What Kind of a Surger Machine You Would Like to Join

Buying your first serger is never easy. Through this guide, we highlight 3 mid-range models to guide you on the serger that will make you happy.

The serger:

A serger is not a great sewing machine for a jersey. It complements a sewing machine. You should know that it does not allow you to work in the middle of the fabric (so no hem for example).

The overlock makes it possible to make an overlock stitch (commonly called overlock in the language of Shakespeare). This point is a mesh of thread intended to prevent the fraying of the fabric.

“But sir, I do it with my sewing machine” you say to me. Zigzag or other overcasting can be done with the sewing machine. However, we do not get the same resistance and the same elasticity. And let’s not talk about quality and speed.

Current overlockers are capable of ensuring the assembly of the fabric at the same time as the overlock, but also of making a roulotte on the edge of a fine fabric. Opting for the best affordable serger comes perfect now.

What characteristics should we turn to?

What is essential to have a machine capable of almost everything :

• A 4 thread overlock stitch
• Overlock stitch in 4
• One 3-thread overlock stitch
• 3-thread overlock stitch
• A rolling point in 3 threads

3-thread trailer point

The following adjustments: length, width, differential (adjustment allowing the correct entrainment of the extensible materials)

What is practical:

• The free arm: it allows to easily pass armholes
• arm-free
• The converter: it allows to use only 2 wires
• 2 sizes of mesh finger (a piece that holds the wire on the side)
• The Babylock S4 has 2 mesh fingers of different sizes, and the Brother a free arm.

A small warning: an overlock machine is very sensitive to the quality of the cut and must absolutely have a smooth operation for a good result. It is imperative to ban all low-end equipment to be able to use it correctly on jersey and sheer. Too many people come to see us for this and our only solution is to explain “that we don’t make a donkey, a race horse”.

The stage dreaded by everyone: donning

The serger traditionally has 4 threads. The “academic” threading is done by starting with the 3rd thread from the left. This thread will pass in guides, in tension, then in the upper looper. It is generally quite simple to put on, regardless of the machine.

Then comes the threading of the 4th thread. It is with this that things get complicated. This 4th thread passes through guides, in tension and joins the lower looper.

3 different schools:

Babylock S4 with a large removable block on the left which partially releases the lower looper. Threading becomes quite easy.

Brother 3034D with a small blue lever that brings the lower looper towards you. Threading is therefore easy. In addition on this machine, all the guides are open and very easy to access.

Old school Janome 344D: a thread guide at the back of the looper. You will, therefore, have to pass your thread under the mechanism twice (some shops sell thread passes for serger which is very practical).