What could be as simple - and yet as complex – as a serger? Remember how easy it was to make your first line of overlocking when you test-drove your serger at the dealership? The ease, speed, and accuracy of seaming and finishing the raw edge were delightful. Yet things can start going very wrong very fast. Thread and needle selection, treading paths, tension settings, upper knife position, stitch fingers, throat plates, loopers… there are just so many variables! After this Workshop with Ludmila - a sewing expert - your serger will soon become one of the most useful tools in your sewing room. It’s not difficult to use – and you’ll soon appreciate how much more quickly you can sew and how professional your finished result will be!
You will learn:
serger parts, accessories and threads;
threading and thread tension;
4, 3, 2 - thread overlock stitches and their purpose;
rolled hem;
inside and outside curves;
gathers with the differential feed;
removing stitches;
troubleshooting;
and more…
In-class projects:
1. Scrap catcher for your serger
- You will need one piece of fabric, and it needs to be at least as wide as your serger and about 30’ long. Please check your stash of fabrics as you may not need to buy something for this project. So, about 14” x 30”
2. Drawstring bag
- you need 2 rectangles of fabric, 12” x 18”
Recommended fabrics are heavy-weight cotton, polar fleece, heavier
weight cotton/poly blends, linen.
- 4m of cording. You can find this at Fabricland. It is about the weight/
thickness of shoelaces.
3. Unpaper towels: these are reusable, washable towels to replace the paper towels in your kitchen. I’d highly recommend using an old towel and cutting it to pieces that are 7” x 12”. We will provide snaps to attach them into a roll, if you’d like to do that.
4. T-shirts alterations ( taking-in in sides and sleeves, shortening)
Supplies List:
Serger
Industrial Manual (MUST!!!) All brands of machines work slightly differently, and we are not an expert in all different types of machines. If you do not have a Manuel (eg. Because you bought your machine second hand), you can do an internet search to find it. Search for the brand and specific model number. Having a Manual is critical for this class!
Appropriable needles for your machine (see manual)
Scissors
Fry Check – this comes in a small bottle, and you can buy it at most fabric stores. Not required but highly recommended!
Tweezers (this is must) Your serger probably came with a pair of fine tipped tweezers. If not, you will need to buy one.
a pen or marker to write on your muslin (something that won’t bleed) scraps of different types of fabrics
Prerequisites – Sewing Basics or equivalent.
