Today, I'll how you how to finish serger tails. I’m going to go over six ways you can use to finish your serger tails.
You deserve the best. 🥰🥰 Send your sewing hacks/tutorials using the link in bio for free features. Follow @instafashionschoolblog. If you made it here, consider your sewing contents excellent. 👌 I...
What is a serger and how do I use it? This is a question I hear all the time. Today we are breaking it down and telling you exactly how to use this sewing machine.
Overlocker/sergers 101. Learn exactly what they're used for, how to easily thread them, what to do when it's not working and so much more!
Willoughby Quilt features all the reasons why quilting is better than gardening. Patchwork quilts, unlike gardening, don't require endless attention, and when they're finished, they're finished. Willoughby Quilt is an English Paper Pieced (EPP)/machine pieced quilt design that suits even busy lives.
This helpful serger guide was submitted by Sarah from Sewing Parts Online. If you're ever in the market for a special sewing foot, pedal, bobbin, instruction manual, etc. be sure to check out their website. They even have parts for older machines like mine. Sarah hooked me up with some great darning feet! And now she's been kind enough to share this amazing guide with us. Enjoy! ... Learning all the new options a serger brings into your sewing life is a challenging and rewarding experience. I know most of us are intimidated by just the appearance of a serger, let alone figuring out what heck you can do with it! However, with a little time and patience, your serger will add all whole new perspective to your sewing. Successful sewing relies on a great community we all make together, so if you know any special tricks or have a few questions, leave them in the comment section below. Someone may have the same question or your trick might save us all a little more time! Firstly, mentally prepare yourself for a little confusion. When you're learning new serging techniques, you will find yourself adjusting, rethreading, crying, readjusting, switching needles...it's a lot to take in. This is because, just like a conventional machine, your setting have to be altered to fit different stitches, fabric, and thread weight...x4 (or x3 or x2 depeding on your stitch, but we'll get to that later). It takes time, but it does get easier and is well worth it! Secondly, give yourself time to really experiment with your serger before starting any projects. Trying to complete a project and compute all your serger settings will more than likely overwhelm brain circuits and cause spontaneous combustion. For me to understand my serger, I used my manual, library books, and surfed the internet to create a Serger Scrapbook. I tried out each stitch and different techniques one at a time. Once I had a stitch or technique done correctly, I glued the fabric swatch in my scrapbook, recorded all my settings as well as some tips and adjustments for different threads. Because there is so much to learn, having a scrapbook is an easy and fast way to recall information. While learning, I would limit myself to a couple hours of serging at any one time and just walk away when you feel the urge to break something. Give yourself time to learn in a stress-free environment and don't judge yourself if you mess up. It gets better! A few things to remember: Use good quality thread. Back away from the bargain bin; it will only end in tears. Sergers have fast moving parts and inferior threads cannot keep up. Maxilock and Toldilock are great options. Do whatever you can to ensure the thread is feeding evenly and consistently off the spool. Any wiggling will cause hiccups in your stitch. I have had to stuff my thread spools to secure them tightly. The thread nets are also very helpful. Use the Stitch Finger as a guide for sewing. Keeping an eye on the Stitch Finger (or the needle when the Stitch Finger is on R) will prevent the material from getting wrapped around the Upper Looper. Love thy Tweezers! I literally cannot thread my machine without tweezers. Tweezers also help if you are trying to detangle thread that wraps up where it shouldn't. Keep those pins far, far away from the cutting blade and the needles. You know how on your conventional machine you can get away with sewing over a pin or two? Not on your serger. You can always use basting spray to secure your fabric. If you must use pins, place them three inches away and parallel to the blade. Oil every 15 hours of serging and dust frequently. That cutting blade makes one heck of a dust pile. If a thread breaks in the upper or lower loopers, I rethread both of them in order just to be safe. Remember to keep your manual handy. I know we all hate trying to read manuals, but they really are a helpful reference. Here we go! Construction A four Thread Overlock stitch is ideal for constructing your projects. It'll finish the edges and hold your fabric securely. This is your basic starting point. You can serge in twill tape or ribbon into the seam to prevent stretch (like in shoulder seams). However, I recommend reinforcing heavy activity areas of clothing on your sewing machine after you have serged (like the crotch area of your pants). I have felt the wrath of not securing this area on a conventional sewing machine...in public. Settings for four Thread Overlock on Muslin using Regular Serger Thread: Left Needle- 5.5 Right Needle- 5.5 Upper Looper- 4.5 Lower Looper- 4 Length- 2 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Engaged (Can you spot the spelling error? Thank goodness for spell check!) Corners Serging an outside corner is basically serging a straight line. You can't pivot the material as you would on a conventional sewing machine. You simply serge a 3 inch chain past the end of the fabric, lift the needle and presser foot, and reposition your fabric to serger another straight line. The ends of the chain get secured in the stitch. Serging an inside corner requires you to bunch the fabric in to a straight line and serge normally. Don't worry, your fabric won't stay bunched. Try to get your line as straight as possible. Curves The trick to serging curves is all about control. Make sure you have a firm hand on the fabric and are controlling the feed with purpose. Try to slowly serge until you get the hang of it. Circles To successfully serge a circle, you need a starting point. Cut out a one inch long notch in the edge of the circle. The notch depth should be equal to your finished edge. So if I am cutting off 1/4 an inch, my notch will be two inches long, 1/4 inch deep. Just like serging a curve, maintain control of the fabric. You may find it helpful to draw your hem line and follow it as your serger. I always find it helpful to watch the needle(s) as I serger. Flatlocking Consult your maunal and adjust as needed. The trick is to have no tension in the needle and high tension in the loopers. Also, you want to examine your stitch finger and make sure the thread is hanging about 1/8 an inch past the edge of the fabric to ensure the fabric will lay flat when pulled. I especially love flatlocking with nylon thread in the upper looper. Here are my settings for three Thread Flatlocking with Nylong thread (on muslin fabric): Left Needle- 4 Right Needle- - Upper Looper- 5 Lower Looper- 9 Length-2 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Disengaged We see flatlocking often on active wear, but it also adds a great decorative element. With the wrong sides of the fabric together, you get the serging stitch in the right side of the fabric. But if you serge with right sides together, you will get a cool ladder stitch on the right side of the fabric. This is great for weaving in ribbon or yarn or beads. Spread or Two-Thread Converter Talk about a great way to save thread! A spreader, also known as a two Thread Converter, fits into the upper looper, making it think it's working when it's not. The same technique for sewing a three thread flatlock applies to sewing a two thread flatlock. Remember to let the fabric hang over. I find it most accurate to follow the stitch finger as I serger. I aim to have the edge of the fabric meet with the inside edge of the stitch finger. I keep my eyes glued to that and I get the best results. Inserting Spreader (Pardon my dust) Settings for two Thread Flatlock using a Spreader (serger thread and 100% medium weight cotton fabric): Left needle- - Right needle- 1 Upper Looper- Spreader Lower Looper- 5 Length- 2.5 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Disengaged Rolled Edges Rolled edges are so beautiful! Especially with decorative threads and on lovely sheer fabrics! Rolled hems are the stitch of choice for light-weight decorative fabrics, but require a few extras to be successful. Regarless of the stitch width, I recommend using some form of stabilizer on the lighter fabrics. You can use water soluble stabilizer or ribbon. I have actually heard of people using plastic wrap to secure the stitch of super delicate material. If you don't have any stabilizer available, you can simply fold the edge on itself and serger. You just need to go back and trim the extra fabric that's left over. Settings for Rolled Hem on Muslin using regular serger thread: Left Needle- - Right Needle- 3 Upper Looper- 9 Lower Looper- 9 Length- F Differential- 1.0 R or S- R Blade- Engaged Settings for Rolled Hem with Nylon Thread on Muslin: Left Needle- - Right Needle- 2 Upper Looper- 2 Lower Looper- 5 Length- 2 Differential- 1.0 R or S- R Blade- Engaged Remember, you will have to adjust your settings to accommodate for fabric weight and the type of stabilizer you use. Gathering You can buy a Gathering Foot for your serger, but it can be done with the general purpose foot, it just needs a little tweaking. I found I get the best definition using lighter fabrics, but you can increase the volume of your gathers by simply manually pulling on the needle thread after you have serged. Settings for Gathering with Nylon Thread: Left Needle- 5 Right Needle- - Upper Looper- 4 Lower Looper- 3 Length- 4 Differential- 2.0 R or S- S Blade- Engaged You can adjust the width as you please. Lettuce Edges A lettuce edge is an awesome decorative edge! You will get the best results from ribbed knits because they have a great stretch and bounce back quality. I tried a lettuce edge on other knits and wasn't pleased with the results nearly as much. The trick is to stretch the material from front to back as much as you can. Really pull on the fabric to get a great lettuce effect. You aren't going to hurt your machine. Slowly sew until you get the hang of it. Keep a firm grip and control the fabric. Settings for Lettuce Edges on Ribbed Knit using Embroidery Thread: Left Needle- - Right Needle- 2 Upper Looper- 2 Lower Looper- 6.5 Length- 2 Differential- 0.7 R or S- R Blade- Disengaged Making Waves There are a couple of ways to make your stitches look like waves. To create a wave look within your stitches and the create a wave effect with multiple rows of stitches. Wave Illusion within the Stitch: If you own a Babylock machine, you have a wave stitch built in. For the rest of us, you will need to do it manually. First, start with your manual's recommended settings for a three-Thread Overlock and make slight adjustments to fit your thread and fabric weight. User your left hand to guide the fabric. With your right hand, loosely hold lower looper thread between your pointed figner and thumb. Count 1-2-3 out loud and sqeeze your finger at the intervals beween each second. So you are literally pinching the thread for a millisecond as it comes off the spool. This takes a lot of practice. I'm still working on my precision. Settings for Manual Wave Stitch on Muslin using Nylon Thread: Left Needle- 5.5 Right Needle- - Upper Looper- 3.5 Lower Looper- 4 Length- 1 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Engaged Wave Illusion on Fabric: To create a wave look on your fabric, you serge multiple parallel lines using a shortened three-Thread Overlock Stitch. It looks best when you use decorative thread in the Upper Looper and thread matching your fabric in the Lower Looper. Then, on your conventional sewing machine, you sew a grid of alternating lines that intersect the serged lines. For example, you serge five parallel lines one inch apart. Then you go to your conventional sewing machine (match your thread to the fabric), sew five more parallel lines that cross over your serged line. You alternate the direction you sew to create the wave look. Basically, you are sewing a grid. Settings used on the Serger on medium weight fabric using decorative thread in Upper looper: Left Needle- - Right Needle- 5.5 Upper Looper- 4 Lower Looper- 4 Length- 1 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Disengaged Blind Hem Yes, it can be done! This works great in place of a cover stitch on knits. Start with a Flatlock. Adjust your settings to match your fabric and thread. Fold hem to the wrong side of fabric, then back over to the right side of the fabric. For a truely invisible hem, extend the raw edge past the fold and stitch on the extended hem edge (1/4 inch part), allowing the machine to just barely catch the fold. Sew slowly and keep your eye on the needle to make sure it is catching the fabric. Match your needle thread with the color of your fabric. Setting for Blind Hem on muslin using Nylon thread (increase tension in upper looper for regular thread): Left Needle- - Right Needle- 1 Upper Looper- 4 Lower Looper- 4 Length- 4 Differential- 1.0 R or S- S Blade- Disengaged I hope you found this article helpful and good luck with your serger!
There are many tutorials out there on how to create a narrow hem. The problem is they mostly demonstrate on a rectangular piece of fabric, which makes the process deceivingly easy. With a few exceptions, that usually is not how I use a narrow hem. If I need to hem something straight, a wide hem of 1″ or […]
Learn about different ways to assemble PDF patterns so you can get to sewing faster. Each way has two steps but some are faster than others.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you may remember this post, but I’ve been getting a lot of French seam questions lately so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to resurrect this tutorial from the blog archives and set it free a second time. I’m first going to do a run through of the french seam and then will show you how to apply it to the armhole. Just a few notes before we begin… 1. french seams are usually best used on light to medium weight fabric. 2. French seams require you to split your seam allowance in two parts. This tutorial is done using a 1/2″ seam allowance, but if you are working with a 5/8″ seam allowance, sew the first seam at 3/8″ and the second at 1/4″. I’ve tried to notate where this applies. With that, lets get to it! Click through to view the tutorial. French Seams on Straight Seams Step 1 | Cut your pieces from your fabric. I only made a half top for this so photographing would be easier, but yours will look normal of course. Step 2 | Sew the sides and shoulder seams with the wrong sides of the fabric together at 1/4″ (or 3/8″ if you have a 5/8″ seam allowance) and press the seam open. I like to do all of the seams at once instead of completing one seam at a time because you are much less likely to end up with one seam backwards. Step 3 | Grade your seam allowance down to 1/8″. Step 4 | Fold and press along the seam so that the right sides are together and stitch at 1/4″. Step 5 | Press both the side seams and shoulder seams towards the back of the garment and this part of the process is over! French Seaming Armholes (and other curved seams) Step 6 | First we will assemble the sleeves, this part is a bit repetitive. Sew the underarm seams with the wrong sides of the fabric together at 1/4″ (or 3/8″ if you have a 5/8″ seam allowance). Step 7 | Press the seam open and grade the seam allowance down to 1/8″. Step 8 | Fold and press along the seam so that the right sides are together and stitch at 1/4″. Press seam towards back of sleeve. Step 9 | Sew a line of gathering threads from the front notch to the back notches. Step 10 | Pin your sleeve and armhole together with wrong sides facing. Begin by matching the underarm seams and notches. Step 11 | Pull on your gathering stitches to ease the sleeve cap into the armhole. Stitch around the seam at 1/4″ (or 3/8″ if you’re working with a 5/8″ seam allowance). After sewing this seam, check for any tucks and remove them if you have any. Step 12 | Press the seam open and grade the seam allowance down to 1/8″. This will be most easily accomplished by cramming a ham or sleeve roll inside your shirt and pressing the seam around that. Step 13 | Fold and press along the seam so that the right sides are together and stitch at 1/4″. Check for any tucks and correct those if you have any. You should now have a french seamed armhole like the one below, congrats! And that’s that! As always if you have any questions leave me a note below and I’ll leave you a reply; I try to respond to all comments. Hope you find this tutorial useful!
Isn't she cute? OK, maybe not so much, she has seen better days. This is the first sewing machine that was my very own (thanks Mom!) she came into my life in High School, when my Mom enrolled me in a sewing academy, and I went to classes everyday after school, and she was by my side thru early days of crooked seams, when I went to FIDM, and up until about 3+ years ago, when she was replaced by my current machine. She has been in the garage since, I just could not bring myself to donate her, much less, throw her away. So I decided to give her a makeover. **I have been asked several times if the machine still works. It *does* work, as well as it did the last time I used it which was a few years ago, but not well enough for me to use on a daily basis anymore. I would like to make it perfectly clear, that I painted the machine, thinking it did NOT work, and I was OK with that, as it was done with the intention of being a sweet addition to the decor in my sewing room, so if you decide to do something similiar to your own machine, it is at your own risk. My only suggestion (and I am in no way, shape or form a expert) is that you do NOT spray paint a working machine, as it can easily get into the mechanism and motor. -Julie I bathed her in nice, warm, soapy water. A bit of spray paint. A little dabble of paint here.... and there.... and, well, ah yes I know what I want to do now..... hello! now we are getting somewhere.... what else? mushrooms of course! lot's of them... a little house... a couple of clouds.... Voila! Eeek! I ♥ my sewing machine, more than I already did. I wish I had another one to paint. I am going to upload more pictures of it, from all angles on my Flickr page, if you want a closer look. Have a great weekend, see ya!
The right sewing machine needle can make or ruin your sewing project! Do you know all the parts, sizes, and different kinds of sewing machine needles?
Learn how to use a sloper to simplify altering commercial patterns.
…it’s like the first day of sewing school… EDIT: Please, do not use the photos in this post to breach copyright and create...
Hello everyone and welcome back to QUILTsocial. I’m going to be spending some time this week with the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. This is an amazing sewing and embroidery machine that can do just about everything. Because I had used this sewing machine before, the first thing I did was to check…
I do enjoy myself a little getaway. One that is with a few friends who quilt as well is the best kind.
Sew 4 Pillow Cases Together!
" Have you ever wanted to apply a bias tape to a v-neck and did not know how? This quick and easy tutorial will show you how to do this and is appropriate for woven and knit fabrics. This kind of technique can be use when you do not want to sew a collar to your garment, making the garment lighter and easier to style –which is perfect for the warmer days of summer. I am using calico fabric and cotton/poly bias tape for illustration purposes so you can see clearly what I am doing. However, for better results please match the thread to the bias tape and the bias tape to the fabric."
I've been doing a fair amount of binding lately and thought I'd share a little trick I use to make binding much easier. It's something I worked out a while ago and makes sure you always have lovely flat binding when you finish off. You can probably tell from the title of this post
When sewing a curved seam, you are supposed to be clipping or notching the seam allowance, so that the seam can stay flat and smooth. The rule is that when the seam is concave, you clip the seam allowance; when the seam is convex, you notch the seam allowance. This is an important step. Without […]
I've always been a purist when it comes to creating a shell hem, however there comes a time when you have to seek an alternative technique...
Some of you may have noticed that I like to use my sewing machine's walking foot (also known as an even-feed foot). I've gotten questions over the years about why I am using it for one project or anot
Our Wrap + Turn Short Rows Tutorial guides you through this simple technique so you can shape your knitting with ease and confidence!
A comprehensive guide to the most commonly used quilting terms and acronyms. Includes a free printable quilters cheat sheet.
Get ready to have your mind blown with these 20 genius summer lifehacks that will save you time, money, and stress. Try them out today!
The crochet cast on is a fabulous cast on to have in your knitting tool kit. And I've made you a video to show you how to do it! It uses a 'waste' piece of yarn that you'll pull out when you're finished knitting: leaving a row of live stitches on the first row! It's
It was Karen’s Apron sewalong that put me in mind of (yes that’s a real phrase!) aprons and things. I narrowed my choices down to these two patterns on Etsy but could only afford the one (internati…
Share your experience with appliqué. That’s the question, more of a comment, that I posed earlier this month, via this blog, Facebook, and Pinterest. It’s
A book to teach sewing, Dublin, second half of the 19th century.
I grew up sewing and that's what drew me to weaving so many years ago. I'm just as happy in a fabric shop as a yarn shop. And I spend too much money in both places. Do you have a stash of fabric that's aching to try something new? Come on with me and use it up weaving a beautiful handwoven tapestry. Weaving with fabric is often called rag weaving, but I like to refer to it as fabric weaving. You can use fabric you've got on hand... or if you're as bad as me... rationalize buying more because it's just perfect for a...
As promised, here are two video tutorials to hopefully help your hand sewing get better. I don’t hand sew too incredibly often, but when I do, I always use these methods. After attending Gert…
I procrastinated custom coloring my own seam binding until I realized, I could do it my frugal way and have a custom color, ready to go on a card in about 5 minutes. Oh, the best thing about it was that I used what I already have, in fact, I used some of the things in my studio that have…
Sewing a Jedi or Harry Potter Robe or Cloak: This instructable REQUIRES a Sewing Machine and the knowledge of using one. If you do not meet these requirements, best find someone who does. History Someone asked me to make a Harry Potter school robe. It was sized for a child. We could have just…
This craft was a LOT of fun to do! We read about the lesson and then made our own long Samson hair! What fun is that! I used card stock for the headband and then hot glued it together after sizing it on each child's head. Then, I bought large black construction paper and cut it into strips, not cutting all the way so that there was a band at the top to make it easier to attach with the hot glue to the inside of the headband. You can have the kids use a glue stick to glue the individual strips of long black construction paper to your headband, but I thought this would be easier and faster. Have the kids decorate their headbands as they like. We talked about the story of Samson and Delilah while they were decorating their headbands. I include the headband template I used, but you'll need to cut extra card stock to fit around the child's head.
Learn about what Lutradur is and some tips for using it on your next quilting projects in this video from National Quilters Circle
