Serger
Tips
Here are some serger tips
that I hope you will find useful. Your serger manual will give you recommended
stitch settings to use for your brand. Experiment with these techniques to get
the right setting for the fabric and thread you are using. The more familiar
you are with your serger the more versatile it will be. Design your garments
to incorporate some of the many quick, easy techniques you can do on a
serger.
Tip: On a sewing machine, you push a button
or turn a knob to select a stitch. On a serger, you have to TURN THE TENSION
DIALS to get a different stitch setting.
Don't be afraid to TURN
THE TENSION DIALS!
Tip: I always serge the cut edges of my
fabric before prewashing so they don't ravel in the washer and
dryer.
Tip: Butler
eez-thru Floss Threaders
(found in the toothpaste section) are great to use for threading any size of
thread through the eyes of the loopers. They don't fit in the eye of the
needle, however.
Tip: Always use a press cloth to keep from
touching decorative threads with a hot iron. Some threads melt with direct
heat. Nylon thread is very easy to melt without a press cloth.
Tip: I always trace my patterns to have a
1/4" or 3/8" seam allowance, or I cut the pattern down so there is only a 3/8"
seam allowance left. I cut very little fabric off as I serge (less than 1/8").
I just skim the edges of the fabric with the knife to keep the layers even. I
find that easier than trying to figure out, while I'm trying to serge
straight, how much to cut away for a 5/8" seam allowance. Using a 5/8" seam
allowance is unnecessary on a serger.
Tip: If your lower looper tension doesn't
tighten up enough to form a fairly straight line along the edge of a 3-thread
flatlock stitch, put woolly nylon thread in the lower looper. Because this is
a "stretchy" thread it adds to the tension and will help tighten up your
stitch.
Tip: Always loosen the tensions to zero or
one (no tension) and then reset them when changing to a different stitch
setting. This lets the thread fall into place within the tension dial before
you adjust for the new stitch. It is crucial that the thread is well seated in
the tension disks.
Tip: Almost all decorative serger
techniques are done with 2 or 3 threads (translate that to ONE needle). Always
remove the needle that isn't being used.
For easier print out, there
is a text only
page of serger guidelines.
General Guidelines to Follow When Serging
Here are some general guidelines to follow when using a serger.
These guidelines are not arranged in any order of importance, they're all
important. Refer to them often until they become ingrained as serger habits.
Most serger habits are different from sewing machine habits.
Threading
• Loosen the tensions all the way when threading. This allows the thread
to properly seat itself between the tension disks. Reset the tensions after
threading is completed. You have to turn those dials! Some sergers have a
tension release and do not need to be reset manually.
• If you tie on to rethread DON'T SEW THE KNOTS THROUGH YOUR MACHINE! Set
the tension to zero, work the chain loose behind the foot, and pull one or all
the threads through by hand. Use the tweezers and grab the thread behind the eye
to pull one thread through at a time. Unthread the needle eyes before pulling
the thread through so you don't bend the needles!
• If the lower looper thread breaks, ALWAYS UNTHREAD THE NEEDLES BEFORE
THREADING THE LOWER LOOPER. If you don't, the needle thread will be trapped
between the lower looper and the lower looper thread. You will have to rethread
because the lower looper thread will break again when you take a stitch. When
the needle threads are first threaded, the thread goes through the eye and
straight back. When the first stitch is made, the needle thread goes under the
needle plate and wraps around the lower looper from front to back and then goes
into the thread chain. If you thread the lower looper from scratch and leave the
needle threads wrapped around the lower looper, the needle threads will be
trapped and cause the lower looper thread to break repeatedly until you remove
the needle threads from being trapped between the lower looper and the lower
looper thread.
• Always thread a serger in the correct order. This may vary from brand to
brand so check the manual for the recommended threading order. This is an
important step to follow. This helps reduce the chance of trapping the threads.
Make sure to get comfortable with the threading order for your serger.
Needles
• NEEDLES SHOULD BE CHANGED FREQUENTLY TO INSURE THE BEST STITCH QUALITY.
Dull or bent needles can cause skipped stitches, thread breakage, tension
problems, and damage to the fabric. Change them at least as often as every 3
garments worth of serging. Change them more often if you do a lot of serging on
each project. BAD NEEDLES CAUSE BAD PROBLEMS! Changing needles is often the best
stress reducer there is. Some of the most common problems I run across are due
to using old or damaged needles. People spend hours in frustration trying to
adjust and/or "fix" their serger (which causes "STRESS"). All they needed to do
was change their needles! This would have given them a lot of extra time to
accomplish something. Sewing has been proven to be beneficial and reduce stress.
BUT ONLY IF YOU PUT NEW NEEDLES IN YOUR SERGER WHEN NEEDED!
• USE THE CORRECT SIZE AND TYPE OF NEEDLE FOR THE SERGER AND FOR THE
FABRIC YOU ARE SEWING. The manual will have a chart to tell what size and type
of needle to use in your serger for different types of fabric. Be sure to have
extra needles on hand.
Serging
• ALWAYS TEST SERGE ON A SCRAP OF THE FABRIC YOU WILL BE USING. Make all
the necessary tension, length, and width adjustments on the scrap before you
serge your project.
• ALWAYS LEAVE A 4" CHAIN OF THREAD BEHIND THE FOOT. This will help
prevent the thread from jamming the next time you start serging. It helps to
hold the chain with your fingertips as you start serging the first few
stitches.
Sit down at your serger. Raise the presser foot, and then tap on the foot
pedal while watching the chain of thread at the same time. See how the thread
jumps? That's what usually causes a tangled mess that results in rethreading. If
you hold the thread chain by just laying a couple of fingers on it when you
first start to serge, the speed of the machine won't yank the threads back into
the loopers and get tangled. You can also get a tangle if the chain is cut too
short. It will sort of jump forward when the serger starts and gets in the way
of the new stitches that are being formed.
• ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE ON WHAT THE STITCHING LOOKS LIKE AS YOU SERGE. We
look at the front of the needle so much we forget to look and see the results of
our efforts. If a thread becomes snagged or is wrapped around something, that
can cause some funny looking stitches to occur. You can often repair a problem
with minimal effort if you catch it soon enough.
• DON'T SERGE OVER PINS! It will damage your knife blades. Learn to
"finger pin" as you serge. Use as few pins as possible. Try to use pins with
large heads in a contrasting color to the fabric. Place them at a 90° angle
several inches from the edge of the fabric, and they will be out of the way as
you serge by them.
• MAKE SURE THE THREAD IS FEEDING OFF THE SPOOLS PROPERLY. If the thread
is caught or twisted, you will have strange results in your serging (skipped or
irregular stitches, thread breaking, tension problems).
• Check the position of the blade before serging. Make sure the blade is
either fully engaged in position to cut or is totally disengaged. Turn the blade
or knob until it fully clicks into or out of place.
• Always have the doors closed when serging. We don't want you or the
fabric to get caught in the moving parts. There are some sergers will not
operate if the foot pedal is pushed when the doors are open.
• Don't push or pull the fabric as you serge. Let the feed dogs pull the
fabric through the serger. All you need to do is guide the fabric and let the
serger do the work. You can bend the needles by pulling the fabric.
Cleaning
• CLEAN THE LINT AND FABRIC OUT OF YOUR MACHINE OFTEN. Use ozone-safe
canned air and a small brush. Makeup brushes are great for cleaning lint from
sergers. You can also buy a set of small attachments for the vacuum cleaner
designed for use with machines, computers, and other equipment. These
attachments can be found in vacuum and sewing stores or through mail order
sources.
• OIL YOUR MACHINE REGULARLY with a good sewing machine oil (only use
sewing machine oil). All sergers need oiling. Check your manual for specifics on
where to put the oil. You should oil most sergers about every 8 to 10 hours of
use. If it has been sitting unused for a while, oil it before using.
Troubleshooting
I highly recommend that you get a copy of The Ultimate Serger Answer
Guide (see Serger Books
) to answer your troubleshooting questions.
