A few years ago hubby very thoughtfully gave me an overlocker (serger) for Valentines Day. A great gift, wonderful and much appreciated...but a little scary for the sewer I was at that time.
I desperately wanted to use it but ALL those dials and BITS that you put thread through (or that stuff up when you don't put it through properly)- "loopers" and the like- kinda scared me a bit. Soo each time I used there was this complicated scenario of pre-planning, research and checking/double checking my threading/ tension before any actual overlocking got done.
Compared to my regular (Janome "My Excel") sewing machine this thing looked very alien, much more complicated and was way more expensive that anything else I'd sewn with...the whole time I used it there was this dread of "stuffing" it up. That I was going to break the darn thing. So I just used it as an "optional" extra for finishing off - something for the rare and considered occasion- rather that making a workhorse out of it (see my few pre-kids overlocker garments here and here).
I desperately wanted to use it but ALL those dials and BITS that you put thread through (or that stuff up when you don't put it through properly)- "loopers" and the like- kinda scared me a bit. Soo each time I used there was this complicated scenario of pre-planning, research and checking/double checking my threading/ tension before any actual overlocking got done.
Compared to my regular (Janome "My Excel") sewing machine this thing looked very alien, much more complicated and was way more expensive that anything else I'd sewn with...the whole time I used it there was this dread of "stuffing" it up. That I was going to break the darn thing. So I just used it as an "optional" extra for finishing off - something for the rare and considered occasion- rather that making a workhorse out of it (see my few pre-kids overlocker garments here and here).
Well my dear reader it seems that life - or the sewing gods- had something else in mind for me and this machine.
All I can say is: having kids makes you reevaluate how exactly you spend your time. No longer do I look at my overlocker and think "oh that could make a pretty rolled hem, IF I could be bothered figuring it out..." now it's " I wonder how much faster I can sew X or Y garment if I overlock it?".
It's taken me a while to get back into the gist of using my overlocker (taking it to the sewing weekend away recently helped heaps - thanks Leanne!), but now I've started using it again I find I am more confident about threading/changing tension/changing thread colours. I have EVEN gone from 3-thread overlocking to 4-thread (yes I got the little screwdriver out)! Actually I find really the only painful parts to thread of mine are the loopers- the needles seem pretty straightforward.
Good light and a pair of bent nose tweezers have become my overlocking best buddies!
So far in the past few days I have sewn up two pair of pant's (pajama style- from a Patternmaker pattern) and have a Kwik Sew tee cut out ready to go that -according to instructions- is pretty much all overlocking (for construction)!
Also - while I was in the mood for upping my sewing productivity- I've finally figured out how to do a blind stitch hem on my regular sewing machine. OMG so easy and so effective- truly one of those headslap "why didn't I do this sooner?" moments.
So far in the past few days I have sewn up two pair of pant's (pajama style- from a Patternmaker pattern) and have a Kwik Sew tee cut out ready to go that -according to instructions- is pretty much all overlocking (for construction)!
Also - while I was in the mood for upping my sewing productivity- I've finally figured out how to do a blind stitch hem on my regular sewing machine. OMG so easy and so effective- truly one of those headslap "why didn't I do this sooner?" moments.
Since becoming reacquainted with my overlocker I've been lying in bed most nights dreaming of all the new and exciting stuff I can sew up soo much faster by using it. Ok maybe (like most of my sewing goals) a lot of it might not happen but a girl HAS to have plans right? Without plans not much happens...
Happy Sewing/Serging/Overlocking!
Kate :)
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