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All About Sergers / Overlock Machines

A serger is an essential part of any sewing room, adding a professional finish to all your projects. It can be intimidating at first but with a little practice, you’ll find serging projects become easier and faster than ever. With sergers, there are different types of stitches that can be used for creating seams, hems and decorative edges. All sergers have the ability to cut fabric while stitching, eliminating the need for scissors when you finish an edge.

In comparison to a sewing machine, serging requires much more thread but produces stronger stitches that are much more durable. The serger’s overlock stitch is designed to stretch with your fabric so it won’t break when pulled or tugged on. This is especially helpful when serging knit fabrics as it allows them to stretch without compromising the integrity of the seam.

It’s important to note that serger and overlock machines are actually one and the same. The term serger has become more popular among sewists, while overlock machine is often used by industry professionals. The term “serger” is also more popular in North America while “Overlock” is common elsewhere. No matter what you call it, sergers are an invaluable tool to have in any sewing room.

I have written a number of articles on what a serger is, how to use it, what you can do with it and where to buy it. Below is a selection of relevant articles on this subject published on ageberry.com. I have arranged the articles in a recommended reading order but for convenience here is a short table of contents:

What Is A Serger & What Can I Do With It?
Serger vs. sewing machine
Coverstitch vs. Serger
Review of JUKI serger MO-2000 QVP
The Self-Threading Serger – Yes, It Exists!
All About Serger Needles
Best Serger Tables: Everything You Need to Know
Best Serger Thread | What To Use | Brands
DIY panties tutorial (plus how to sew knits and how to attach elastic)
How to sew a lined zipper pouch by serger without a pattern
Making quilt binding with a serger – step-by-step tutorial
All About Sewing Knit Fabric
Amazon best sellers in sergers/overlocks and coverstitch machines
Best serger for beginners: Serger buying guide
Best Serger For Knits | Top Picks For Every Budget

What Is A Serger & What Can I Do With It?

what is a serger tutorial

In this sewing tutorial you will learn all about sergers sewing machines. Find out what a serger is, how to sew with a serger and what types of stitches sergers have. What does it do? What sewing techniques to look for in a serger/ overlock machine? Learn to use a serger for your sewing projects.


Serger vs. sewing machine

serger vs sewing machine

In this sewing tutorial you will learn all about serger vs. sewing machine. Find out what a serger is and how to sew with a serger. What does it do? What are the differences between them? What sewing techniques to look for in a serger/ overlock machine? Learn to use a serger for your sewing projects.

Coverstitch vs. Serger

SERGER VS COVERSTITCH

Wondering what is the difference between a coverstitch machine and a serger? In this sewing tutorial on coverstitch vs. serger we will analyze these machines, find out how to sew with the coverstitch, what operations it performs, and what kind of work a seamstress can’t do without a coverstitch machine.

Review of JUKI serger MO-2000 QVP

Review of JUKI serger MO-2000 QVP

This video sewing tutorial is a detailed review of Juki serger MO-2000. Learn what modern features this serger has: self-threading loopers, auto-threader for both needles, a very useful LCD screen where you can see all settings for 15 types of serger stitches, and an upper looper converter, etc.

The Self-Threading Serger – Yes, It Exists!

self threading serger

In this sewing tutorial, I’ll explain what the types of self-threading overlockers are, which brands have them, and what machines I recommend if you are eager to add one to your collection (as I was!). This technology is fairly new, and different brands define “self-threading” differently.

All About Serger Needles

serger needles - are they different from sewing machine needles?

Here I talk about serger / overlock needles. There are so many questions people ask about serger needles: What Needles Can Be Used With a Serger? Do Sergers need special needles? Are serger needles different?  Sergers can be pretty intimidating. I will explain in detail everything you need to know about serger needles.

Best Serger Tables: Everything You Need to Know

How to choose the best serger table

Sergers take time to set up and thread properly. For this reason a special serger table is a necessity or you’ll be tempted not to use it. What you need for your new serger is a workspace that’s specially designed to take advantage of its efficiency. Serger tables do exist and in abundant supply.

Best Serger Thread | What To Use | Brands

what is serger thread

What’s the best thread for your serger? There are plenty of good quality threads available at lower prices. Just be sure to read the labels carefully to make sure you’re getting the right type of thread for your machine.

DIY panties tutorial (plus how to sew knits and how to attach elastic)

Sewing made simple DIY panties tutorial (plus how to sew knits and how to attach elastic)

Learn how to sew DIY underwear from natural silk fabric or organic cotton knits with this step-by-step tutorial. It is quite easy even for beginners but there can be some small difficulties (for example, while attaching elastic). You are going to learn how to sew knits, how to make a pattern, how to sew elastic.

How to sew a lined zipper pouch by serger without a pattern

sewing tutorial on how to sew a zipper pouch by serger

I’ll show how to make a lined zipper pouch using a serger. The serger will do all the work of sewing the seams and finishing the raw edges in one step, so it’s quick and easy. When you’re finished sewing, you’ll have a cute and practical zipper pouch that’s perfect for carrying small items.

Making quilt binding with a serger – step-by-step tutorial

Making quilt binding with a serger - step-by-step tutorial

Learn how to bind a quilt. This tutorial will focus on how to sew the binding on a quilt by serger, how to bind a quilt with perfect mitered corners, how wide to cut quilt binding bias tape, how to join binding ends. Learn foolproof sewing techniques for fast and easy quilt binding.

All About Sewing Knit Fabric

sewing knit fabric - examples of projects I made from different types of knits

All about knit fabric: what it is, types of materials, how to cut and sew it. What machines to use and examples of projects where knit fabric is used. The serger is, of course, the best choice for sewing knits!

Amazon best sellers in sergers/overlocks and coverstitch machines

“Best seller” does not always translate into “best value”, “best quality”, or “best fit”. It simply means that is what people bought most 🙂 You should carefully evaluate your needs, possibilities and situation and then buy the best machine that you can afford. 

Best serger for beginners: Serger buying guide

If you’ve never used a serger before, shopping for a new machine is a bit intimidating. Finding the best serger to buy takes work. You want a machine that’s basic and user-friendly, but also robust enough to handle your future sewing projects as you learn and branch out.

Best Serger For Knits | Top Picks For Every Budget

If you love working with knit fabrics, then you know that a serger is an essential tool for sewing these fabric types. A serger sews, finishes raw edges, encases seams, and prevents fraying-giving your garments a professional appearance. It also saves you time by sewing and finishing edges in one step.

Best serger for knits

When serging knit fabrics, look for a machine that can handle various stitch types and has a differential feed.Differential feed helps to prevent puckering and stretching when serging knit fabrics.

Do you own a serger? Are you an expert at using it? Do you have any difficulties using one, do you have any technical problems? The following eBooks may help!

Serger Success Kit

serger success kit ebook for people who want to learn how to use a serger

Serger Success Kit is an eBook that’s jam-packed with helpful information. It’s designed to help beginners, intermediates, and more advanced sewists.

You will learn essential serger terms, parts of the machine, serger settings, types of serger stitches, serger threading, serger maintenance – all you need to get started with your serger. 

Serger Needles: Ultimate Guide

Serger Needles: Ultimate Guide is an eBook that’s designed to help beginners, intermediates, and more advanced sewists who have sergers/overlockers and use them for their sewing projects.

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