with. These are made by Babylock for the Evolve: Below are examples of some of the generic versions. The attachment plates are adjustable and/or removable to adapt to your particular overlocker/serger and/or stand-alone coverstitch machine. What is a beltloop folder? A beltloop folder is an attachment which feeds a strip of fabric, turns under both raw edges toward center while you to coverstitch down the center of the folded strip. Belt loop sections can then be cut from the longer strip and applied around a waistband using your usual method. What is a feller? A feller (or folder) is an attachment which turns a hem, either single or double-fold while you coverstitch the hem into place. Because the fold down is precisely aligned with the stitching, no trimming from the reverse is necessary. Fellers are available to downturn and upturn, in a variety of hem widths.
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Serging and overlock stitches look complex, but they are super easy to remove. Easy to follow video guide to unlock the secret. Don't just pull!
Here are my top 10 tips for using the coverstitch tape binder attachment. In the tutorial, I'm using Janome Coverpro but the methods work for any coverstitch machine.
Thank you to Bryden S. for sharing this method with me. I hope everyone finds it as useful and timesaving as I do! I use a stand-alone Babylock Coverstitch machine. You should be able to follow along with different brands, but some of the steps may be different (releasing tension, for example). Belinda has put together an excellent tutorial for ending the coverstitch on the Brother 2340CV, here. Let's begin: 1. Stop stitching with the needles in the highest position, or turn the handwheel to raise them if needed. Next, raise the presser foot and release needle tension. (On the Babylock, raising the presser foot releases tension at the same time.) 2. With a long, skinny tool (I use the needle allen wrench which came with my machine), sweep under the presser foot and behind the needles, "hooking" the needle threads. 3. Continue sweeping forward until the needle threads are pulled out in front of the presser foot. 4. Continue pulling the needle threads until you have a thread loop about 4" long. 5. Snip the thread loop in the center so both needle threads are cut at the same time. (I usually snip while the skinny tool is still pulling the threads out, but I couldn't balance the tool, the scissors and the camera all at the same time.) 6. After the needle threads are cut, pull the fabric straight back. 7. Continue pulling straight back until the needle threads are pulled to the underside (this will happen as you pull the fabric back), and stop when you have about 5-6 inches of needle thread. (In this photo, you see the needle threads that were cut from the needles laying on top of the fabric. The needle threads in the stitches have just disappeared to the underside by my pulling the fabric.) 8. Turn the fabric over and there are your needle threads on the underside! 9. Cut the looper thread, leaving a 4-5 inch tail at the machine for your next project. 10. Needle and looper thread tails ready for next project. 11. Underside. These stitches will not pull out. Try it! You can finish the tails by threading them under the looper stitches with a wide-eyed blunt needle, tying a knot, or applying Fray Block. (If you are hemming or stitching in the round, you will need to manually pull the needles threads at the beginning of your stitching to the back before you get to the end so you don't stitch over exposed thread tails. I usually stop hemming right before I get to the end to do that, and then I continue the last few inches, stitch over the existing stitches for 2-3 stitches and then use the method above to pull the ending needle threads to the back.)
Learn the differences between a sewing machine vs. serger and coverstitch machine and which one is best for your needs.
Hi All, Today I took Beverly’s class on Coverstitch machines! – I had never used a coverstitch machine before this, so everything was really new to me- and I have to say- wow- if I could even afford to have a wish-list with things this expensive, a coverstitch would definitely be on it! This was […]
A demonstration of what a cover hem machine does.
What is a coverstitch? A coverstitch is the twin or triple needle stitching you see on the hems of most ready-to-wear (RTW) knit garments. The top looks like parallel rows of straight stitching and the underside looks like serger loops which *cover* the turned down raw edge. Sometimes the "wrong" or loopy side is sewn on top as a design feature, especially in activewear. Coverstitch machines can also stitch single needle chain stitches. Are there coverstitch machines for the home sewer? Yes. Many top-of-the-line sergers/overlockers have a coverstitch option. However, there are also currently 4 brands of stand-alone coverstitch machines, Babylock (which I have), Brother, Janome and Bernina. There are subtle differences among all of the above machines, including price, available stitches, features, and accessories. Click HERE for a comparison chart. There are also industrial coverstitch machines available to the home sewer which have even more stitching options, such as coverstitch loops both top and bottom at the same time. Why would I want a stand-alone coverstitch machine? Sergers/overlockers with a coverstitch option must be converted from overlocking to coverstitching. Some machines convert more easily and faster than others, but all combo machines *must be* switched over somehow in order to coverstitch. Because a coverstitch can be used on the garment in places other than just hems and because some sergers/overlockers are convoluted to convert, it becomes a time and hassle factor to keep switching back and forth between overlocking and coverstitching during the construction of a garment. A stand-alone coverstitch machine is always ready to coverstitch and keeps your serger/overlocker always ready for its best task. Stand-alone coverstitch machines also produce more consistent and pleasing coverstitches than combo machines because they are built and engineered for just this one task. This means the stand-alone machine's foot and the space for it do not have to be "second fiddle" to a serger/overlocker's knives and feed dogs. How about accessories? Most of the above 4 brands of stand-alone home coverstitch machines have custom accessories available. These include specialty feet, binders, fellers, and beltloopers. See the Comparison Chart. In addition to buying "brand name" accessories from your dealer, generic "industrial" attachments can also be purchased on Ebay for considerably less cost. See the "Where to Buy" info on the General Tips page. The generics fit the Babylock without any modification and are nearly identical to the Babylock branded accessories. Slight modification and/or "rigging" is sometimes required to fit the generics onto the other home machines, but owners of all brands have reported success with attaching and using the generics. See the General Tips page for more info. What is a binder? A binder is an attachment for creating and attaching bindings in one pass on a coverstitch machine. You feed a precut strip of fabric through the binder and it folds the strip around the edge of a second piece of fabric, such as a neckline or sleeve hem, while you coverstitch the binding into place. Binders are available for a variety of finished binding widths and work so well that binding is a breeze! This is one of the Babylock branded binder attachments for the Babylock Coverstitch machine: And this is one of the industrial generic binder attachments I purchased from an Ebay seller. There is absolutely no difference (except price!) in design or functionality between the generics and the binders sold by Babylock dealers. Below is a Brother branded binder attachment. This is the Janome branded binder attachment, along with the plate needed to attach the binder to the Janome CP 900/1000. Below are binders which will fit onto many overlocker/sergers with a coverstitch option. Some are "plain" or single-fold, and others are "2 fold" or double-fold. Plain binders will fold the binding strip in half, leaving the raw edges flat and unfolded (unfinished). The 2 fold binder will fold the binding strip in half and will fold under both raw edges resulting in the clean, folded finish you're probably more familiar with. These are made by Babylock for the Evolve: Below are examples of some of the generic versions. The attachment plates are adjustable and/or removable to adapt to your particular overlocker/serger and/or stand-alone coverstitch machine. What is a beltloop folder? A beltloop folder is an attachment which feeds a strip of fabric, turns under both raw edges toward center while you to coverstitch down the center of the folded strip. Belt loop sections can then be cut from the longer strip and applied around a waistband using your usual method. What is a feller? A feller (or folder) is an attachment which turns a hem, either single or double-fold while you coverstitch the hem into place. Because the fold down is precisely aligned with the stitching, no trimming from the reverse is necessary. Fellers are available to downturn and upturn, in a variety of hem widths.
Serging and overlock stitches look complex, but they are super easy to remove. Easy to follow video guide to unlock the secret. Don't just pull!
Now that so many of you have coverstitch machines, I thought I’d rerun this tutorial from 2001. This is a very easy and neat (yes, I love my sewing to be neat and tidy!) way to finish a knit.…
Learn how to adjust serger tension on your overlocker needles and loopers for a perfect overlocked seam finish.
Are you curious about a coverstitch machine and what it does? This machine is key to achieving that perfect polished … More
I used to think that sergers were super expensive machines. Then I snagged a cheap Singer ProFinish Serger, and I don't know how I ever lived without it.
A blog about my sewing, knitting, and spinning adventures.
Today, we’re going to take a deep dive into the topic of serger vs. sewing machine. We’ll talk about what a serger is (and what it does) versus a sewing machine. Spoiler alert: by the end of this I’m certain you will be convinced that you absolutely need a serger!
Hi there! It is me, Manda, again. Today I want to share a little part of my discovery of the Coverstitch World. I had been...
