Going Beyond The Basics
Your home serger is one of the most versatile tools a sewist can own. They’re capable of producing professional-grade hems, seams, adding decorative finishes and more. Too often, home sergers are used merely for producing strong seams on stretchy fabrics or for finishing edges and rolled hems. If you’ve mastered the basics, the next step is to stretch your serging ‘wings’ and move on to the fun stuff. Who wouldn’t want to be able to stitch perfect curves and delicate lettuce edges or add piping, perfect ruffles and gathers, and other decorative elements to your projects or garments? There’s a world of tips, techniques and advice available to serger owners. Let’s look at a few fun ways to expand your serging skills.
Advanced Serger Classes
An increasing number of serger dealerships offer on-site classes for new and experienced serger owners. If your local dealer doesn’t offer these services, there is a wide range of live or video classes available online. Websites owned by professional sewists, sewing magazines and serger manufacturers offer a variety of options, from free videos you can watch as you stitch to instructional podcasts to downloadable instructional DVDs.
Instructional Books
Home serging is growing in popularity, which accounts for the extensive array of instructional books on the market. From tips for beginners to techniques used by haute couture designers, there’s an audio, hard cover or paperback book for you. Here are a few of the most popular serging books:
This book includes great tips and techniques for serger owners at multiple levels of skill. Step-by-step instructions and photos help you learn about tension settings, how different presser feet make adding piping, beading and elastic easier and trouble-shooting tips for common serger problems.
Every serger owner should investigate this book. It not only includes great threading tips, it features valuable tutorials on matching the right thread to the right fabric, how to perfectly serge outer and inner curves, working with lace and sheers, and making custom ribbons and braids.
If you have plans to become or already are a designer working out of your home, this is a wonderful guide to add to your collection. Five well-known serger experts offer step-by-step instructions on everything from shirring and pintucking to using your serger to insert a zipper.
Online Tips and Techniques
There are countless websites dedicated to honing creative skills such as serging. Most, if not all such sites also include a section with featured serger articles written by professionals and a forum for discussions about the craft. These forums and articles provide exceptional insight and plenty of tips and instructions on how to advance your own serging skills. While many of these sites are free and open to the public, just as many require a paid membership to take full advantage of everything the sites feature.
Don’t Forget Decorative Stitching
Most newer serger models include several options for creating decorative stitches beyond the basic multiple-thread overlock stitches. Exploring the possibilities of learning to use those stitches to produce the best effects is some of the fun of owning a serger. Even if you own a basic model serger, you can create a fun, striking ladder stitch using a 2-thread overlock stitch or chain of measured lengths to top or hand stitch onto garments or projects. Using decorative metallic or other threads can turn any overlock or rolled hem stitch into a statement. You can even create your own unique stitches by experimenting with your tension settings.
Going beyond the basics with your serger will not only expand your skills and creativity, it can open up very real professional possibilities. The next step is up to you.