Sergers are a type of sewing machine that sew incredibly fast, have loopers instead of bobbins that overcast the seam edge, knives that cut the fabric cleanly, and one or two needles. They are compact and portable and do most of their sewing on the fabric edges or folds. All ready-to-wear commercially sold garments are made mostly on industrial sergers.

The serger was first developed for the garment industry in the mass production of textile goods and used mostly by professional garment factory workers. In the later 1960s it was Baby Lock that introduced the home serger to the general sewing public. The popularity of the home serger continues to grow. As a companion to the traditional sewing machine, the serger vastly increases choices in the sewer�s world by adding speed to finishing techniques and producing professional quality, nearly flawless seam finishing and vast embellishment options.

A serger is all about its loopers, tension discs, knife blades, feed dogs and presser feet (nice that the presser foot does not have to be raised and lowered at the start of a sewing run), and many thread cones. Just a little care and routine maintenance of your serger will keep this workhorse of a machine cutting and sewing well for years to come.

It is good practice to not allow lint from fabric and threads to build up under the machines throat plate as this will clog the knives and feed dogs. A thorough brushing with a soft artists� brush will take off the lint easily. A gentle burst of canned (compressed) air helps to dislodge lint from hard to see places in the serger mechanisms.

The owner's manual for the serger will inform where to oil the machine and how often. Use the oil sparingly. A drop of oil would cover just the head of a flat head straight pin. Not any oil will do; use only oil specifically for sewing machines.

Sergers have two very sharp knife blades. How often knife blades need to be changed depends on the kinds of fabrics you sew with (cottons do not dull blades as fast as synthetic materials). Inspect the sewn, overcast fabric edge. If the trimmed edge is somewhat frayed, one or both of the blades may need to be replaced. Note: A word of caution - do not sew over pins ever.

Serger needles wear more quickly than sewing machine needles as the speed of the serger has the needles piercing the fabric many, many more times than a conventional sewing machine would. Use the best quality needles; change them after every one to three sewing projects for the best serging results.

Use the best serger threads. Discount threads are cost-savers in the short term for sure, but often fray, break or produce just too much thread fuzziness that can interfere with stitch quality and also can be a major culprit in any serger woes. Serger thread is light weight and manufactured with a special finish that is perfect for high-speed sewing. Although regular sewing machine thread may be used in a serger, and used well in the needles, the small amount on the thread spool can be a drawback if used in the loopers as much more thread is needed. If using regular conventional sewing machine thread be sure to remove the cone adapters, use a spool cap to allow the thread spool to turn properly, and place the notched end of the thread spool down. It is best to use the cotton-wrapped poly threads for most serging, nylon threads work well for swimwear and fitness clothing, 100% cotton thread is not as strong as other serger threads but works well for close-woven fabrics, and wooly nylon thread is soft yet strong for knits.

Sergers are wonders of the sewing world. They produce beautiful rolled edges, ravel-free seam finishing, stretch seaming, properly tensioned pucker-free seams, hemming options, decorative ornamental embellishing, and stitching all at the rate of about 1200 to 1800 stitches per minute!

Happy serging!

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