A serger machine is one of the most powerful and useful tools when it comes to the world of fashion design and tailoring. Serger machines are very special as they are designed to perform three separate functions in one go.

A serger machine is designed to perform seam stitching, trim the excess of the seam allowance away, and to overcast the edge of the fabric all in one go.

However, you might not always need all three of these functions, especially when it comes to trimming the excess seam allowance. If you want to overcast the edge of your fabric and stitch a seam, but you don’t need any excess fabric removed, and you don’t want to use the cutting knife, you need to disengage it.

That said, disengaging or not using the cutting knife is easier said than done. Today, we are here to answer the question, can you use a serger without cutting? The answer here is yes, although it will take some skill, or the right kind of serger machine.

Can You Use a Serger Without Cutting?

As mentioned above, serger machines are indeed designed to cut away the excess seam allowance of the fabric once the stitch has been sewn. However, you might not always have need for this. Maybe you have fabric that you just don’t want to cut away for whatever reason.

The simple answer to the question of the day is that you can indeed use a serger without cutting, especially if you have the right kind of serger machine. Right now, we want to provide you with some tips on how to use a serger without cutting.

1. Disengage the Cutting Knife

If you want to use a serger machine without cutting, one of the easiest ways to go about it is to disengage the cutting knife. Now, not all serger machines are going to allow you to disengage the cutting knife, but there are some that will allow for this. You should definitely read the manual of your particular product to see if this is possible or not.

Generally speaking, serger machines will have a small knob or button on the side that you can push or flip in order to disengage the cutting knives. This will then force the cutting knives to remain deep inside the machine and they will not move as you sew any piece of fabric. That said, not all serger machines can do this.

2. Hold the Fabric Properly

The next option that you have at your disposal in order to use a serger machine without cutting the fabric is to simply hold the fabric in the proper way. Here, you want to hold the fabric so that the very edge of it moves under the presser foot, so that you can still perform sewing and serging operations.

However, you want to hold the fabric in such a way that it does not get close to the cut knives. Yes, being able to hold the fabric so that it passes under the presser foot without getting close to the cutting knives can be very difficult, and it’s going to take a bit of skill, but it is doable. If you plan on doing this, we do recommend practicing on a few spare pieces of fabric first, just so you get the feel of it.

3. Remove the Cutting Knife

OK, so officially speaking, this is not something that most professionals are going to recommend, as you’re going to be tampering with your serger machine. If you do this, be aware that you’ll probably be voiding the warranty on your machine.

With that being said, if you were unable to disengage the cutting knives, and you’re also not able to hold the fabric properly as discussed above, your other option maybe to actually remove the cutting knife.

The cutting knife is going to be held in place by a small screw or any other such fastening system. You will have to open up the machine with appropriate tools and actually remove the cutting knife. Although this is an option, technically speaking, it’s really not recommended.

Final Thoughts

So, strictly speaking, it isn’t impossible to use a serger machine without cutting. You may be able to disengage the cutting knives, remove them, or just hold the fabric in such a way that it does not touch the knives.

With that being said, if you are looking to perform basic sewing tasks without cutting, then you’re better off just using a normal sewing machine. A normal sewing machine is much better suited for this kind of task.