Monday, September 28, 2009

Serging Ahead

Want to see something that’s intimidating to even a somewhat experienced seamstress?
That’s right, a serger. I’m terrified of it. Or correction, I was. Until I saved up my pennies, bought a relatively cheap one (don’t want to make my cheapo sewing machine from Sears jealous) and decided that there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of a machine. If even it does have two needles, four spools of thread, 2 knives to cut the fabric (and possibly your finger), 2 owner’s manuals and 2 instructional DVDs, and a host of other weird accessories.

A serger is a type of sewing machine, I suppose. It doesn’t sew just a straight stitch; you still need a traditional sewing machine for that. This is the machine that makes clothes look really professional. If you’re wearing a shirt right now-and I hope you are because I prefer my readers not be topless-then you can check out the hem of your shirt and see what I mean. All that stitching, that looks all complicated and fancy-it’s what’s keeping the fabric from unraveling when it’s washed. And now, that’s a look I can achieve on my dresses. It probably won’t be quite as nice as some manufactured clothes (I’ve heard some sergers have up to 10 different threads going at a time!!) but I made a test dress while using it, and I’m really pleased with the results.
Look at that stitching!

It also goes ridiculously fast, and so far it’s definitely cut down on my sewing time. Although having to go back and forth between my two machines is something I’m still getting used to, and I don’t quite have it all down to an exact science yet. I'm sure if I videotaped my sewing process and sped it up, it would be quite entertaining. Here's to hoping that soon I'll be churning out dresses like crazy!

3 comments:

Rachael said...

i think i should bring my clothes with me that need tailoring when i come visit--that way i can see your machine in action. :)

Three Dog Days said...

I give you props for the pun. Also, the stitching does look very professional. You should make Pie a hat. And you should make it big in case I forget to kiss her head some nights. Because you have to kiss your dog's heads or their heads will get pointy and then their hats won't fit. So we should plan ahead for Pie since sometimes I am forgetful and kiss her on the nose instead. And she doesn't wear hats on her nose. That would be silly.

tiko tikoi handmade said...

Wow is fantastic your machine :)


Saludos