Serger Tips

by Diane Bossom

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.

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.

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